Sunday, December 29, 2019

Effective Literacy Website #2 by Alison

Starfall (http://starfall.com) was initially launched in 2002 to teach children to read. The program is funded by the Starfall Education Foundation, a publicly supported nonprofit organization. Its mission is to provide free and low-cost learning experiences, in which children are able to successfully explore and learn. In addition to teaching reading, Starfall also offers resources for mathematics and other language arts skills. It can be used for children in PreK-3rd grade. Starfall is a free online service that can be accessed through multiple devices such as a computer, laptop, cell phone, or tablet. There is also an app available to download. Starfall consists of resources, games, and activities that are research-based and aligned with Common Core State Standards. Although Starfall is mainly effective for English language learners, special education, and homeschooling, it is also generally enjoyable for children of all ages. Starfall offers various choices for its annual membership program, which includes a home membership, teacher’s membership, classroom membership, and school membership. 

The website itself is very appealing to the eye because of its colorful graphics and neat layout. On the homepage, it allows users to choose between Pre-K/Kindergarten or grades 1-3. Starfall is a wonderful website that is easy to navigate, even for children. On the top of the homepage, there are different tabs such as the Starfall store, parent-teacher center, sign-in option, and information on how to become a member. There is also an additional side menu that consists of additional information on how to contact a representative for help. If children were to select that option, it leads to a page that contains a mathematical problem that can only be solved by an adult. Adults will definitely appreciate the child restrictions on the Starfall website. Under the parent-teacher center, there is an endless amount of free resources, which includes guides, posters, lesson plans, practice sheets, and research. The practice sheets can be customized as well. In conclusion, Starfall is an amazing website that has a lot to offer. Its reading games and activities emphasize skills on phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight words. It provides an audiovisual interactive experience and has been proven to be effective in teaching emergent readers. Additionally, Starfall provides supplementary resources for mathematics up to children in the 3rd grade. Their services are free, easy to navigate, and fun for children. 

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