The Big Reading Show
Classroom Edition
APP DETAILS
Developer – Hooked on Phonics
Age – 4 to 6 year olds
Subject – Literacy
Special Need - Dyslexia
Score – 78/100
Price – Free (usually £14.99 / $19.99)
App Store Link - http://geni.us/zxo
Play Store Link – Not Available
Windows Store Link - Not Available
App Review
The Big Reading Show Classroom is aimed at children who are at the early stages of reading. It uses the theme of a musical variety show to entertain and engage users but threaded throughout the app are opportunities to develop and reinforce beginning literacy skills.
Each part of the show includes an interactive exploration of letters, words, text concepts, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary. Specific skills covered are:
• Understanding basic features of print
• Associating letter names and shapes
• Recognizing and naming upper- and lower-case letters
• Recognizing spoken rhyming words
• Recognizing own name
• Engaging in literary experiences, including stories and poems
• Understanding new word meanings
• Naming items in common categories
Children will meet Lou and Ella, a rhino and a parrot who are best friends but polar opposites. They will also meet the rest of the Reading Show Crew who sing and dance their way through thirteen musical reading adventures. Themes covered include Explorer Day, Book Day, Ocean Day, Jungle Day and Sports Day. Each episode highlights two letters of the alphabet and then presents words that begin with these letters in the context of a musical variety show. The episode’s interactive games then further explore letter names, letter sounds, rhyming, and tracing.
The Big Reading Show Classroom is an interesting blend of learning disguised as entertainment. It is ideal for children who are at the foundation stage (i.e. ages 4-6). Parents will find that it is a great app for introducing many important early reading skills and because it supports multiple users The Big Reading Show Classroom is perfect for use in schools. One app download can support up to 30 unique users.
The Big Reading Show Classroom does not contain any adverts or i-app purchases but parents and teachers should be aware that there are external links to the developer’s website. These are not protected by a parental gate.
One feature I would like to see in future updates is the ability to track the progress of individual children. Currently, the information available within the app is limited.
Peter
Educational App Advice
About Educational App Advice
Email: petermaxwell@mail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/educationalappadvice
Twitter: @edappadvice