App review by Stacy Zeiger, Common Sense Education | Updated November 2013
Language Adventures Quiz Game Show - Gr. 1-3
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Language Adventures Quiz Game Show - Gr. 1-3

Jeopardy-style game covers basic skills in a fun way

Get it now
  • Download from App Store
Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
Community rating
Based on 1 review
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
1–3
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Communication & Collaboration, Critical Thinking
Price:  $1.99
Platforms:  iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
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Take a look inside

4 images
Hip characters provide help as kids play.
Choose from timed questions or audio narration.
Play with up to four teams.
Choose four categories for each game.

Pros: The game features 11 categories and can be played with up to four teams.

Cons: Many questions focus on simple recall and identification.

Bottom Line: Language Adventures Quiz Game Show covers a wide range of categories, but many questions lack depth.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers can use Language Adventures Quiz Game Show as both a basic review game and as a time filler. On days filled with last-minute schedule changes or when students finish a lesson more quickly than expected, it's the ideal game to pull out and help reinforce some of the basic skills they need to know. At the beginning of the year, it may also serve as a way to help gauge what students know or just help students learn to work together and feel comfortable around one another.

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Standards:

Kids love games. Language Adventures Quiz Game Show draws on this interest by creating a game to help kids review basic language arts concepts. The game can be played with anywhere from one to four teams, and those teams can be made up of one or many students each. Once the teams have been decided, they must decide on the categories. Students choose four different categories from a list of 11. Categories range from vocabulary and word parts to parts of speech and sentences/punctuation or even library skills and fact vs. opinion. Once selected, those categories are displayed on a Jeopardy! style board with four possible point values for each category. After choosing a point value, students see a multiple-choice question. The first team to select the correct answer earns the points and play continues. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.

While the game itself is simple, it does have some drawbacks. For example, when playing with multiple teams, students must tap the team number on the screen before answering the question. This could lead to multiple fingers scrambling to tap the screen and blocking others from being able to read the question. Instead of reading the questions themselves, students can opt to have a narrator read the questions for them, which works well with early readers. However, the narrator does not read the answer choices. Instead, players must click on each individual choice to hear it pronounced.  The team of the student tapping the answer choices has a clear advantage over other teams when it comes to answering the question.

When it comes to reviewing basic language arts skills, Language Adventures has a lot of potential. After all, it does cover 11 different categories. However, because it covers so many categories at once, it's difficult to use the game to review a specific set of skills. It's also not ideal for promoting higher-order thinking skills. While the reading comprehension category has students making inferences, drawing conclusions, and predicting, many of the other categories focus on basic recall and identification. Still, it's a very engaging way for students to get some basic-skills practice.

Overall Rating
Engagement

A common game show format, fun sound effects, and the ability to play individually or as part of a team make this game appeal to kids.

Pedagogy

Kids select the categories to focus on in the game and compete as teams to answer questions. They only get one chance to correctly answer each question, and correct answers are provided without explanation.

Support

Audio narration helps early readers or struggling readers understand the question, but it cannot be combined with timed questions. Could provide more data about the type of questions teams miss.

Common Sense reviewer
Stacy Zeiger Homeschooling parent
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Key Standards Supported

Language

  • L.1.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.1.2

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

  • L.2.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.2.2

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

  • L.3.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.3.2

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Reading Foundational Skills

  • RF.1.2

    Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

  • RF.1.1

    Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

  • RF.2.3

    Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Reading Literature

  • RL.1.4

    Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

  • RL.1.2

    Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

  • RL.2.5

    Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

  • RL.2.2

    Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

  • RL.3.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

  • RL.3.5

    Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

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Community Rating

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Featured review by
Ruth O. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
Victory Elementary School
Portsmouth, United States
Nice Review Tool
I like the product. It is versatile as a review tool. My teachers can use it for both small group work when there are a limited number of iPads available as well as use it front of the room when there is only the "Teacher" iPad. It's important thought to pay attention to the level of the readers that you are using it with and to modify the activity appropriately.
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