Duck, Duck Moose-Reading
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: This mobile app is completely free and is in partnership with Khan Academy with the mission to keep world-class education free and accessible to all. Why We Like It: An engaging way for students to work at their level and master the needed skills to learn to read. The fact that this app is completely free is also very appealing! It also provides: -assessment of each child -the sequence of letter introduction is based on frequency of letters in everyday language allowing students to begin to build word knowledge as they learn the different sounds. How It Benefits Students: It allows students to work on skills at their 'just right' level and moves them forward when they are ready. The engaging platform and games give students a fun way to help them reinforce needed skills for reading. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/duck-duck-moose-reading/id573696065?mt=8 |
Phonics Fun On Farm
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: Lite version free (only the letters s/a/t/p & m). Full version $3.99. Why We Like It: A good variety of games provided in the paid version and it is really geared for the non-reader with voice directions and feedback provided. It also provides: -Teacher feedback on individual students using a name or number and animal for their avatar -Games from letter sounds to fluent reading and everything in-between even letter tracing -Letter groups similar to other synthetic phonics groupings How It Benefits Students: Provides students with phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, writing & letter recognition, spelling & reading fluency in engaging games. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/phonics-fun-on-farm-educational-learn-to-read-app/id875224191?mt=8 |
Raz Kids
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: basic web based subscription is $109.95 for up to 36 kids. The app is free but you need a paid subscription to use the app. Why We Like It: Students are more likely to read and be engaged during reading time. They are now reading books in their zone of proximal learning compared to when they choose their own books independently. It provides: -access to practice at home no need for physical books. - the ability to read fluently at grade level; use developmentally appropriate reading, listening and viewing strategies to make meaning. -teacher control to set the assignment or level -reports to the teacher on class data or individual student data on skills and progress. -options for students during independent silent reading time. How It Benefits Students: Provides a large repertoire of interesting levelled books to keep students interest and to encourage reading practice. Live Link App: https://www.raz-kids.com Live Link Website: https://www.readinga-z.com |
Teach Your Monster to Read
Accessibility: iPad, Android & Web Based Cost: Basic computer program is free. App for mobile device is $6.99 Why We Like It: Teach Your Monster to Read (TYMTR) is a wonderful way for students to work on their letter sounds and Reading skills. It uses a synthetic phonics program similar to the Jolly Phonics program that many primary teachers use. It provides: -an engaging way for students to practice their phonological and Reading skills as it allows the struggling student to work at their level as well as the student who is accelerating to move forward. -teachers have the ability to individualize student programs - a parent letter with the student's username and password so they can also practice and move forward at home. How It Benefits Students: This program allows students to work at their own pace giving them ample time if needed to master the letter sounds or while also allowing students to go as quickly through the program into reading. It also works alongside other synthetic phonics programs students may already be using in their classrooms creating consistency in their learning. Live Link App: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/teach-your-monster-to-read/id828392046?mt=8 Live Link Website: https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Entirely FREE! well worth a look!! Why We Like It: Kahn Academy Kids is a go to app for all your early learning concepts. ABCs, 123s, reading (levels A-D) and logic thinking. You will also find books that students can listen to or have read to them, videos of songs, numbers, shapes & measurement, reading and language and letters. However, it doesn't end there- there is also a place to create where students can create pictures and record their stories! Teachers can have up to 8 avatars for students on the app on each device. Students click on their avatar and play from where they are allowing teachers to monitor there students by checking which activities they have completed. There are coloured check marks indicating the student's progress; green=mastered, yellow=in progress & red=developing. How It Benefits Students: Students have access to levelled readers that they can listen to or read themselves. If they read to themselves and get stuck they just need to touch the words and it reads for them reinforcing their learning. This program covers such a wide range of academics that students could just use this one app to enhance and engage them in learning. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-kids/id1378467217?mt=8 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Free Why We Like It: Photo Touch ABC is a very simplistic app to practice letter identification. This could also be used as a whole group warm-up lesson or a quick assessment tool for teachers. How It Benefits Students: Engaging way to reinforce letter identification for students. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/abc-alphabet-phonics-preschool-game-for-kids/id415071093?mt=8 Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Free Why We Like It: Fish School is another Duck, Duck Moose app, which means it is a completely free & engaging app for young students. This app covers the basics including the alphabet, shapes, colours, matching, numbers and differences. Great for those students needing practice with the basic concepts. How It Benefits Students: Reinforcement and practice of basic concepts with engaging games. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/fish-school-hd-by-duck-duck-moose/id367567922?mt=8 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Free version only gives access to a few books but if your school has a Reading A-Z and Raz Kids account, which a lot of schools have, check with your LA Teacher for the access code then you may have access to 1200+ books and quizzes for some students. Why We Like It: The Kids A-Z app is a great app for all abilities. The app allows the non-reader to listen to stories and the reader to read. At the end of each story there are a number of comprehension questions that again can be listened to by the non-reader. How It Benefits Students: Works for all students from the reader to the non-reader and everyone in between. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/kids-a-z/id474207297?mt=8 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: $3.99- first game is free to get an idea of how the game works. Why We Like It: Phonics Island Early Reading, Spelling & Tracing allow students to trace letters as the sounds are introduced. The program only allows the student to correctly form the letters. Many different games to rienforce letters and sounds. Students are rewarded with stickers of their choice when they complete an activity. How It Benefits Students: Engaging games and motivational stickers to collect along the students learning journey. Students learn the correct way to form letters and the correct sounds letters make-auditory reinforcement. A large variety of games to reinforce the same concept. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/phonics-island-letter-sounds/id464235764?mt=8 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Free Why We Like It: Phonics with Phonzy gives the student the opportunity to hear and repeat (say) sounds and words back to Phonzy. Also, the program follows the same synthetic phonics such as Jolly Phonics that so many primary classrooms use. How It Benefits Students: This program gives the student time to practice letter sounds and blends by recording themselves repeating what the program has said-this allows students time to practice saying them correctly. After they go through six sounds they get to play a game with Phonzy. Once they have successfully completed the sounds they move onto new sounds. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/read-with-phonzy-kids-reading-game/id1160231315 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Lite Version Free- Deluxe Version: $2.79 Why We Like It: The Partners in Rhyme app allows students to hear words accompanied with pictures, which they then need to determine which ones rhyme by dragging a star onto the rhyming pair. This is a self-correcting app so students cannot make mistakes. In the free version there are four different rhyming games. How It Benefits Students: Provides students with hearing the words unlike other programs where the students have to say them themselves.This provides students with a clear understanding and the teacher doesn't need to worry that the student may or may not know what the picture is of. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/partners-in-rhyme-rhyming-for-phonemic-awareness/id721334745?mt=8 |
Accessibility: iPad & Android
Cost: Free - another Duck, Duck Moose app Why We Like It: Word Wagon is a great game for word building- I particularly like how it reinforces the sounds of letters, blends and long and short vowels once the word is built. How It Benefits Students: Continuous reinforcement of sounds, blends, long and short vowels and building words. Engaging and varied games. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/word-wagon-by-duck-duck-moose/id423629048?mt=8 Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: First level Free varied prices from $8.49-$16.99 Why We Like It: Endless Reader provides work with sight words that primary teachers expect students to learn. When students are rebuilding words each letter they move makes the letter sound reinforcing letter sounds. How It Benefits Students: This app allows one more way to interact, in an engaging manner, with common sight words students are generally already learning. Live Link: https://www.originatorkids.com/?p=40 |
Jolly Phonics Lessons
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: First 6 letter sounds free Pro version includes all for $13.99. *Note* There is also a Jolly Phonics Songs app available for $3.99 Why We Like It: In our school the primary teachers teach using the Jolly Phonics method. This app can be used as part of the introduction to a new letter sound with added features to engage students with. Each letter sound or letter sound combinations has the story to go along with the letter, the action, an audio play of the sound, formation of the letter(s), pictures that they need to discriminate for the correct sound and finally the song that goes along with the sound. The one draw back is the songs are sung in an accent. How It Benefits Students: Consistency if the classroom teacher is using Jolly Phonics in the classroom. Students generally enjoy the catchy tunes and songs that this program uses. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/jolly-phonics-lessons/id1149029299?mt=8 |
Rhyme Time
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: The first three basic activity levels are free, but then to go to higher levels there is a small fee of $2.79. Why We Like It: Rhyme Time is a great app for practicing rhyming as a whole class or individually. Projected onto a big screen or white board allows the whole class to participate in a rhyming lesson. How It Benefits Students: Rhyming practice. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/montessori-rhyme-time-learning-games-for-kids/id681987287?mt=8 |
Show Me
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: Free Why We Like It:The Show Me app is a virtual whiteboard that can be projected to allow all students to view. The way I might use this app would be to Prepare ahead of time by creating as many pages of sight words, alphabet letters etc. that you want to reinforce with your students. Students can come up one at a time read a word/letter etc. and erase it. This is a great way to dismiss individuals for snack, lunch or to get ready for home at the end of the day. How It Benefits Students: All students can view at the same time and interact with the given material as a whole group. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279?mt=8 |
Starfall ABCs: App & Website
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: Free Why We Like It: A great addition to introducing the letters of the alphabet. Each of the 26 letters has several words to introduce the letter and then an interactive game to reinforce the letter. This would be great to have projected and then invite individual students to take turns to interact with the game. It also provides interaction with the short vowel sounds. How It Benefits Students: Students love this site/app as there are so many engaging activities they can interact with. Great for letter sounds and reading. Live Link- App: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/starfall-abcs/id395623983?mt=8 Live Link-Website: http://www.starfall.com |
YouTube Kids
Accessibility: iPad & Android Cost: Free Why We Like It: YouTube Kids has a plethora of safe videos, interactive songs and games to engage students in learning. From alphabet songs, sight words, rhyming to read aloud stories YouTube for Kids has it all. Have peace of mind when using this app, instead of the internet, no inappropriate pop-ups and ads to contend with! How It Benefits Students: Allows students to remain safe when going on by themselves-engaging materials for all areas. Live Link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/youtube-kids/id936971630?mt=8 |