Marc Brown Studios and ScrollMotion , the largest developer of branded apps in the iTunes App Store, has expanded its ARTHUR READS app series on iTunes this week. Narrated by Marc Brown, creator of Arthur, the ARTHUR READS app series includes 9 book apps; the first, Arthur Turns Green, launched in April and willcontinue to roll out new apps throughout this year with three new additions launched on the iTunes store this week including:
With many great features in tow, the app gives kids and parents the opportunity to read books together (even when apart) and participate in interactive sessions! Kids can scroll through the pages of the book and follow along, while their parent’s pre-recorded voice reads the book aloud. Some of the other tools that enhance learning and engagement include putting together puzzles of Arthur illustrations and even coloring pictures of Arthur, DW, Buster, Francine and the rest of the group to bring characters to life.
Each app is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and available for $2.99 on the iTunes App store
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews? Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com
About the DVD Practice is the key to reading and spelling success-and now it's more fun than ever. We've turbocharged our best-selling Phonics video program with new animation along with sentence and story practice. Volume 2 builds on Volume 1, with catchy rhymes to make rules easy to remember. Delayed answers and our "on-screen mouth" let students check their reading and pronunciation. Read-along stories and fun songs provide practice applying the rules and building reading fluency. Context clues help students develop multiple strategies to read for meaning.
Ages 6 & up. Approx. 78 minutes Rock ‘N Learn Phonics Volume 2 DVD is perfect for students after they've mastered the material on Volume 1. With Phonics Volume 2, students discover other ways besides "silent e" to make long vowels, such as: ai, ay, ee, and ie. They practice long vowel patterns and apply phonics rules by reading sentences with words that feature long vowel sounds.
Students also practice reading words and sentences with r-controlled vowels, diphthongs, the schwa sound, syllables, ending sounds, and more. Eventually, students read stories that proceed from simple to complex. By also singing along with songs about the stories, students build reading fluency and have lots of fun.
Rock ‘N Learn Phonics is designed to allow learners to practice specific chapters in the DVD as many times as needed before moving to other material. This self-paced approach allows repetition and fun review. as needed. Because Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVDs have catchy songs and lots of humor, students enjoy working with the material as often as required to ensure mastery. Exciting new, animated characters entertain students and motivate them to build the skills for becoming confident readers. The little human mouth found on many sections helps students properly form the sounds and check their pronunciation.
Busy parents appreciate an approach that's easy for students to use on their own. These DVDs differ from complicated kits that require a lot of time to understand and figure out before being used. You won't find a phonics video program more thorough and entertaining than Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVDs. Kids are thrilled to work with the phonics video segments again and again. They take pride in their accomplishments as they build skills and boost their confidence.
Rock ‘N Learn Phonics Volume 2 is developed by educators who recognize that students have different abilities and ways of learning. Teachers love an approach that facilitates differentiated instruction by including several different ways to practice the lessons. Plus, teachers can use our phonics DVDs with one group while providing individual attention to other students. The entertaining visual and musical format of Rock ‘N Learn Phonics DVDs engages students and gets results when other methods have fallen short. Students learn in a variety of ways, and our phonics videos provide an effective tool to meet individual needs and unique learning styles.
Rock 'N Learn Phonics DVDs are perfect for regular education, special education, remedial classes, ESL, and adult basic education. Plus, many students have found our phonics videos to be helpful for learning to speak English. We have even received success stories of our phonics programs helping adults improve their reading and spelling skills.
Teachers can use Rock ‘N Learn DVDs with any DVD player, computers with a DVD player, interactive white boards, and projection screens. Interactive whites boards often come with software that allows teachers to stop the video and add their own content to the lessons on our phonics DVDs.
Phonics Volume 2 covers: Introduction • Long a • Long e • Long i • Long o • Long u • Sentence Practice • ar • er, ir, ur • or • ire, are, air • Story: "Fruit on the Beach" • Song: "Fruit on the Beach" • Diphthongs (oi, oy, ou, ow) • au, aw, all, al • Sentence Practice • Break It Down (syllables) • Schwa Sound • How Many Syllables? (phonemic segmentation) • Ending Sounds • Endings: y and le • Sentence Practice • Rule Breakers • ph and gh • Memory Words • Read-Along: "The Dog Days of Summer" • Silent Consonants • Story: "The Zany Rainy Bread Lady" • Song: "The Zany Rainy Bread Lady" • Read-Along: "Jade and Chip's Amazing Snow Dance"
Bonus Sections-Reading for Fluency Story: "Fruit on the Beach" (Faster Pace) Story: "The Zany Rainy Bread Lady" (Faster Pace)
My Take on the DVDI had reviewed Phonics 1 in the past and found this to be great for pre-K students, and Phonics 2 is a great follow-up to the first DVD going into more complex words and concepts. My daughter is going into first grade this next year and I can tell that this would be a great DVD for any first grade student.
With the use of great music and repetition, this DVD hits home the point of the importance of learning to read. What I loved about this DVD is that it makes reading fun, and I can tell that as a child you would just want to watch this to "rock out" as well as simply having fun with the on-screen characters.
All-in-all, this DVD provides kids a great way to learn!
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews? Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com
ummer is here and for most kids it means leaving behind classes and homework. But summer should not be the equivalent of a learning-free time for kids. To encourage learning in the summer months, Sylvan Learning is offering a suggested reading list for grades K-12 to help parents find the right book for their child’s summer reading fun.
Elementary School
Kindergarten: Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Krause
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Grade 1: Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
Grade 2: Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
How Much Is a Million by David M. Schwartz, Stephen Kellogg
Grade 3: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
Beach for the Birds by Bruce McMillan
Grade 4: Summer Reading is Killing Me! By Jon Scieszka
So You Want To Be President? byJudith St. George and Illustrated by David Small
Grade 5: Holes by Louis Sachar
Science Kitchen by Chris Maynard
Middle School
Grade 6: Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
Grade 7: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers
Grade 8: Ender's Game (Ender Series #1) Orson Scott Card
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
High School
Grade 9: Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard
Silent Spring by Rachel L. Carson
Grade 10: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Profiles In Courage by John F. Kennedy
Grade 11: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith and Katherine G. Balderston
Grade 12: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift and Pat Rogers
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sylvan Learning offers a free reading incentive program for children in grades K-8 at www.bookadventure.com. With Book Adventure children can create personalized book lists from more than 7,500 recommended titles, take quizzes on the books they’ve read at school or at home, and earn prizes for comprehension of the books they’ve read.
Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels. With 30 years of experience and more than 900 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan’s proven process and personalized methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of learning. Sylvan's trained and Sylvan-certified personal instructors provide individualized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan helps students develop the skills, habits and attitudes needed for lifelong success. Visit www.DrRickBlog.com to share your personal academic experiences and comment on academic trends. For more information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.SylvanLearning.com-
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
In honor of Father's Day, See Here Studios will be placing it's award-winning iPad & iPhone children's book apps on sale for Father's Day weekend (Friday June 17 to Sunday June 19, 2011).
In addition, the company will be hosting a raffle for a $25 iTunes Gift card through its Facebook (facebook.com/seeherestudios) and Twitter (@seeherestudios) sites. The raffle can be entered during the week of Sunday June 12 to Saturday June 18. The gift card will be awarded at 6pm on Saturday June 18. For more details, visit the See Here Studios Facebook or Twitter pages.
The children’s book apps “The Wrong Side of the Bed 3D” and “The Three Pandas” are designed for ages 3-8 and readable on both the iPad and iPhone. As part of the company’s Tickle Book® line, each book features characters that can be “tickled” to trigger an animated reaction and sound effect. Additional full-screen animations, professional narration and a musical soundtrack create a rich film-like immersion into the picture book story.
“The Wrong Side of the Bed 3D” offers the additional option to view the story in either standard 2D or stereoscopic 3D. Red-cyan 3D glasses are needed to view the book in 3D and can be easily ordered from within the app. Please note that 3D polarized glasses from the movie theater are not compatible with the iPad or iPhone screen.
Based on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fable, “The Three Pandas” includes options to Record Your Own voiceover and to read the book in either English or Simplified Chinese. In addition, 10 percent of app proceeds are donated to the U.S. nonprofit Pandas International to support panda conservation efforts.
“The Wrong Side of the Bed 3D” was awarded a Kirkus star by Kirkus Reviews and landed in their Top 10 Storybook iPad Apps list. According to Kirkus Reviews, “For readers still unconvinced that the features of the iPad can translate printed children's books into full-blown multimedia experiences, this one will change your point of view.”
“The Three Pandas” has received positive reviews from numerous parenting sites, including Digital Storytime: “The book itself is innovative in digital form, combining animated photos of the pandas…and their surroundings along with computer generated graphics – like the enchanting scenes of the bamboo forest…. Overall it is a unique addition to the App Store’s many folktales and one clearly worth a download.”
See Here Studios is a member of Moms With Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Pricing & Availability
Starting June 17, 2011 at 12:01am, The Wrong Side of the Bed 3D book app will be on sale for $1.99 (regular price $2.99) and The Three Pandas book app will be on sale for $.99 (regular price $3.99). The apps will return to regular price on Monday June 20, 2011 at 12:01am. The price drop will be coordinated with the Moms With Apps “App Friday” promotion for family-friendly apps. Several promo codes for the apps will also be given away on Friday June 17 via the See Here Studios and Moms With Apps Facebook pages.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
is perfect for students after they've mastered the material on Volume 1. With Phonics Volume 2, students discover other ways besides "silent e" to make long vowels, such as: ai, ay, ee, and ie. They practice long vowel patterns and apply phonics rules by reading sentences with words that feature long vowel sounds.