App review by Dana Villamagna, Common Sense Education | Updated July 2012
This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It)
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This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It)

Colorful, fun story creator teaches beginner grammar and spelling

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
Pre-K–K This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Creativity
Price:  $1.99
Platforms:  iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
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Take a look inside

4 images
Pair thematic backgrounds with stickers to form stories.
Four modes of play include Make a Story, Match a Story, Read a Saved Story, and Sticker Page Fun.
Spoken instructions, written words, and shaded boxes guide kids into storytelling.
Simple sentences are read aloud by the app with added sound effects.

Pros: Teaches beginner grammar and spelling in a fun, colorful way.

Cons: Templates all use the same structure. No skills added as kids progress.

Bottom Line: An engaging app to introduce early readers and writers to story creation.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

You may want to present this app to the entire class with a teacher-guided story creation experience, so kids can see this fill-in-the-blank idea at work before they try it on their own. Encourage kids to keep the story going as they think beyond the scripted options to consider why their characters chose to do what they do and what happens next, even after the app's story is complete. For more ideas, This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It)'s website has supplemental materials, a teacher chat area, and an email link to provide requests in an area on the site called the Teacher's Lounge.

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Standards:

This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It) is a storytelling app for preschoolers that starts kids on the road to understanding simple sentence structure and recognizing some themed sight words. Kids pick a story template from seven colorful, kid-friendly story themes, then tap and drag labeled sticker-like images into the blanks of each page to create an original story. A young voice prompts kids to fill in the blanks for the story. A sentence like, "The (blank) played with the (blank)" becomes "The elf played with the snowman." Finished stories can be saved and will be read aloud by the app, with added sound effects such as laughing on a page with characters who are playing, or slurping on a page where characters are drinking cocoa. Kids can save their original stories to read, listen to, and share with others later. Additional features include a just-for-fun sticker page and a matching activity.

Kids can learn thematic sight words and early storytelling skills using This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It). As kids choose colorful and fun sticker-like images to build the themed stories, they see and hear common sight words like truck and cat. As the stories develop page-by-page, kids practice in simple sentence structure such as "The (blank) said hello to the (blank)." Each of the seven templates has a different theme -- such as holidays, seasons, and school -- with a fun background and related vocabulary. On the downside, they all use the same structure with no additional target skills as kids progress, and more story options would give the app a boost. Still, This Is My Story (And I'm Sticking To It) is an engaging app to introduce early readers and writers to story creation. Throughout the entire exercise, those young kids are picking up subtle grammar and spelling lessons. 

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

This is an engaging app for introducing early readers and writers to story creation. The seven templates include holidays, seasons, school, and other themed settings with which most kids will easily connect.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Kids see and hear common sight words and simple sentences such as "The cat said hello to the ghost." As kids hear their stories re-told with added sound effects, they learn basic storytelling skills and build vocabulary.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

Verbal and visual cues (such as shaded boxes where kids place the characters and arrows to move to the next page) make story creation accessible. The teacher support area on the developer's website could use some improvement.

Common Sense reviewer
Dana Villamagna Classroom teacher
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Key Standards Supported

Reading Foundational Skills

  • RF.K.1

    Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Writing

  • W.K.6

    With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

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Community Rating

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Featured review by
Stephanie V. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
University Of Central Arkansas
Conway, United States
Superficial word/shape recognition activities.
This is just a reinforcing side activity. It's not anything I think would be particularly useful for teaching. Kids put stickers in their corresponding shapes and hear the words repeated via audio, which is good reinforcement. But they aren't really creating anything, just putting words into sentences whose sense is debatable.
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