App Review 3

App Review 3

 iKnow Phonics- ABCs

FREE

This app has 3 activities the player can choose from.  Word builder, word match, and word search.  The Word Builder section has the player tap a letter.  Then a silly sentence is made up with an illustration using the letter that was tapped.  The Word Match section has the player make upper and lower case letters then again saying a silly sentence using lots of words with the letter that was tapped.  The third section, Word Search, has the player searching for a specific letter in a word search.  The player earns certificates for completing the tasks correctly.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 2 stars.  This app is boring!  There is nothing about it that makes it fun and keep the student's interest.  The Word Search part of the app is good for finding the different letters it asks for.

 

k12 Timed Reading Practice

$1.99

More than 250 short fiction and non-fiction stories.  Lets you track one reader, multiple readers, or whole classes.  Tracks stories read, words per minute, percent above or below average reading rates.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 4 stars.  The app does exactly what it claims to do.  It tracks students fluency.  It has tons of stories for them to read and at lots of levels. 

Letter Rip

$1.99

The player of this app can choose uppercase or lowercase letters to play with.  Once they pick a letter, the player has to trace the letter ending up at the star.  Once the letter is traced, the player receives a ball with the letter that was traced in it to burst bubbles of pictures of items that begin with the same letter.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 2 stars.  I rated this app lower because I don't like how the player doesn't have to trace the letter correctly to receive a ball.  My students could just draw a line to the star and it would pass for whatever letter.  This wouldn't help them learn the letter.  I do like the sling shot and I know my students like the sling shot.  There isn't a lot to this app beside tracing letters and bursting bubbles. 

Alphabet Board

$1.99

Teaches students how to write letters and sounds for each letter.  Has a setting that the font of the letters can be changed.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 3 stars.  I do use this app in my classroom to practice handwriting and it is one of the few apps that have D'Nealian handwriting.  The downfall I see to this app is that the student doesn't have to stay on the letter to trace it.  They can just write where ever they want.  The app does come with options to erase, show how to write the letter, and hear the sounds the letter makes.  The student can move at their own pace through the letters and decide on the order they want to go in.  They can choose to practice uppercase or lowercase letters. 

Animated Rhymes

FREE

This app is the free version of the app so it only has one song available.  It has two versions of the song to watch.  The first version is a picture, movie like version of the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  The second version of the song has the words written out to the song and are highlighted when the song sings the words.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give this app 3 stars.  I gave it 3 stars because it only has the one song.  My students do enjoy watching the movie and the word part of the song.  It is great for introducing the poem Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Plus it is a free app!  I always like free apps.

Clever Kids First Puzzles

FREE

A learning game for 2 to 6 year olds.

This app has jigsaw type puzzles.  After the child puts the puzzle together a word comes up describing the picture that is made.  With the free version of the app, just the farm pictures/puzzles come up.  There are other puzzles/pictures but they cost money to add them.  Once the puzzle is complete, the image becomes colored in on the main puzzle page.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give this app 3 stars.  I think it is a great app for free time since it works on a child's strategy skills.  I like how it shows the puzzles that have already been completed but coloring them in.  Plus the farm puzzles are free!

Dora Rhyming Word Adventure
$2.99

For this app Dora and Boots want to cross a bridge but a troll is guarding it.  In order for them to cross it they have to pay a toll.  They can earn coins by playing games to pay the toll with.  They can choose from rhyming, first sounds, last sounds, and inside sounds.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 5 stars!  My students LOVE this app and so does my preschool son.  It is great for rhyming, beginning, middle, and ending sounds!!  This is definitely worth the $2.99!!!

Meet the Vowels
FREE

This app talks about vowels.  Three letters appear on the iPad at a time.  They can be upper and/or lower case letters that appear.  The voice on the app says a name of the vowel and the player taps the correct letter.  Once the correct letter is tapped, the letters turns into a character from Meet the Letters.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 3 stars.  A plus about the app is that it is a free app and does introduce the vowels to the player however it never says the word vowel so the player doesn't know the letters they are finding our vowels.  I like how the 3 different letters come up and the player has to find the letter the voice says.  I like how it uses a variety of letters.  I like that once you find the letter, it has a little celebration.  I wish it would talk about the vowels and say what vowels are.  This would be great to introduce vowels during whole group and then use the app to reinforce the skill. 

Flash to Pass Math Flash Cards

$.99

This app has addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and mixed sets of questions.  It has numerous levels.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give this 4 stars.  This app is great for elementary students to get their math facts quickly.

 Starfall ABCs

$2.99

This app is just like the ABC section on Starfall.com.  Students can interact with letters and sounds in words, sentence, and some games.  If I had to rate this app out of 5 stars, I would give it 4 stars.  This app is so hard to rate!  My students LOVE Starfall.com and so does my son! And I love Starfall.com too!  I am only giving this a 4 because the app is expensive and it is only one section of Starfall.com.  When I first installed the app I thought it would be more like the website.  I didn't realize it was just the ABC section.  Now with that said, the ABC section and the app is very enticing for kids and interacting with them.  They love checking out the letters and singing the songs to the letters.  Sometimes my students have to be reminded to sing quieter because they are screaming the songs. :)

I hope you enjoyed this round of my app review.  I still have more apps to share with you so I hope you are finding these reviews helpful.