Starfall

http://www.starfall.com/

Starfall is an interactive website designed to help children learn how to read through the usage of phonics. The website is mainly designed for preschool aged students to second grade level students. It is also very helpful for special education and students learning English as a second language. The website is visually appealing to children, with pictures and colors, and easy to navigate. The website first starts with learning the ABCs, to get children prepared to learn how to read. It consists of sing-alongs to teach the children the different sounds the letters can make, along with teaching children the vowels. The next section puts the letters in words, and teaches children how to say the entire word, through different short phrases. The next section puts the phrases into sentences. And that section is followed with putting sentences into stories. The best part of the website is that it is interactive. It is more like playing a game, then it is learning how to read. For example, the website will prompt the user with a question like "Who am I?" and the user must click on boy or girl. Simple tools like this can really facilitate the child's learning, because it is necessary for a child to want to learn. When there is a learning game to be played, the child is more willing to learn, and more ready to accept new information.

This resource can be used in a classroom setting (if computers are present) or at home for outside of school assignments. The website has levels for different levels, and allows a student to move through it at their own pace. This is very helpful in classes with a mix of students who already know the English language, to students who are learning it as their second language. The website talks to the students so that they can orally and visually learn at the same time. The speaker also repeats the sounds, words, phrases, and sentences while the computer screen visually repeats the same.

By Myron Hardy