Starfall

Charity Catunao

ED638 Fall Intercession 2017

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #7

            Starfall (http://www.starfall.com/) is an online tool for supplementing early childhood education instruction. Starfall is a superb additional tool for early childhood educators at home or in the classroom. Starfall provides interactive content to help any child with the fundamentals of learning: reading, basic math, shapes, and phonics. This site is not only used for literacy purposes. The Starfall website is broken up into four main sections: ABC’s, Learn to Read, It’s Fun to Read, and I’m Reading. Children can spend hours and hours exploring, enjoying, and learning through all of the educational content Starfall has to offer!

            Moreover, there are many people who benefit from Starfall. Early childhood teachers utilize Starfall’s website features as a key component or a supplement to the education provided in the classroom. It can also be used in Special Education and English Language Learner development programs. Another great option Starfall is used for is homeschooling. Homeschool teachers use the website to make the basics of reading and writing more engaging for their students or children. Parents also use the games found on Starfall website as an alternate after school incentive rather than having their children play video games or watch TV.

            Starfall is extremely popular for educational purposes because of the amazing features it has to offer. Professional educators made it, it is fun and interactive for kids, it is easy to navigate, there is plenty of high-quality content, and it is a safe space for everyone. Despite having so many amazing features, Starfall has some content that is not so great. With the Starfall website, you only get what you see. In other words, lessons do not change drastically as your child progresses in the strategy. There is a gradual increase in difficulty, but it does not challenge them. In addition, the content does not go past second-grade level, so if you have a child who is much older, this site will be not useful to him or her. If you would also like more activities and games from Starfall, there is a price. It is $35 per year for basic home use and higher costs for classroom and school use.

            In conclusion, Starfall is a wonderful website for students second grade and below. Starfall has many games and the website is bright and captivating for younger children. I personally like Starfall for my student because they are second grade and we love playing educational games on our class Promethean board! I also find many uses with the program because it is not only used for literacy purposes. My students and I can explore and practice math skills as well. Overall, Starfall is a great educational resource and I recommend it for parents and early childhood educators!