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Summer 2016
By Elaine Cheesman, Ph.D.
iPad and Android! Many apps are developed for both platforms. Check the websites for up-to-date information.
Preschool and kindergarten years (ages 3 to 5) are crucial for giving kids a solid foundation for later reading, spelling, and writing skills. The mobile app industry has produced tens of thousands of apps for this age group. However, as any parent or early childhood educator can tell you, very few have both accurate content and professional designs appropriate for young learners. Many apps can keep kids occupied, but the ones reviewed here will help foster literacy development.
This review focuses on mobile apps that support many of the early literacy skills and instructional practices identified by the Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP, 2002). These skills and practices, listed below, have been shown to have a sizable and reliable relationship to later conventional literacy skills—decoding words, oral text-reading fluency, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling. In other words, young children who develop these skills will be better readers, spellers, and writers when they are in elementary school.
Early Literacy Skills
- Alphabetic knowledge
- Ability to name printed letters
- Ability to pronounce the speech sounds (phonemes) associated with printed letters
- Phonological awareness (PA)
- Ability to recognize rhyme and identify initial sounds, syllables, and individual speech sounds (phonemes) within spoken words
- Oral tasks that focus on speech sounds, not letters
- Writing
- Ability to independently write letters in isolation on request
- Ability to write own name
Instructional Practices
- Alphabetic code instruction
- Teaching systematic relationship between phonemes and graphemes—one or more letters that spell consonant and vowel sounds (e.g., m, e, ch, ai) to retrieve pronunciation of a printed word and to spell whole words
- Shared reading
- Reading books to and with children
In two excellent programs for teaching phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondences, and the alphabetic code, Adams et al. (1998) and Blachman et al. (2000) recommend that letters and their associated sounds be introduced, not in alphabetical order, but based on their utility to form a great many one-syllable words with short vowel sounds (e.g., am, slim, mend). The recommended order of introduction is a, m, t, i, s, r, b, f, d, p, g, e, o, and u. See how many one-syllable words with short vowel sounds you can spell in one minute using just these fourteen letters! Note: Do not choose words with the letter r after a vowel (car), two vowels together (maid), or words with a final silent e (robe). These combinations are best left for later instruction.
For mobile apps, both accurate content and professional design (intuitive and motivating, yet free of unnecessary distractions) are essential for young children, particularly those with dyslexia and/or ADHD. Alas, few apps are perfect. To help parents and educators make an informed decision, this review includes only apps with the most accurate content with professional designs. Alphabetic code apps contain only words with short vowel sounds spelled with one vowel letter.
The author would like to thank members of an expert panel for taking the time to test-drive the apps: Matthew (2½), Ava (3), Kera (4), Danielle (5), and Bobbi (71). (Yes, seventy-one!) She, the children, and their parents and grandparents provided useful feedback to the author.
We found that age two and a half was a bit young for these apps, but by age three, many children could start to use these apps with some assistance. Most four- and five-year-olds can use the apps independently after just a bit of instruction. And at least one seventy-one-year-old showed that you are never too old to master technology or crack the alphabetic code. After using the Blending SE app and guided instruction from me, Bobbi finally understood the meaning of “blend the word” and “sound it out.” Like many intelligent adults with dyslexia, Bobbi memorized words as whole units and couldn’t decode an unfamiliar word—until now. This app allowed her to practice the skills independently while I worked with other students.
Fortunately for today’s children, we have both the research evidence and the technology to help them crack the alphabetic code. The apps that follow are listed in order of relative difficulty, progressing from basic to more sophisticated skills.
The Apps
Handwriting Without Tears (Wet, Dry, Try)
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (naming letters and pronouncing associated sounds)
- Writing (writing letters)
Pros
- Provides opportunities to name and write uppercase and lowercase letters and numerals 1–10
- Pronounces the most common and accurate sound for printed letters
- Provides picture keywords for each sound
- Gives explicit oral instructions with an adjustable speed option
- Has adjustable tolerance for straying off the mark
- Allows user to turn oral directions on or off
- Provides three levels of practice to write independently without tracing
- Gives immediate, explicit corrective feedback
- Shows accurate and consistent starting points and stroke sequences
- Records student progress and errors
- Is adjustable for left- or right-handed users
Cons
- Letter name, not sound, in keyword for x (x-ray). A better keyword would be box /ks/.
- Incorrect sound for w (whale). A better keyword would be wagon.
Partners in Rhyme
Content
- Phonological awareness (recognizing rhyme in spoken words)
Pros
- Includes four engaging, intuitive games
- Orally names illustrations
- Uses mature vocabulary for pictures (mum flower; bee hive)
- Clear enunciation using adult voice
- Provides immediate, concise, and unobtrusive corrective feedback
Cons
- None
OG Card Deck
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (letter names, sounds associated with graphemes).
Pros
- Presents written graphemes, associated sounds, keywords, and articulation video clips
- Spelling drill provides sounds. The user writes multiple spellings on paper or a whiteboard and taps to check answer.
- Designed as teaching tool, not a game
- Parents, teachers, and mature students of all ages can use it to review phonemic articulation and complex spellings of sounds.
Cons
- The sound /ng/ is grouped with vowels (/ing/, /ank/).
- Initially, adult teaching is advised.
Beginning Sounds Interactive Game
Content
- Phonological awareness (initial sound matching)
Pros
- Presents an engaging, intuitive arcade-game format
- Orally names illustrations when tapped
- Uses mature vocabulary for pictures
- Uses clear enunciation in adult voice
- Provides immediate, nonverbal corrective feedback
- Allows adult to select sounds that differ by voicing alone (/s/ and /z/)
Cons
- Includes only initial consonant sounds; no vowel sounds
I Can Alphabetics
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (letter names and letter sounds)
- Writing (writing letters)
Pros
- Multisensory games connect names, shapes, and sounds of letters via hearing, tracing, and pronunciation (with recordings of user’s voice).
- Pronounces most common and accurate sounds for printed letters
- Provides choice among age-appropriate pictures for sound keywords
- The Parent’s Zone provides accurate information on dyslexia and detailed progress reports for each user.
Cons
- Educational format may be less motivating than game format
- Letter tracing only, with no independent writing of letters
ABC Magic 1 – 6
Content
- Phonological awareness (sound matching)
Pros
- Users tap letters to hear spoken sounds and tap photos to hear pronunciation. They match sounds to photos containing that sound. ABC Magic 6 matches first, middle, and final sounds. All other apps match first sounds only.
- Provides attractive, mature illustrations
- Correctly pronounces x as /ks/
Cons
- Incorrectly pronounces q as /kw/, the sound for two-letter grapheme qu
Blending SE & TE (Student/Teacher Edition)
Content
- Phonological awareness (blending phonemes)
- Alphabetic code Instruction (blends sounds associated with letters to form words)
Pros
- Reinforces concepts taught by parent or teacher using 95% Group teacher’s guidebook, Teaching Blending: from /k/ /ă/ /t/ to /cat/ in 8 Stages, and the companion teacher’s app, Teaching Blending—TE (Teacher Edition)
- Provides explicit, step-by-step sound-blending instruction and practice
- Progresses through eight stages from most basic (distinguishing between spoken words that are pronounced with pauses between sounds—/f/ /i/ /g/—or sounds together—/fig/) to reading several whole words
- Allows user to record own voice, play it back, and compare it with iPad teacher’s pronunciation
- Provides oral instructions and immediate corrective feedback
- Provides ample opportunity to practice each skill with new words
- Provides Spanish and English versions
Cons
- Illustrations may be too childish for older students who would benefit from this app.
Starfall Learn to Read
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (letter names, sounds associated with graphemes, and alphabetical order)
- Alphabetic code instruction (blends sounds to form words)
Pros
- Provides practice with sounds, word families, manipulating letters to form new words that match pictures
- Provides short cartoon videos for alphabetical order, left-to-right reading, role of vowels and consonants, “amazing silent e,” etc.
- Simultaneously highlights graphemes, syllables, and high-frequency words (the, a, of, to) as they are pronounced
- Clear enunciation using child’s voice
- Provides individual practice for r-controlled vowel sounds (phonemes): /ar/ /car/, /or/ /horn/, and /er/ (fern, bird, curl)
- Correctly pronounces article a as unstressed /ə/ (schwa).
Cons
- Includes the unreliable rule, “When two vowels go a-walking, the first one does the talking.” This popular myth should be avoided because the exemplars nearly equal the exceptions: au /auto/; aw /law/; ea /break/, /head/; oi /coin/; oy /boy/; ou /out/; ow /cow/; oo /moon/, /cook/, /blood/.
- Letter name, not sound, in keyword for x (x-ray). A better keyword would be box /ks/.
Bob Books Reading Magic 1 & 2
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (letter sounds)
- Alphabetic code instruction (blends letter sounds to form words)
Pros
- Combines phonemic awareness with alphabetic code instruction within the context of a decodable story
- Provides practice in dragging letters to form words within the context of a story
- Provides four levels to gradually increase number of letters from which to choose
- Simultaneously highlights graphemes, syllables, and high-frequency words (the, a, of) as they are pronounced
- Use immediate, unobtrusive correction of errors
- Contains correct pronunciation of article a as unstressed /ə/ (schwa) within text reading
Cons
- Uses incorrect pronunciation of article a as long /ā/ in isolation
- Pronounces voiceless /h/ with slight voicing (/huh/)
- Contains incorrect voiceless pronunciation of final s as /s/ in words like hasè /haz/ where /z/ is voiced
- Uses incorrect pronunciation of consonant /r/ (rug) as /er/.
ABC Reading Magic & Spelling Magic
Content
- Shared reading
Pros
- Combines phonemic awareness with alphabetic code instruction
- Has advanced settings for font, background design, voice, etc.
- Simultaneously highlights letters as sounds are pronounced
- Immediate, unobtrusive correction of errors
Cons
- None
Boynton Books
Note: The official site has been compromised recently. At this time, we suggest you go directly to the iTunes store to purchase the app https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/loud-crow-interactive-inc./id397864716.
Content
- Shared reading
Pros
- Consists of engaging, yet simple stories
- Touch-and-tilt animation
- Includes autoplay narration that simultaneously highlights of words
- Allows tapping of individual words for pronunciation in “Read it Myself” mode
Cons
- None
Kindoma Storytime
Content
- Shared reading
Pros
- Enables shared reading and conversations remotely
- Includes a hand-point gesture tool that enables child or adult to point to words or pictures and can be seen on both screens
- Free version includes several classic books
- Includes an option to purchase hundreds of additional titles individually or with a monthly subscription
Cons
- Titles are limited to classics and Bible stories.
Alpha-read
Content
- Alphabetic knowledge (letter names; sounds associated with graphemes)
Pros
- Links letters, keyword pictures, and the most common sounds
- Includes accurate sounds; explicitly shows how q and u are combined (qu)
- Sequences spelling-sound correspondences according to their utility for spelling words (e.g., a, t, m, s, etc.) instead of alphabetically
- Allows teacher or user to select letters to review in review mode
Cons
- None
References
Adams, M. J., B. Foorman, I. Lundberg, and T. Beeler. 1998. Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom Curriculum. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Inc.
Blachman, B., E. Ball, R. Black, and D. Tangel. 2000. Road to the Code: A Phonological Awareness Program for Young Children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Inc.
National Early Literacy Panel. 2008. Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. (http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/NELPReport09.pdf
More of Dr. Cheesman’s App Chats:
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Literacy Apps for English Language Learners (February 2016)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Don’t Miss These Award-Winning Apps for Vocabulary and Comprehension (October 2015)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Games to Boost Math Skills (August 2014)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Vocabulary & Morphology (April 2014)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Holiday Gifts! (December 2013)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Spelling (August 2013)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: Ten Interactive Books for Kids, Teens, and Adults (May 2013)
Dr. Cheesman’s App Chat: iPad Apps for Literacy Instruction (February 2013)
Dr. Cheesman is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The courses she developed were among the first nine university programs officially recognized by the International Dyslexia Association for meeting the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading.
Dr. Cheesman has no relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose with any of the resources discussed in this article. Opinions expressed in Examiner articles and/or via links do not necessarily reflect those of IDA.
Copyright © 2016 International Dyslexia Association (IDA). We encourage sharing of Examiner articles. If portions are cited, please make appropriate reference. Articles may not be reprinted for the purpose of resale. Permission to republish this article is available from info@interdys.org.