Oh Say Can You Seed?
Oh Say Can You Seed? is a fun way to begin a science unit about plants. You can give students a list of vocabulary words to find as they take turns reading in small groups. Or, you can read the story to the class and have kids work collaboratively to develop an illustrated glossary list on chart paper. You may need to eliminate some of the more advanced terms, depending on kids' learning levels. After reading the story, bring in some marigold seeds and have kids grow their own flowering plants. Another option is to bring in some fruits and vegetables and have kids explore the different plant parts.
Continue readingEditor's Note: Oh Say Can You Seed? is no longer listed on the developer's website. It appears to have been removed from all of the app stores where it was once available.
Oh Say Can You Seed? is a digital version of a book about plants from the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library. On the home screen, kids can choose from two reading options: Read to Me and Read It Myself. In the Read to Me option, the Cat in the Hat tells the story as words are highlighted. In both reading options, students can tap bolded words to learn their definitions, and they can tap pictures to hear and see the pictures with labels. Several of the pages include basic animations that help kids learn different concepts like photosynthesis and plant structure and function. A voice record option lets users record their voices narrating the story, which adds a nice personal touch to the learning experience while supporting speech and language development.
By reading, tapping words in bold, and watching animations within the story, kids can learn plant terminology and related concepts like photosynthesis, pollination, and seed dispersal. Kids can tap on pictures to hear and see the pictures with labels, and static diagrams of plant parts are clear and well designed. However, certain concepts may be too advanced for young learners, and the section about pollination was a little confusing. Forced rhyming overshadows clarity.
A slight shortcoming of the ebook is that it does not give kids an opportunity to practice or assess what they learned. Some post-reading interactive activities and a glossary would be a welcome addition.
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