Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated June 2014
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Sock Puppets Complete

Get it now
  • Download from App Store

Versatile, easy-to-use presentation tool featuring talking puppets

Common Sense says
3
Rating Details
Teachers say (8 Reviews)
$avg_user_learning_rating
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Grades
5-8 This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
Great for:
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Price:  $3.99
Platforms:  iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Take a look inside

5 images
Free version includes a store for in-app upgrades.
Several scene options give lots of versatility.
Each puppet's voice can be adjusted higher or lower before recording.
Tapping a puppet records as if that puppet were speaking. Tap another puppet to change speakers.
The complete version includes a huge variety of puppet choices.

Pros: Shows are easy to create and puppets' mouths sync well with the voices.

Cons: Recordings are limited to 90 seconds.

Bottom Line: Engaging presentation option for both creator and audience.

Lesson & Activity Ideas

Teachers can create their own sock-puppet shows as hooks to introduce new material, or they can offer the app to individuals or small groups as presentation or assessment options. Students could use the sock puppets to present reports or to write and perform short skits or poems, and then share them with their classmates. As a presentation tool, Sock Puppets Complete aligns well with the speaking and presenting CCSS for fifth grade and up, but younger students could easily create puppet shows as well. ELL students may enjoy practicing speaking in front of an audience with the help of the sock puppets.

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Standards:

Sock Puppets Complete is a tool that allows students to create short puppet-show videos. To begin, students choose their characters, background, and props, and then simply press the "record" circle at the top of the screen to start recording. The puppet with the arrow pointed at it is the speaker, but kids can tap another puppet to change speakers. The recording timer counts down to let them know how much longer they can record. Then they can listen to the recording and redo it or save it. In Settings, kids can adjust the voice for each puppet, making the pitch higher or lower, and hear a sample so they can make further adjustments (but kids will need to adjust the voices before they start recording as well). Shows can be watched in-app, shared on Facebook or YouTube, or (in the complete version only) saved to the camera roll.

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Creating short puppet-show videos is really easy with Sock Puppets Complete. Students will have fun creating their presentations, and classmates will enjoy watching them. With only 90 seconds to showcase their learning, though, students will need to spend some serious time planning and practicing their shows before going to the app. Time constraints may limit some creative expression but will challenge students to get their message across concisely. 

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Overall Rating
3
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?
4

Presentation tool is fun for students to demonstrate their knowledge and fun for others to watch. With the altered voices and variety of sock puppets, there's bound to be a bit of creative silliness, too.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?
3

With only 90 seconds of recording time (30 with the free version), kids have to be concise. The varied selection of sock puppets and backgrounds empowers them to be creative, however.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?
2

The whole process is intuitive, but no in-app help or tutorial is offered. Tutorials are available on the developer's website. Videos can be saved to the camera roll (full-version only), saved in-app, or shared via YouTube or Facebook.

Common Sense Reviewer
Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher
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Teacher Reviews

4
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Featured review by
Janae H. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
4
Make reading fun!

This app is very easy to use. You don't even really need to teach students how to use it because it's intuitive. I have always gotten a great response and every student wants to participate when Sock Puppets is involved. The free version is great, but the paid version give you a lot more options and doesn't limit recording time. I think it's worth the $3.99 for the complete version.

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