ABRACADABRA offers a variety of aids in five areas: Instruction, Professional Development, Communication, Assessment and Parent. The software also provides a link to the CSLP’s digital portfolio software, ePEARL. Currently only in English, ABRACADABRA will eventually be adapted for French and ESL beginning readers as well for older students who may be struggling with these important skills.

Information, in the form of video clips and animated demonstrations help guide teachers in understanding and presenting the skills their students need in order to learn how to read. Printable resources and suggested lesson plans are also available in this area. Teachers are able to view an animated demonstration of each of the instructional activities within ABRACADABRA to help them with planning for smoother classroom integration.

Stories are appropriately linked so that teachers can match students to developmentally suitable materials. The wide variety of these texts will allow students to read for a variety of purposes, have the text read to them as a model, and click on a word to hear its pronunciation or scaffold word reading strategies for “just in time” support. Activities present different reading skills, ranging from word-level practice such as: letter/sound recognition and word segmenting, fluency exercises like modeled reading and expression, and comprehension and writing skills such as sequencing events in a story and writing sentences. These activities allow students to practice the entire range of skills necessary to be a successful reader. In addition, teachers can use the instructional module as though they were a student—pairing up with other students in the classroom.

Recording student actions is available in the form of student reports—providing teachers with an up-to-date record of students’ progress for developing reading skills. Quick and reliable activity statistics and error reports allow teachers to assess their students’ understanding, and reading level; making planning and further practice and remediation easier.

Educational professionals can share their experiences, best practices, lesson plans, and anecdotal remarks about the classes using the software.

Parents need to understand the learning to read process and they need practical strategies to help them support their child’s literacy learning. Instructional videos, on using the instruction module at home, printable resources as well as other information are provided to help parents engage their children as nonreaders, beginning readers and readers having difficulty.