Creating Your First Wordbank

Welcome to Readably, the innovative language learning platform that puts you in control of your learning journey! If you haven't signed up yet, we recommend starting with our Getting Started guide. Once you've created your account, you're ready to dive into the heart of Readably's personalized learning experience: creating your first wordbank.

What is a Wordbank?

Before we begin, let's clarify what a wordbank is in the context of Readably. A wordbank is a personalized collection of words, phrases, or grammatical structures that you want to learn or practice. It's the foundation of your customized learning experience, allowing you to focus on vocabulary that's relevant to your interests, needs, and goals.

Accessing the Wordbank Creator

To create your first wordbank, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Readably account and navigate to your dashboard.
2. Choose any of the four core features: Personalized Texts, Personalized Listening Practice, Personalized Conversations, or Enhance Your Learning (Spaced Repetition).
3. On the screen that appears, look for the plus (+) button, typically located near the top of the page. This button is your gateway to creating a new wordbank.

Creating Your Wordbank

Now that you've accessed the wordbank creator, let's walk through the process of building your personalized vocabulary list:

1. Click the plus button: This will open the wordbank creation interface.
2. Name your wordbank: Choose a descriptive name that reflects the theme or purpose of this wordbank (e.g., "Travel Vocabulary", "Business Terms", "Favourite Hobbies").
3. Add words to your bank: You'll see a text box where you can enter words or phrases. Type any word in your target language and press Enter. The word will appear in a list on the right side of the screen.
4. Continue adding words: Repeat this process for as many words as you'd like to include in your wordbank. There's no limit, so feel free to add as many as you find useful!
5. Language validation: Readably's system will automatically check if the word you've entered is valid in your chosen language. If it's not recognized or is incorrectly spelled, the system won't accept it, ensuring your wordbank remains accurate and relevant.
6. Review and edit: As you add words, you can review them in the list on the right. If you want to remove a word, simply hover over it and click the 'x' button that appears.
7. Finalize your wordbank: Once you're satisfied with your selection, click the "Submit" button to create your wordbank.

Tips for Creating an Effective Wordbank

While the process of creating a wordbank is straightforward, here are some tips to help you make the most of this feature:

• Theme-based banks: Consider creating wordbanks around specific themes or topics. This could be related to your job, a hobby, or an upcoming trip.
• Difficulty levels: You might want to create separate wordbanks for different difficulty levels. For instance, one for basic vocabulary you're still mastering, and another for more advanced words you're working on.
• Parts of speech: Some learners find it helpful to create wordbanks focused on specific parts of speech, like verbs, adjectives, or idiomatic expressions.
• Contextual grouping: Group words that often appear together in real-life contexts. This can help you learn and remember them more effectively.
• Regular updates: Don't hesitate to revisit and update your wordbanks regularly. As you progress, you might want to remove words you've mastered and add new challenges.

Using Your Wordbank Across Readably

One of the most powerful aspects of Readably's wordbank system is its integration across all our learning features. Once you've created a wordbank, it becomes available throughout the platform. Here's how you can leverage your newly created wordbank:

1. Personalized Texts: Generate reading materials that incorporate words from your wordbank. This allows you to see how these words are used in context, enhancing your understanding and retention.
2. Personalized Listening Practice: Create listening exercises that feature your chosen vocabulary, improving your ability to recognize these words in spoken language.
3. Personalized Conversations: Engage in AI-driven conversations that naturally incorporate words from your wordbank, giving you the opportunity to practice using these words in dialogue.
4. Enhance Your Learning (Spaced Repetition): Use the spaced repetition feature to review words from your wordbank at optimal intervals, reinforcing your memory and improving long-term retention.

Practical Exercise: Creating Your First Wordbank

Now that you understand the process, let's put it into practice. We encourage you to create your first wordbank right now. Here's a suggested exercise:

1. Think of a topic that interests you or relates to your language learning goals. For this example, let's use "Cooking".
2. Access the wordbank creator through any of the four main features.
3. Name your wordbank "Cooking Vocabulary".
4. Start adding words related to cooking. Here are some suggestions to get you started (remember to add these in your target language):
   • Ingredients
   • Recipe
   • Chop
   • Boil
   • Fry
   • Bake
   • Delicious
   • Kitchen
   • Utensils
   • Flavor
5. Add at least 15-20 words to your wordbank.
6. Review your list, remove any words you're not sure about, and click "Submit".

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've just created your first wordbank on Readably. Here are some suggestions for what to do next:

1. Practice with Personalized Texts: Generate a short story or article using your new "Cooking Vocabulary" wordbank. Read through it and see how many of your chosen words you can identify.
2. Try Listening Practice: Use your wordbank to create a listening exercise. This will help you recognize these cooking-related words in spoken language.
3. Engage in a Conversation: Start a conversation with our AI language partner about cooking. Try to use as many words from your new wordbank as possible.
4. Set Up Spaced Repetition: Add your new wordbank to your spaced repetition schedule to ensure you review these words regularly.
5. Create More Wordbanks: Now that you're familiar with the process, create wordbanks for other areas of interest. The more you personalize your learning, the more engaging and effective it becomes!
6. Explore Further: Continue exploring the various features of Readably. Each feature is designed to work synergistically with your wordbanks, providing a comprehensive, personalized language learning experience.

The Power of Personalization

By creating your first wordbank, you've taken a significant step towards a truly personalized language learning journey. Unlike traditional language learning apps that follow a one-size-fits-all approach, Readably empowers you to focus on the vocabulary that matters most to you.

Remember, language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. By consistently using and updating your wordbanks, you're not just memorizing words – you're building a practical, personalized vocabulary that you can use in real-life situations.

We encourage you to make wordbank creation a regular part of your language learning routine. As you encounter new words in your studies or daily life, add them to an appropriate wordbank. This active engagement with vocabulary will significantly enhance your learning and retention.

Sharing and Collaborating

While wordbanks are primarily a personal tool, Readably also offers features for sharing and collaboration:

• Sharing Wordbanks: You can share your wordbanks with friends or fellow learners. This is great for study groups or language exchange partners.
• Community Wordbanks: Explore wordbanks created by the Readably community. You might find specialized vocabulary lists created by experts in various fields.
• Collaborative Creation: Work with a study partner to create wordbanks together, pooling your knowledge and interests.

These social features can add an extra dimension to your learning, allowing you to benefit from the collective knowledge of the Readably community.

Tracking Your Progress

As you use your wordbanks across different Readably features, the platform tracks your interaction with each word. This data is used to:

• Adjust the frequency with which words appear in your exercises
• Provide insights into your strengths and areas for improvement
• Offer personalized recommendations for further study

Regularly check your progress reports to see how well you're mastering the words in your wordbanks. This can help you decide when it's time to retire well-learned words and introduce new challenges.

Advanced Wordbank Strategies

As you become more comfortable with creating and using wordbanks, consider these advanced strategies:

1. Grammatical Structures: Create wordbanks not just for vocabulary, but for grammatical structures you want to practice. For example, a wordbank of phrasal verbs or idiomatic expressions.
2. Synonyms and Antonyms: Create wordbanks of synonyms for words you already know, or pair words with their antonyms. This can help expand your vocabulary and improve your ability to express nuanced ideas.
3. False Friends: If you're learning a language related to one you already know, create a wordbank of "false friends" – words that sound similar but have different meanings.
4. Pronunciation Challenges: Create a wordbank of words you find difficult to pronounce. Use this with the listening and speaking features to focus on improving your pronunciation.
5. Academic or Professional Jargon: If you're learning a language for academic or professional reasons, create wordbanks specific to your field of study or industry.

Conclusion

Creating your first wordbank is just the beginning of your personalized language learning journey with Readably. This powerful tool, when used consistently and creatively, can significantly accelerate your progress and make your learning experience more engaging and relevant to your needs.

Remember, the key to successful language learning is regular practice and exposure. Use your wordbanks often, across all of Readably's features. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of wordbanks, and always be on the lookout for new words to add to your collections.

We're excited to see how you'll use this tool to reach your language learning goals. Happy learning, and here's to your continued success with Readably!