Category Archives: language arts apps

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PlaySquare presents WordWorld’s Happy Birthday Dog

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FREE for a limited time – PlaySquare is billed as Touchable Television. Children (ages 3 – 6) play and learn words and letters as the play in Word World. In the first episode, Happy Birthday Dog, Dog thinks that everyone has forgotten his birthday. Kids are engaged in the story as they help gather things for a birthday party to surprise Dog.

There are so many wonderful things about this app. It is colorful and engaging. Early literacy skills (letter recognition, letter sound, word building, word recognition) are developed throughout the story. The characters are funny and lovable. But the best part is of the app is how the developers (media experts from Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, LeapFrog, and MIT) have used the letters of the word to form the object being spelled – very clever! I LOVE this app!!

Watch the video from the developers @ http://playsquare.tv/

Highly recommended

PlaySquare presents WordWorld's Happy Birthday Dog - PlaySquare, LLC

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The Opposites

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FREE again – The Opposites for the iPhone/iPad. Designed for kids 7+, this educational app requires the matching of increasingly difficult pairs of opposite words. There are two sections of the app: dictionary and play. In the dictionary section, words are listed next to their opposites. To learn the meaning, students just tap on the word and a definition appears. There are 10 levels with 100+ words per level. In the play section, words are pronounced by a boy or a girl as they appear in bubbles and float towards the top of the screen  Kids are to tap pairs of opposites as they appear – which makes the words turn a color then pop. The goal is to match 12 sets of opposites  – which completes the level. A bonus round then appears in which the student has 20 seconds to match up an entire  board full of opposites. This app starts off simply but becomes quite challenging in the later levels. It could be used for differentiating a lesson and/or for helping students grow their understanding of antonyms.

Common Core Standards met:

  • 4.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. c.Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).
  • 5.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. c. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.

Recommended!

The Opposites - Mindshapes Limited

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Bugs and Buttons 2

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FREE and just named App of the Week on the iTunes Store – Buttons and Bugs 2, an educational app for preschoolers. Bugs and buttons are featured in 18 visually appealing activities. Kids count them, sort them, match them, etc. in a variety of ways. As they do so, they are learning about colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and more. The activities integrate learning into a collection of activities – a fun way to play with bugs!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bugs-and-buttons-2/id686968315?mt=8&uo=4

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Bluster

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Bluster is a FREE app for the iPad developed by McGraw-Hill. It was designed to teach vocabulary and word development to students in grades 2 – 4. Topics covered are rhyming, prefixes & suffixes, word roots, synonyms, homophones, and adjectives. There are 3 modes of play – single, team, and versus. Team mode permits collaboration with a friend. Versus mode allows head-to-head play with the ability to disrupt your opponent by causing weather related attacks. Kids start by choosing their mode of play, grade level, and word match type. They then swipe through the list to match 3 words with the same meaning, rhyme, prefix, suffix, or word root. There are 10 groups of 3 to match in each round of play. What a fun way to present over 800 vocabulary words!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 2.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
  • 3.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
  • 4.L.4 –  Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
  • 4.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Recommended!

Bluster! - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

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Spelling City

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Spelling City  – a FREE educational app for the iPhone/iPad! I LOVE Spelling City. It is a phenomenal website where teachers can input their weekly spelling lists so kids can go online to practice their spelling in so many fun ways – hang mouse, match it, which word, sentence unscramble, etc. I used Spelling City in my classroom for the last several years and the kids & parents loved it. The app has several preloaded lists and the best part…..kids can access the their teacher’s list (providing that he/she uses Spelling City, of course) by using their zip code, school name, and teacher’s name. Practice spelling in the car on a way to a soccer game or while waiting in the dentist’s office. AWESOME!!

Common Core Standards met:

  • K.RF.3  – Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
  • 1.RF.3 – Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 2.RF.3 – Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences. AND Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 3.RF.3 – Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 4.RF.3 – Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
  • 5.RF.3 – Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

Highly recommended!

SpellingCity - SpellingCity

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Happi and the Pirates

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Pirates

FREE for  limited time – Happi and the Pirates, an educational app from Happi Pappi. Kids use their spelling skills to solve word puzzles. They are presented with picture clues and a grid printed on a piece of treasure map. Kids have to use their knowledge of word structure & word building to spell the words and place them in the correctly on the grid. When they complete the puzzle, they earn keys to treasure chests. The more accurately and quickly they complete the puzzle, the more keys they earn. As they game progresses, they earn the tools and map pieces that lead them to the pirates’ treasure. While this app is primarily a word game, it also requires kids to use logic and deductive reasoning. I love the way this app is designed – it’s appealing to kids but it requires them to think. 🙂 The timer can be disabled for younger students to give them more “think time” and/or to allow teachers to use the app for a lesson on problem solving. This educational app has been featured by Apple in New & Noteworthy in USA, UK, Ireland. It was awarded the Editor’s Choice Award by the Children’s Technology Review in 2013.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/happi-pirates-spelling-math/id622075576?mt=8&uo=4

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Super Duper Idioms

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Super Duper 2

Super Duper

Newly released educational app – Super Duper Idioms helps kids (and adults) understand 500 common English idioms. Try the first 50 for FREE. You may purchase additional packs of 50 for $2.99 per pack. The app is cutely illustrated and features 4 fun games: multiple choice, super-duper secret decoder, fill in the blank, and search & circle. The questions are written but there is also audio support for students who have difficulty reading. The level of difficulty can be adjusted by choosing to have  2, 3, or 4 choice answers. The app can be set to read the correct answer after incorrect and/or correct response which is helpful to students who are learning the meanings. An unlimited number of players are permitted – making this app perfect for use in the classroom. And the best part…. it keeps track of data so teachers and parents can see student progress over time. The app uses graphs which can be emailed, printed, and/or shared – awesome!  This app would be great for kids as well as adult ESL students who are learning English idioms – nicely done!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 4.L.5b and 5.L.5b Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-duper-idioms/id657415898?mt=8&uo=4

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ABCmouse.com – Ham with Jam, Dan & Jan, Hen in the Pen, Big Pig & Little Pig, To Run is Fun, Big Bug & Little Bug

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FREE for a limited time – 6 beginning reading apps!! These educational apps for the iPhone/iPad are from the ABC Mouse word family beginning reader series. I chose to downloaded The Hen in the Pen to review the series. Each story emphasizes words from a particular word family. There are also easy sight words in the stories. There are several ways that the books can be read: Read to Me, Read with Pause, I Can Read It, and Hear the Words. I really like the Hear the Words option. It allows the child to read alone but tap any word that he/she gets stuck on. There are parent tips on the title page that explain word families and sight words for beginning readers. There are also parent tips throughout the books. The illustrations are colorful and support the text so that kids can use picture clues as they read. The story lines are very simple. But, that is not a negative thing because these apps are more about the process of reading than the actual story. When my son was an early reader, he loved books like these because he could read them “all by himself” and that alone makes them worth downloading 🙂 And…. they are currently FREE.

Common Core Standards met:

K.RF.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. c. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Recommended!

ABCmouse.com Ham and Jam - Age of Learning, Inc. Ham with Jam    ABCmouse.com Dan and Jan - Age of Learning, Inc. Dan and Jan

ABCmouse.com The Hen in the Pen - Age of Learning, Inc. Hen in the Pen     ABCmouse.com Big Pig and Little Pig - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Pig & Little Pig

ABCmouse.com To Run is Fun - Age of Learning, Inc. To Run is Fun   ABCmouse.com Big Bug and Little Bug - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Bug and Little Bug

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Bug Games HD

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bug games

Singing crickets! Bug Games HD is FREE for a limited time. This super cute educational app for preschoolers has 4 sections: Cricket Concert, Bee Word Builder, Ant Tunnel Builder, and Spider Dot-to-Dot. In the Cricket Concert section, kids can select a song to hear the crickets sing together or they can tap on each cricket to play the song on their own. In Bee Word Builder, kids hear the phonic pronunciation of individual letters as they use them to put words together. Ant Tunnel Builder requires kids to rotate puzzle pieces so that the ants can march through a completed tunnel. Spider Dot-to-Dot has kids connecting dots in numerical order. Kids collect sticker rewards along the way. This app has a nice combination of learning games for preschoolers – cute, fun, & engaging! Who knew playing with bugs could be so much fun. 🙂

Bug Games HD - by Busy Bee Studios - Busy Bee Studios

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Happi Spells – Crossword Puzzles for Kids from Happi Papi

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Happi Spells

FREE for a limited time – Happi Spells – Crossword Puzzles for Kids from Happi Papi. This educational app has 60 crossword puzzles – 5 levels with 12 puzzles in each level. The puzzles are made of intersecting words. Picture clues are given and necessary letter tiles are placed around the puzzle. Kids practice spelling as they tap and drag the tiles to their correct places in the puzzle. If a tile is dragged to its correct spot in the puzzle, it will stick. Tiles dragged to the wrong spot return to the perimeter of the puzzle. Kids earn snails for working the puzzle accurately. This app was featured by Apple in “New & Noteworthy” and is nicely done. I wish the app named the letters and/or gave the letters’ sounds as the tiles are moved into place… perhaps in an update. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/happi-spells-crossword-puzzles/id464675842?mt=8&uo=4