The first game I reviewed is ABC Reading Eggs. This is a program that my district uses during
our ESL after school and summer programs. The game is ideal for primary students
and ELLs as it focuses on letters and phonics skills and gradually moves to
reading short sentences. Reading Express
is also available with this program to help older students (7-13) sharpen their
reading skills. When students log in for the very first time, they are able to
complete an assessment of their reading skills.
The results determine the starting point in the program for each
student. This way students are not
wasting time working on skills they have already mastered. Once the students’
starting levels are determined, they follow their customized lessons,
progressing as they succeed at each level.
Students earn golden eggs and printable certificates as they
progress. There are also options for “just
for fun” games, such as racing, when students need a little mental break. I noticed that we did really need to keep an
eye on our kiddos to make sure that they were not spending too much time in the
“just for fun” games.
The program is user friendly, even for young
children who have never used a computer before.
Just this summer at the ESL program, we had students who will be entering
Kindergarten this fall who never used a computer. After 2 days of using the
program, they were able to log in and navigate on their own. Bright colors and a customizable avatar make
the games appealing to young children.
Parents can sign-up for an account for $69/year and there is also an iPad/android
app available. From my research, I have found that Reading Eggs is a popular
homeschooling tool.
The following parent reviews share many positive
aspects and results of the program:
Next I looked
at Cool Math which is a program that
students in my school are allowed to use during free time in computer class. This site includes free math games/lessons
for students of all ages and levels, from basic facts to calculus. While most
of our students enjoy playing the games, students select games at random so they
are not always beneficial to the students.
They choose games based on the picture not based on the skills they need
to work on. Because the games are free, students can access them at home or
from a mobile device. However, teacher/parent
guidance is necessary to ensure that students select the games that focus on
the appropriate skills and levels.
The site itself has an extremely busy appearance
with advertisements and links to partner sites all over, which understandably
allows for the free resources. Yet younger students especially may have difficulty
navigating the site. I recently had a
student who ended up on Lowes.com because he accidentally clicked on one of the advertisements. Overall reviews for the site are positive,
but it is clear that its purpose is a fun supplementary resource for extra
practice.
Reviews follow:
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is interesting that you school district uses a game to help place students in the reading program. A game is also ideal for reinforcement and review. Students can work at their own pace. A game can be useful for students to use at home or during their free time in school, and they do not have the time pressure that they may have in class. I also agree that a teacher needs to guide and help students to make sure they are focusing on what they really need.
No, we don't use the game to place students into the reading program. Our ESL students use the program during computer time at the ESL after school and ESL summer programs. Sorry if my post was confusing!
DeleteKelly G,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you reviewed two very useful games. As an English teacher, I found your thoughts on ABC Reading Eggs to be very interesting. I especially like how it customizes the student’s starting level and the lessons based on their personal ability. This seems like a really beneficial aspect to make sure that the time spent on the game is the most valuable it can be for students. Since I’m a high school teacher, I was wondering if you have any experience with Reading Express and how it works with the older students?
~Alison
I have not had any direct experience with Reading Express. I have only used the program with 1st through 3rd grade students so far. All the reviews for both programs are very positive!
DeleteThe ABC Reading Eggs seems like a neat game. It helps students and they progress through levels. Has your school seen a high level of success with this game? The Cool Math games is one that the students at my school go on a great deal. I completely agree when you note that students don't usually select games that help the skills they need to develop. Most times students at my school pick games that seemingly have little relevance to math at all. I suppose that this is one of the scenarios that we need to be vigilant and determine which games are acceptable and make sure the students are aware of which games they are allowed to play and which ones are unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteCodie
Yes, the Reading Eggs program has been a great resource for our ESL students. We allow them to work on the program for about 20 minutes at the end of each summer class or after school session. It really helps to reinforce the language/reading skills we work on during these programs.
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