Software Resources

I work with third grade through ninth grade for reading and starting in October I will be teaching preschool. Since preschool is where I spend the majority of my time, those are the majority of my test subjects and where I put the biggest part of my time and effort.

Software Title: Starfall
Grade/Age level: Pre-Kindergarten through second grade
Subject Area(s): Reading & Writing
Platform: Both
Purpose: An inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents can use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children. I have used it in my pre-kindergarten class to help with letter recognition and to learn letter sounds. In the classroom, the only problem I have is that I only have one computer so the students have to take turns on the computer. The other students tend to want to look that way instead of working on their current tasks. It is free online but does have some other items that can be purchased for use off of the computer (in case you are not one-to-one capable). There are some free downloads that you can get as long as you have Adobe Reader (free downloadable software for both PC and Mac). It is definitely appropriate for even pre-kindergarteners is you get them to the task that you want them to work with. It is pretty easy to follow and every one of my students could use it. So the required teacher time in the classroom is very little after the initial training. There is no registration required and no personal information asked for. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.

Software Title: US State Geography Test
Grade/Age level: Third grade
Subject Area(s): Geography
Platform: Both
Purpose: To see how well a student knows the location of the forty-eight contiguous states. You have to click the state name and drag it to its proper location on the map. If you do not get all of the names on the map in time, it lets you know that you failed third grade. If the students have been studying geography, it is appropriate for any grade level from third grade on up. An eight year old or older should be able to use it independently. I have passed it! The site does not require any registration or personal information. There are no advertisements and will run on any computer and does not require any special equipment. The home web site is Pasadena IBM Users Group and they also have a few other games through the 'files' link on their home page. Most are just for fun and some are not for kids.

Software Title: Sheppard Software
Grade/Age level: Kindergarten and up
Subject Area(s): All subjects
Platform: Both
Purpose: This site uses multimedia to enhance learning and to make learning fun and memorable. As you progress through the games, they get harder so they keep up with the abilities of the child. Some of the games for preschoolers require help from an adult (to read the instructions on each page) so this is a time intensive site for teachers. It would be great for parents of small children at home. As an extra learning game site for older students in their spare time at school, or to reinforce subject matter, it would be great. There is no registration or personal information required. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.