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Makes Every Word Count
Digital Reading That
Total Words is on a mission
To change the way we can do reading. To maximise reading attainment through innovation, integrated teaching-learning partnerships and real-time data analysis.
What's different about Total Words?
Total Words delivers a fresh system of learning to read. We use technology to do more than record results. We deliver an effective learning process, that is highly accessible and cost-effective for schools. We provide evidence that generates personal enthusiasm and shows how to convert ambition into real achievement.
Studies show that children are now reading less each day than previous generations. Reading books that are concise and that tell students how many words they have read motivates students to read more. Total Words offers an effective, alternative digital reading and learning methodology that is different from phonic-based reading methods. By focussing on the factors that impact on a studentʼs rate of progress, teachers can offer bespoke learning programmes to children that maximise a child's rate of progress.
Our goal is to give schools the tools they need to produce more students with competent reading skills,
to make a difference to learning.
Evidence-based Learning
We are committed to
Data-driven Reading Means...
We provide learners with clear evidence of their daily reading progress, and teachers with certainty that their teaching sessions result in progress. We use data to focus forward, maximising reading progress each day. From the information that our Reading Progress App records today, we know what to do tomorrow.
For example: If the data tells us that 235 words were read today, in 3 minutes, with 232 words read accurately, then we know that tomorrow, this child could read at least two books and could read a book that has scope for more new words to be learnt.
Encouraging Postice Practice
It All Adds Up
A Unique Learning Process
​A progress-focused learning system creates success. Our system converts language theory, positive psychology and learning theory into an efficient learning system.
We believe motivation is key for learning. Our Progress App provides children with clear evidence of their reading performance - telling children how many words they have added to their vocabulary, how many words they have read, how many words they can read and what progress they have made. This makes our books ideal for EAL students, for older students who need to make fast, catch-up progress and for students who need to boost their confidence.
Rooted in Positive-Psychology, we enable students to learn what they need to do in order to improve their skills. Providing teachers with the data that empowers them to manage the learning process most effectively. We remove hierarchy in our learning approach, and instead focus on a sustainable, motivating, positive practice-based learning method.
Learning Process
How to Make Rapid Reading Progress
How to Improve Reading Accuracy
All of our products are
Designed
for Learning
Through word-counts, repeated language and key-word prompts throughout, each Total Words book is purposefully written and designed by us, embedded with learning theory.
Why Five at a Time?
One topic, five different titles...​ Our books address the challenge that all teachers experience when faced with 30 students in their class with differing levels of reading ability, differing levels of motivation and confidence. Familiar vocabulary across all five titles reinforces topic context and meaning, rapidly boosting comprehension skills and supporting inclusive learning by encouraging students to share topic knowledge.
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Words Matter, Content Matters
Meaningful resources motivate students. Total Words books are intellectually meaningful — real scenarios, real stories, real events; socially meaningful — resources designed for students to share; emotionally meaningful — resources for students to challenge themselves and monitor their own progress. Our curriculum-topic books are a flexible, multi-use learning resource for whole class use and for individual learning programmes. Our digital books, complete with comprehension activities are highly cost-effective and can be accessed anywhere. Our progress app provides real-time data so teachers can plan effectively and students can see the progress they are making.
Want to know more? See our FAQs
"Ahmed read 548 words. He needed a prompt for 10 words in the whole book. He remembered words that were repeated in the text. Ahmed asked if the tsunami really had happened, if it was real. Yes. When
he was interested and motivated, he could read. Reading about real events was important for him."
Who are we?
Allyson Caseley, Educational Psychologist and Co-Founder
“It was so exciting to see what children could do if we placed them in a totally efficient, positive learning programme. Everybody involved felt uplifted and happy to be talking of success and progress.
I followed the theory-rules to create a reading programme and was amazed and inspired by the data”
Kiri Mellalieu, Artist and
Co-Founder
"I continue to be excited to see the profound effect that considered design in text, imagery, psychology and layout can have for groundbreaking products. When I saw evidence of how our researched design for Total Words dramatically increased the way children in a classroom were having conversations about a topic, I was only inspired to do more.”
Aman Birdi, Lead Developer
“After building a network of some of the top app developers in the industry, and learning their strategies for building some of the most successful apps on the market, developing the Total Words platform has been one of the most fulfilling projects I’ve worked on. "
Luke Green, Non-Executive Director
“By tackling the issues within education from a unique angle, Total Words is just the tip of the iceberg for Achieve Psychology for Learning.
I truly believe that this way of thinking can be disruptive and massively beneficial for people not just in the UK but around the world.”
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