Supporting Reading, Writing, and Communication with Readtopia® and Monarch Reader™
As backpacks are packed, classrooms are prepared, and literacy instruction begins, many AAC teams are asking the same questions:
How can we make literacy instruction more accessible and meaningful for students who use AAC?
What resources can help students actively participate in reading, writing, and classroom communication?
Literacy and communication belong together.
Reading and writing provide students with opportunities to learn new information, build vocabulary, share ideas, express opinions, and connect with others. For students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), literacy instruction should also include the communication supports they need to participate actively and demonstrate what they know.
Through the partnership between Building Wings™ and PRC-Saltillo, the AAC Language Lab offers implementation resources that support students who use AAC while participating in Readtopia® and Monarch Reader™.
These resources help educators, speech-language pathologists, and families connect literacy instruction with language development, communication, and meaningful classroom participation.
Readtopia®: Building Language and Literacy Skills
Readtopia® by Building Wings is a research-based literacy curriculum grounded in the work of Dr. Karen Erickson. It engages students in phonics, reading, vocabulary, and comprehension through meaningful, age-respectful content.
Students who use AAC should have opportunities to participate in every part of literacy instruction. This includes discussing stories, learning new vocabulary, answering and asking questions, making predictions, expressing opinions, and connecting what they read to their own experiences.
The AAC Language Lab extends Readtopia® with practical resources that help educational teams integrate AAC into literacy instruction. These supports include:
- Smart Charts
- Vocabulary supports
- Descriptive teaching resources
- AAC implementation guides
- Resources for finding words in AAC systems
- Supports for LAMP Words for Life®, Unity®, and WordPower® users
These tools can help communication partners prepare vocabulary, model language, and create meaningful ways for students to participate before, during, and after reading.
Explore the available supports on the AAC Language Lab Readtopia® page.
Supporting Participation During Literacy Instruction
Meaningful participation involves more than asking students to identify a correct answer. Students who use AAC need opportunities to communicate for different purposes during literacy activities.
While reading, students can use AAC to:
- Make comments
- Ask and answer questions
- Predict what may happen next
- Describe characters and events
- Share opinions
- Compare ideas
- Retell important information
- Connect the text to personal experiences
- Request clarification
- Express enjoyment, confusion, or disagreement
Communication partners can support participation by identifying a few important words to model, keeping the AAC system available, and allowing enough time for students to construct their messages.
Open-ended questions can also create richer communication opportunities. Instead of asking, “Did the character go home?” consider asking, “What do you think the character will do next?” or “How do you feel about what happened?”
The goal is not only to check comprehension. It is also to invite students into the conversation surrounding the text.
Connecting Core Vocabulary and Curriculum Vocabulary
Literacy instruction often introduces specific academic or story-related vocabulary. Students also need access to flexible words they can use across books, activities, and environments.
Communication partners can model a combination of core vocabulary and curriculum-specific vocabulary. For example, words such as “go,” “like,” “different,” “think,” and “more” can support participation across many literacy activities. Story-specific words can then be added or taught as needed.
Descriptive teaching can help communication partners explain unfamiliar concepts using words already available in the student’s AAC system. Instead of expecting every new vocabulary word to be immediately programmed, a partner can describe its meaning using familiar words.
Combining these approaches helps students discuss what they are reading while continuing to build flexible language skills.
Monarch Reader™: Accessible Books for Emergent Learners
Monarch Reader™ provides a growing collection of free online books on a wide range of engaging topics. The books are designed to open the door to literacy for emergent learners of all ages.
Accessible and engaging reading materials give students more opportunities to explore topics that interest them, build background knowledge, and participate in shared reading.
PRC-Saltillo has created more than 70 Monarch Reader™ companion books specifically designed to support activities in the AAC Literacy Planners and My AAC Literacy Journal.
These companion books make it easier to connect:
- Reading
- Writing
- AAC use
- Language development
- Classroom participation
- Personal reflection
- Meaningful communication
Educators, speech-language pathologists, and families can use the companion books to extend learning beyond a single reading activity. A book can become the starting point for conversation, writing, vocabulary instruction, personal connections, and continued exploration of a topic.
Explore the companion book collections on the AAC Language Lab Monarch Reader™ page.
Supporting Emergent Readers of All Ages
Emergent literacy is not limited to young children. Learners of all ages may be developing foundational skills related to reading, writing, communication, and language.
Age-respectful materials are important because students deserve content that reflects their interests, experiences, and chronological age. Engaging topics can help learners connect with the material and provide authentic reasons to communicate.
When selecting a book, consider:
- The student’s interests
- The student’s age
- Opportunities for meaningful communication
- Vocabulary that can be modeled
- Connections to classroom instruction
- Opportunities for reading and writing
- Ways the student can respond using AAC
The goal is to create an accessible literacy experience without limiting the student’s opportunities to think, participate, or express original ideas.
Bringing Reading, Writing, and Communication Together
Readtopia® and Monarch Reader™ provide different ways to support literacy learning, but both can help educational teams connect reading and writing with authentic communication.
Before reading, students can make predictions, discuss what they already know, and explore important vocabulary. During reading, they can comment, ask questions, describe events, and share reactions. After reading, students can retell information, write about the topic, connect it to their own experiences, or participate in a related activity.
AAC should be available throughout each part of this process.
Communication partners do not need to model every word or ask the student to repeat each model. Instead, they can focus on a few meaningful words, allow plenty of wait time, and respond to the student’s message.
Literacy instruction is most meaningful when students are invited to contribute—not simply demonstrate one expected answer.
A Back-to-School Tip
Plan for participation, not only instruction.
Before beginning a literacy activity, consider how the student will participate using AAC.
Ask yourself:
- Is the AAC system available and accessible?
- Which words could I model?
- What opinions or ideas could the student share?
- Are there opportunities to ask questions and make comments?
- Have I allowed enough time for the student to respond?
- Can the student participate in both reading and writing?
Planning for communication from the beginning can make literacy instruction more accessible and meaningful.
Ready to Explore?
The beginning of the school year is a great time to strengthen the connection between literacy and communication.
Readtopia® resources on the AAC Language Lab provide practical AAC supports for phonics, reading, vocabulary, comprehension, and classroom participation. Monarch Reader™ offers free online books, along with more than 70 companion books created by PRC-Saltillo to support the AAC Literacy Planners and My AAC Literacy Journal.
Together, these resources can help educators, speech-language pathologists, and families support language growth, active participation, and a love of literacy.
Explore Readtopia® resources and Monarch Reader™ resources on the AAC Language Lab.
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