Apple picking, Art Prize, and pumpkin spice everything. It's officially fall. To celebrate, I'm going to spend the next four weeks spotlighting some of the best free apps on my ipad. Only the best of the best will make the cut. Check back each week for more great apps to try. Happy Apptoberfest, everyone!
It's hard not to speak in hyperboles when I describe this game. Teach Your Monster to Read is everything you could ask for in an early literacy app for kids. While many apps focus on just a piece or part of early literacy, Teach Your Monster to Read has everything needed to support kids and push them along as early readers. It's not just another app, but a complete reading program. This playful and silly set of adventures guides students through letter names, letter sounds, blends, site words, and ultimately results in players reading full complex sentences and developing comprehension skills along the way. From level to level, players collect non-decodable site words or "trickies." Should they forget what a word is, they can always look in their "pocket" and listen to all of the "trickies" they have collected. Kids feel encouraged and engaged throughout their time making the real work of reading more enjoyable. After they play it the first time, they will request to play it again. With Teach Your Monster to Read, I think you'll find that not all screen time is created equally.
I was introduced to the Teach Your Monster to Read website about a year ago at MACUL and have been using it with my own 5 year old daughter at home. It is unreal to see how much she has picked up in such a short time, and how much of what she learns has stuck. My daughter loves the game because it it colorful, upbeat and it has just the right amount of silly mixed in. She got to design her own monster, collect little tricky critters, visit interesting planets and, best of all, she sees how much she has grown as a reader. As a teacher, I can see how intentional this app truly is. The pacing is just right. The complexity builds at an appropriate rate. Throughout the game, players learn new skills while also constantly reviewing skills from the past. Though each level is unique and engaging, there is a familiar pattern that develops creating a sense of consistency that feels comfortable but never monotonous. It's really something you need to experience for yourself.
Teacher friends, this app would be a great addition to the literacy work you are doing at school. While you could throw this app on the devices you have in your classroom, it might work better as reinforcement at home. I strongly encourage you to encourage your students' parents to give this app a try. While you may not be able to fit the 15-20 minutes into a school day, this could be just the guided practice your students could use at home.
I realize that for many of us, $5 is a pretty steep price for an app. However, looking back at how much progress my daughter made in her reading this past summer, I can tell you that it was easily worth ten times that much to our family. If $5 is still a tough pill to swallow, you can try it out for free on your computer online by clicking here. When you decide its worth adding to your iPad or Kindle at home, you can download it using the links at the bottom of the page.
Most apps of this caliber and depth cost $50 or more or require monthly or yearly subscriptions. This is a serious, research based educational app. However, it's packaged as a silly set of adventures and games that will hook kids and keep them coming back. If you have a preschooler, kindergartner, or first grader in your life, download this app for them. You'll quickly see why Teach Your Monster to Read is one of the best deals in educational apps today.
You don't have to be a 1:1 classroom in order to effectively integrate technology and engage students. I invite you and members of your school community to join me at "Making the Most of One Classroom iPad" a live CSI webinar on October 13th from 7:30-8:30 EST. In this session, I'll share simple Monday morning strategies for how to make the most of your classroom technology, even if you have just one iPad or other tablet device. Follow this link to register: http://linkis.com/gotowebinar.com/O9zNP
Thanks for the encouragement and for sharing this resource. For more ideas, I invite you and any of your staff members to join me for a free Webinar called "Making the Most of One Classroom iPad" that I will be leading this Thursday evening. For more info, follow this link: http://thethriftytechteacher.weebly.com/read-the-blog/csi-webinar-making-the-most-of-1-classroom-ipad