Scientific Learning Corp. was awarded a new patent for a unique method to help students develop higher order thinking skills, which are required by the CCSS. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded the new patent to Scientific Learning for the development of a novel method for building vocabulary knowledge through the use of analogies.

This unique method is part of Gator Jam, one of five exercises in the Fast ForWord Reading Level 5 program. Part of the Fast ForWord READING Series, Fast ForWord Reading Level 5 focuses on building the higher level reading and thinking skills that students need to pass college-preparedness exams such as the ACT and SAT, and literacy standards in middle school, high school, and beyond. Within the Gator Jam exercise, students learn targeted vocabulary in the context of analogies, while also learning to analyze analogies and identify the semantic relationships they convey.

In addition, the exercise incorporates Latin and Greek roots, suffixes and prefixes across the analogies. This helps students build a deep understanding of a word's meaning across different contexts and uses, as they sharpen their reasoning skills.