FAQ
TNT Reading
Q. What is TNT Reading for?A. TNT Reading trains the important elements used in learning how to read. The system was designed for children PreK-3rd grade. It can be used to help a child learn to read or to help improve their reading skills, both with phonics and reading comprehension. This system is designed in a structured hierarchy that trains different areas of reading as the child progresses, allowing the child to achieve mastery.
Q. How Does it Differ from the TNT Reading Tutor?
A. The TNT Reading Tutor is the home version of TNT Reading Pro. It is licensed for two players for one year at a time. The TNT Reading Professional version has many more customizable options than the TNT Reading Tutor; it enables educators and professionals to easily “fine tune” training for each child.
Q. Who created TNT Reading Tutor?
A. TNT Reading has been created by an experienced team consisting of a neuropsychologist, developers, programmers and graphic artists. It focuses on the core reading skills specified in the National Standards of Learning.
Q. How often should a child use TNT Reading?
A. It is recommended that a child work about two hours a week if the goal is to improve their reading abilities in about three months. If possible, it is best to have a child work for about a half hour each day. Each exercise takes about five to ten minutes to complete and the vary significantly in order to provide variety. The program remembers the last exercise completed so your child can start right where they left off.
Q. How do I know if a child is ready for TNT Reading?
A. TNT Reading is suggested for children ages 4-9 or PreK-3rd grade levels. A child can use TNT Reading to prepare for Kindergarten, to get ahead, or to further improve reading skills.
Q. Where should a child start in the program?
A. It is recommended that the child first take the TNT Reading tests in order to determine what areas need to be trained. The test will give recommendations that are used by the TNT system to easily and automatically create a training plan. By using the test results, training can be targeted to focus on the specific areas that need to be improved. As training progresses, each training step becomes increasingly more difficult than the last step.
Q. Does a child need to know the alphabet to use TNT Reading?
A. No, TNT Reading teaches letter recognition for each letter of the alphabet. Both uppercase and lowercase letters are trained. The training is done in small sections of five or six letters at a time to help achieve mastery.
Q. Is there any research that TNT Reading is based on?
A. TNT Reading is based on many years of research. There are numerous research studies that show the effectiveness of the seven components of reading that are used in the TNT Reading System. These research studies show that the training of letter recognition, phonemic awareness, phonic skills, mental processing speed, auditory discrimination, working memory and attention are all effective in helping beginning readers and poor readers become great readers.
Q. Does TNT Reading work with children who have learning disabilities?
A. Yes! TNT Reading offers extensive training in areas such as phonics and decoding, which many children with learning disabilities have trouble doing. In addition, it is possible to set the passing grade level so that children of all ability levels can succeed and receive certificates and video game rewards for making progress.
Q. Why would my child like this program?
A. TNT Reading is fun to play because the exercises are designed to play like games. The players earn points by making correct responses and can earn the high score on the Top 10 Player Rankings list. There are over 1,000 different exercises and each one is unique. In addition, children are rewarded with fun video game breaks and colorful certificates whenever they demonstrate success.
Q. Is TNT Reading compatible with the school curriculum?
A. TNT Reading is designed to train the areas of reading as specified in the National Standards of Learning. Using TNT Reading in addition to the reading instruction that a child receives in school can help improve reading skills.
Q. How will I know that my child is making progress?
A. There are two ways to keep track of a child’s progress. First, there is a Progress Report Menu. This menu displays a child’s progress in a colorful, printable chart that allows you to easily see the number of tests that have been passed in each TNT Reading step. This is a quick and easy way to keep track of a child’s progress. Second, the Exercise Results Menu shows more detailed information regarding the child’s progress. This menu displays the name of the exercises completed, the date they were completed, the grade percentage, the result (pass or fail) and the passing goal (or difficulty level). The data management system in TNT Reading also allows you to filter the types of exercises you want review and to examine all test results in detail.
Q. Does TNT Reading teach spelling?
A. There are several TNT Reading exercises that train the spelling of simple sight words. Phonics training provided in TNT can also help to improve spelling skills.
Q. Do I need to sit and help the child for every lesson?
A. Helping a child learn how to use TNT will only take a parent or teacher one to two sessions. Initially, TNT starts up in Wizard Mode to help guide you through the registration and licensing of the software. You will then need to help a child initially by creating a Player’s name and entering some other information, as guided in the Wizard. It is recommended that you use the TNT wizard and complete three or more of the TNT provided reading tests. These test results will then be used by TNT to create a customized training plan. The child will be able to pick an interesting icon to represent them that will appear on the desktop that can then be clicked on to start the TNT training plan automatically. The program remembers the last exercise completed so the child can continue training the next day where ever she left off.
Q. What do I need to supply?
A. The TNT Reading software comes on a DVD-ROM that can be installed on your computer. Authorization and registration must be done via the internet, but internet access is not required to run TNT.
Q. What are the Computer System Requirements?
1.6 GHz or faster PC processor
100 GB hard drive with at least 10 GB free space
512 MB of RAM or more
Windows 7 / Vista / XP
DirectX compatible video and sound cards
Keyboard and Mouse (TouchScreen Optional)
Headphones or External Speakers
Q. What if I have trouble using the program. How do I get help?
A. You can contact BrainTrain technical support via email by clicking here or call 804-320-0120. Technical support is available Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm EST.