The website I am evaluating is Starfall.com. The website URL is http://www.starfall.com/ .
The website is for PreK-2nd grade, English development (ELL, ESL, ELD), and Special Needs. The website is all in English. It was designed as a free public service to teach children to read with phonics. The website is very colorful and user friendly. It is designed for parents and teachers, and many children could easily navigate the website. I can see it as very helpful to language teachers because the student sees the letters and words and hears the correct pronunciation. It is divided into 4 sections with mini lessons in each general section. The main areas are ABC's, Learn to Read, It's Fun to Read, and I'm Reading. The website is probably most useful for students with a little English who can benefit with additional vocabulary and reading instruction and practice. However, it could be used with non-English speaking students because it begins with the alphabet in several very engaging mini lessons and moves through to teach phonemes, phonics and reading.. The website is very bright, cheerful, and engaging. The mini lessons in each section provide repeated opportunities for practice and assessment. Students are often reinforced with increasingly sophisticated songs, action, and images.There is also an Educators link that provides lesson plans and worksheets for practice and assessment. The strengths of the website are it's attractiveness, it's ease of use, and the engaging images and stories. There is a white, middle class ambiance with certain sex stereotypes.These issues are not so pronounced as to discourage teachers or parents from utilizing the website.Both the fiction and non-fiction stories in the main section I'm Reading include more ethnic abd female representatives. My husband uses this website site with K-3 students in a very multicultural classroom, 1/3 of which speak Spanish as their primary language. The students love using the website.
I like how you pointed out the stereotypes that are portrayed in this software. The "white, middle class ambience" that you pointed out is very much evident in this software. I didn't even pay attention to that when I was reviewing for my blog. I haven't had the students use it at home but I would be curious to see how easily it would be for them. The fact that it is so easily accessable to both students whose first language isn't English and to student's whose first language is English is what makes this software so unique and I can't recommend it enough.
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote in William's blog, this website works for my 2nd-grade daughter. She is also an ESL learner (we came to Bloomington last August (from Indonesia). We have our PC in the living room so my husband and I can monitor what our daughter is accessing on the computer.Whenever she is using the website, she never ask any help. She said that she really likes "It's fun to read" and "I'm reading". I do agree that the website is attractive, easy-to-use, and engaging.
But, I don't quite understand about the stereotypes that you mention and I cannot detect that in the website. So, Julie or William, would you explain more about that? Thanks :D
I love this website too. It's very use to use because of its great organization. One part that I like that is harder to find on it is their writing journals. You can find them at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.starfall.com/n/N-info/level-1.htm?n=downloadcenter&educators
It is great for my ESL kids because with each writing topic, there is a picture content dictionary that facilitates their writing. They can focus upon writing more easily when they don't have to struggle for every word.
It looks like this website is very well known. I had a really low level (beginner) student that was in one of my intensives classes before. It was assumed that the students should be able to at least read and speak basic English, but this student barely knew his ABCs. I searched and found some sites for him to practice on, though I wished I could have recommended this site at the time. Thanks for the nice review.
ReplyDelete