App+Reviews

Below are apps reviewed by teachers that participated in this workshop. It's possible that these apps are not installed on your school iPads, so if the app is of interest to you, then please make a request to your building technology specialist.

1. [|Learn the States with Flat Stanley]

 * Age**: 8
 * Cost**: $2.99
 * Overall rating**: 4/5

//Learn the States With Flat Stanley// is a fun way for kids who already know the basic vicinity of U.S. states to practice pinpointing where they are on a blank map. Flinging the happy aviator Stanley via slingshot toward each state adds a dash of excitement to the typically rote activity of state identification by memory. The information and photos provided on the states' flags, bird, history, and more are simple and inviting.

On the downside, there are no audio instructions, so kids have to be able to read to play. Also, the spelling scramble activity oddly tells kids in the written instructions how to spell the word ("Spell Virginia"). Finally, little states in the Northeast may be more frustrating for kids to hit. Even if they think they're aiming the slingshot properly, Stanley may land in a nearby smaller state simply because of the small margin of error in those tiny spots on the screen. Overall, //Learn The States With Flat Stanley// provides a good way for kids to practice identifying states' locations and learn more about states.


 * Submitted by**: [[|Source]]

2. __**[|Mathmateer Free]**__

 * Age**: Elementary--varied levels
 * Cost**: Free
 * Overall rating**: 4/5

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In the AppoLearning Apps, I found a free app called Mathmateer Free by Dan Russell-Pinson. It is available for the ipad and iphone. Mathmateer uses rocket ships and an outer space format for high interest. For example, a child may play a game to earn a medal or s/he may earn money to apply towards designing a rocket of their own. ======

From a teaching standpoint, this app is well constructed. It has several possible “missions” for math practice--Numbers, Time, US Money, Shapes/Patterns, or Multiply/Divide. Different processes, varied levels of difficulty, and assorted concepts are offered. When a child supplies an incorrect answer, there is immediate feedback. Once a mission is completed, one can see one’s score as a ratio, a percent, and/or as money earned.

There is much that I found well developed on this app. However, I do question whether all children are capable of going at the rate of speed required for some of the games, and some of the more difficult levels require quick mental math. For some, this could be frustrating. For many, this app could be fun.

Submitted by: Becky Kaminsky

3. [|Common Core Standards App] Age: k-12 Cost: Free Overall Rating 3.5/5

View the Common Core State Standards in one convenient FREE App. A great reference for students, parents, and teachers to easily read and understand the core standards. Quickly find standards by subject, grade, and subject category (domain/cluster). This app includes math standards k-12 and language arts standards k-12.

I have used this app and find it very helpful to review the expectations of the grade level that I am teaching. It is also helpful to look at the year before and the expectations of the following year.

Submitted by: Cathee Wolf

4. [|Kids' Vocab-Mind Snacks] Ages: 7-12 Cost: Sample Games are Free Score: 4/5

This game was a fun and interesting way to practice content vocabulary, primarily in the area of science. You begin with a choice of topics including animals and astronomy. You pick the topic you want and a list of 14 words, their definitions, parts of speech, meaning, a sentence using the word and a fun fact about the word are displayed. The words are spoken when you tap them and can be somewhat challenging because some are similar and have to do with science content. You take time to practice and review the words and then you play the games. There are nine games that require you to show your understanding of the word, including filling the words into the blank sentences, matching the words with pictures, and meanings. After each game a graph appears to show your understanding of each word based on your skill in the game. It also tells you which words you need to pratice and the definitions for those words again. After reaching some success, other games become available for the same list of words as reinforcement. When you are totally successful, you can choose a new topic and new games The repitition of the words and meanings are reinforced for success. The lists are also available in different languages. On the negative side, the lists are pre-determined, so you do not have control of them. I do not know if there are vocabulary lists other than science inluded in the paid version.The games can move fast, so struggling students may get frustrated, but the repitition, reinforcement, along with the visual and auditory pieces make this app helpful to all levels of learners. This engaging app will help children to develop vocabulary in certain content areas with repitition, practice and understanding.

Submitted by: Diane Kuppersmith

5. [|Chicken Coop Fractions Game]

Rating: 4.5/5
===This game is an engaging tool for students who are learning to estimate the values of fractions and decimals and place the values on a number line, which is now included in the fourth grade Common Core. The player moves a nest along a number line and tries to line it up with the value given. Hens then drop the egg where the actual value is located. If the egg is caught, it later hatches. Otherwise, splat goes the egg!=== ===A positive point about the game is that even if the child guesses incorrectly, the program shows the participant the correct location on the number line. Another feature of the game is that it can be differentiated. One can play it as a whole class or as an individual, and there are several versions to choose from. The student can place values of fractions less than one (proper fractions), or greater than one (in improper fraction form). The teacher can also choose to utilize the concept of fractions of sets. The game option can also be varied in levels of difficulty between “easy,” and “hard,” as well as the acceptable range of estimation and time allowed for a response. Unfortunately, the app does not track student progress for the teacher.===

Submitted by Jane Liberfarb

6. [|10Monkeys Multiplication] Grade Levels: 3-5 Cost: $0.99 Rating: 4/5

This is a straight-forward but engaging game for practicing multiplication facts. You select a table by scrolling vertically and clicking on a monkey in a trap, then tap the bubbles with the correct answer as problems appear. Gain enough points, and the monkey gets freed from the trap.

I liked the fact that you can choose a particular multiplication table or mixed tables. Also, optionally you can display the table to study it before playing. There is some variety in the games, with the answer bubbles either falling or stationary, and some variety within each game, as the correct answer sometimes appears more than once. The graphics are attractive and the bubble-popping sound is surprisingly appealing. Overall, I think the game play is engaging without being too much of a distraction from the actual math practice. Almost all of the player's time is spent answering multiplication fact problems rather than doing extraneous game tasks.

I'm not sure that this app would continue to be engaging to students for too many repeated sessions, but I could easily see students enjoying it a few times. It provides good practice at a low cost. Overall, I would recommend it.

Submitted by Diana Kinney

7. [|Appsfire] Grade Level: All - Great for Teachers Cost: Free Score: 5/5

I am a firm believer in never paying retail – FOR ANYTHING! For this reason I am always on the hunt for discounted, or better yet, free apps for my iPad and iPhone. Let’s face it, finding apps is tedious and time consuming, even if you are not looking for a bargain. Appsfire is an app that helps users find great deals on quality apps and popular apps.

The company has developed an algorithm that gives apps an “app score” for every single app that is available in the App store. Appsfire chooses apps based on this score so you won’t get stuck with a long list of unpopular and bargain basement apps to tediously sort through on your own. And you know what the best thing about this app is? It is FREE!

The apps are sorted by categories that you choose, so it is very personalized. Examples of some of the categories are Education, Music, Social Networking, etc. Navigation through the apps is easy. The regular price and sale price for each app is shown. To choose an app that you want, just tap on it, and you will be sent to the App Store to complete the transaction. Couldn’t be easier.

Another thing that I love about Appsfire is that it will keep an eye on any expensive app that I would love to have, but refuse to pay full price for. (Remember my moto!) All you have to do is add the app to your “Wish List” on Appsfire and you will be sent a notification when the price of the app is reduced.

Submitted by Ellen Goldberg

8. [|Sight Words Games & Flash Cards with Starfall Word Aliens for Reading Success] Grade Levels: Pre-K – 3 Cost: $1.99 Rating: 4/5 This app includes 6 engaging games (word machine, spelling, bingo, memory game, gears, flash cards) to reinforce identification of sight words. The grade level can be adjusted (choices are Pre-K to 3rd) and there is an option to use just words that are nouns. Students can select difficulty level and create an avatar. The teacher can access student profiles and view scores. I feel that this app is well-suited for kindergarten and first grade students. Graphics and sounds are grade appropriate and not too distracting. This app was easy to navigate and children are prompted with quick directions before they play each game. One negative – the teacher can’t input additional words.

Submitted By: Nadeen Ramsay

Grade Levels: K-5 Cost: Free Rating: 4/5
 * 9. Vocabulary SpellingCity**

Vocabulary SpellingCity is a great app for practicing spelling words. The app comes with example lists and teachers can upload actual spelling lists after creating a web-based account. SpellingCity is simple to use and the home button is easily accessible. In addition to a traditional audio spelling test, students can unscramble, play “HangMouse,” and alphabetize their spelling words.

I did not notice any advertisements or limited functions on this free app. One downside is the fact that students cannot input their own spelling lists. Students can access teacher-created lists by logging in or using the search function. Although it requires a little extra work for teachers upfront, I believe SpellingCity is a great app for managing spelling words and lists. Students will enjoy the variety of games and parents will love being able to access spelling words easily from devices at home.

Submitted by Erin Drew

10. [|Agnitus Personal Learning Program] Grade Levels: PK-1 Cost: Free Rating: 4/5

This app is great for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. It would also be helpful for struggling students. This app features six fun games that incorporate color recognition, shapes (identification,sorting), numbers (counting, recognition, math, tracing), letters (recognition, tracing), and memory games. There are 22+ academic skills based on the Common Core Standards.

I really liked this app because the learning games advance and get more challenging as student progresses. I also liked it because it gives a report card on skills. There is a feature for a more detailed account of progress which includes the number of times practiced, number of correct answers, and percentages. It shows how many minutes were spent on the games, as well. There are teacher/parent controls (to set up for student) to enable which games are "on" and frequency of practice. There is also a curriculum map that can be accessed that gives an overview of skills being learned. Lastly, there are some games that are fun and do not cover any particular skill. There was one in which you can brush the teeth of the main character in the app, Icky.

Here are some pros and cons. free no advertisments report card parent controls colorful, engaging, easy to navigate covers common core skills
 * Pros:**

some games you have to figure out some features switch from landscape to portrait
 * Cons:**

Overall great app!

Submitted by: Melissa McCormick

11. [|Learn with Homer]
 * Grade**: PreK
 * Cost**: Free
 * Rank**: 3/5

Reading, phonics, early learning and interactive. Homer is a pigeon who takes children on Adventures. This is free until a point then there is a charge to add more detailed learning, more exciting activities. The first screen is very colorful and consists of 4 places to visit. The hat shop has a built in camera, first the child goes into the hat shop takes their picture and adds a silly hat. Then he/she can choose an adventure, Homer's Clubhouse, Learn to Read, and Discover the World. Art, history and literature are all connected in each of the 4 adventures. Homer's Clubhouse has a board where the child can create, draw and record. Learn to read requires listening and visual at the sae time. There is a thorough repetitiveness to it, starting with the letter a, (which was free) the child practices the sound in isolation, then in the beginning, middle and end of a word. Story time has poetry, rhyme and short stories, with vivid artwork. Discover the world is nonfiction, with a lot of animals and general knowledge. ===This app is designed for parents to use at home. It allows 3 children to use it, and save their work. There is a parent account which shows progress as the child goes through the app. It also has resources for parents with ideas, printables and games. The drawback to this app is that you can only save 3 children's work and progress,so iPads would have to be assigned. An adult would have to sit and help the child set up an account. ===

Submitted by: Elaine Silva

12. 2smarttutor 2smarttutor website - vocabulary level 5 (grade 5) Rating: 4/5 I reviewed an app taken from the site 2smarttutor. This website allows you to preview a sampling of lessons from this app, however you must purchase the remaining lessons prior to seeing them. The lesson I reviewed was a synonym and antonym lesson which used a list of words introduced in a previous lesson. In this game, students had the option of either reading a sentence with an underlined word or having the sentence read to them. Using the context of the sentence, the students had to determine if the meaning of the underlined word was a synonym or antonym of a new word they were shown. If students were unsure of the meaning of the second word,they could click on "hint" and they would hear a sentence which includes the second word.

The lessons were clearly explained and frequently reinforced and could therefore easily be played independently. When giving the directions, not only did they define synonyms and and antonyms using visual and auditory cues, but they also demonstrated how to play the game. I thought the hints provided the opportunity for the students to receive extra help while allowing them to continue working independently. Students might be less inclined to make a random guess if they had the option of requesting a clue. Constant reinforcement was provided. Each time the correct answer was given, the student received verbal praise. A voice repeated the correct answer and also stated again whether the answer was a synonym or antonym. The program kept track of the number of correct responses for the students as well. Because the activity had both auditory and visual cues, students who were reading below grade level could still benefit from the lessons. There was another activity which followed this one and reinforced the vocabulary again. I wasn't able to see that lesson, but I assume it would provide additional practice with the new vocabulary.

Because this activity was very straightforward and didn't have any fun types of gimicks, I question whether it would hold the students' attention for a reasonable period of time. I did also preview a level 4 lesson which was presented in a more entertaining and gamelike way.

Submitted by: Margie Hirsch

13. NUMBER MATH **Grade Levels**: Pre-K through 5th grade **Cost**: Free **Rating:** 4/5

Number Math is a free app which is very easy to navigate. It is an app that can be used for pre-school through 5th grade or for sped kids who have difficulty accessing their class curriculum. Number Math requires little supervision. It has 4 difficulty levels: Junior, Easy, Moderate, and Advanced. You can be asked between 10 and 50 questions. The subjects covered are greater than less than, before and after, find the missing number, rounding, skip counting, and arranging numbers in order. This app is good for working independently. The sound effects let the child know if he/she answered the questions correctly or not. The timer tells you how long it took you to answer all of the questions. I found this app to be engaging and easy to use.

Submitted by: Marilyn Moldoff

14. ABC English Typing Class
 * Age** Level: 6-10
 * Cost**: Free (might be $2.99 now)
 * Rating**: 4/5

This program is for beginner typists and introduces letters and words in game format. There are four games, which include Bubble Game (Bubbles rise from below with letters to type), Fish Game (Fish with words to type enter from the right), Space Game (Space ball enter from all sides with words to type), and Defence Game (Rockets come from above with letters to type). There is music and sound effects to accompany the games. For each game you can select easy, medium or hard levels and when you type the correct information, you score points cumulatively. The app also has the option to Practice Words or Practice Typing (sentences), with up to nine screen options.

It is very engaging and helps to build scanning and fingering speed.

Submitted by: Sheila Kearney

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This is a great App for teachers who teach about the solar system and for kids who are fascinated with learning about space. The site is easy to navigate and there are a variety of sections to explore. In the Missions section one can find launch schedules, a summary of space missions past and present, and even times when space sightings can be viewed from Earth. News and NASA TV provide up to the minute space news. The Images section displays over 12,000 photos from space. These photos include a shot of the Aurora Borealis, pictures of solar eclipses, and even a picture of the Olympic Torch from its trip to space. Need information for student research? Check out the section entitled, Our Solar System and Beyond. This section contains a wealth of information about the solar system, planets, and even dwarf planets, including what they are. There is even a section for videos. This App is a convenient "go -to" place for help answering those unexpected questions about space.======

Submitted by Shirley Houston.
**Cost**: Free **Overall rating**: 4/5
 * 16. WWF Together **
 * Age ** : K-1 (with aid of an adult) and grade 2-12

This is a great Life Science application that teaches about different species in an innovative, interactive way. One can learn about different endangered species, learn about their story, interesting facts, about their habitat, and about environmental concerns these animals face on a day-to-day basis. One can travel around the interactive globe to find other animals with related environmental concerns and learn about what we can do to help their situation. The graphics are stunning and how the information is presented makes you want to keep learning more! One can view high-definition photographs and videos of the animals. Each animal is also presented as origami being folded up in beautiful animations and you can learn how to do the origami on your own with instructions. I think this application would be a great way to introduce kids to animals around the world that are facing environmental issues. They can learn and study about how our day-to-day decisions can affect such animals and have them learn about the different way that people can help each of these species.

**Submitted by: Kathryn M. Bombardieri**
 * 17. Xtra Math**
 * Grade Level: K-5**
 * Cost: Free**
 * Rating: 4/5**

This is an excellent app for students to practice their math facts. It provides timed practice of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Videos are provided to walk you through each step of signing up and setting up your class online. The students can work on their facts in school or at home. Students can see their progress at the end of each 10 minute session. They can see which facts they've answered correctly with a smiley face or check mark. Weekly reports are emailed to the teacher and parents. The report graphs each student's progress over time. It shows each fact on a grid and what facts the student has mastered. Also, a calendar to show when the student practiced. This is a great app to build math fact fluency.

On the downside, to keep kids motivated to practice it needs an ongoing engaging activity. For example, in Raz Kids they earn points and then buy items and decorate a room.
 * Submitted by: Ann Corso**