Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated September 2013
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Word Joust for K-5

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  • Download from App Store

An honorable quest to conquer vocabulary

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • English Language Arts
Skills
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
2–5
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (1 Review)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Take a look inside

4 images
Each quest introduces 5 words.
In Cohorts, kids choose the word that matches the definition.
Labyrinth of Letters is quite challenging as many words are reverse diagonal.
Hangman is classic fun, but the cartoon victim is haunting.

Pros: Abundance of relevant grade-level words.

Cons: Re-use of the same definitions limits the transfer of word usage.

Bottom Line: Fun knight-themed games let kids enjoy playing and learning.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Since there's no way to have multiple users on each device, Word Joust for K-5 would work best in a 1-to-1 environment. Teachers can't customize word lists, but the words chosen are commonly encountered in grade-level reading and would be excellent practice for ELL. For general use, it'd be a fun daily or weekly exercise for kids to practice vocabulary and work their brains independently.

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Standards:

Kids become knaves in a medieval joust where they can enter quests and learn vocabulary from a list of 300 age-appropriate words, or train by playing games with the words they've encountered in their quests. Each quest includes five unrelated words. Kids spend a moment studying each word and definition, and are then tested with one of the games. Points decrease as time goes by, with fast, correct responses earning 15 points and slower responses earning fewer points, down to 5. Incorrect answers do not get a second chance.

Games include "Scramble" (unscrambling mixed-up words), "Troll Trickery" (matching word to definition), L"abyrinth of Letters" (a word search that is quite challenging), "Cohorts of Swords" (identifying the correct word as it crosses the screen), and "Hangman," which is played with a cartoon man being hung rather than a stick figure. In Training mode, kids can choose which game to play to practice words from their quest lists. Kids move up from infantryman to archer and so on. Mastered words and apprenticed words (those introduced but not yet mastered in the games) can be reviewed in Stats, and there's also a Global Leaderboard.

Word Joust for K-5 is a fun way for kids to practice word skills and develop their vocabularies. The mix of five games is varied enough that kids can practice different skills and use their brains in different ways. Kindergarten through fifth grade is a broad age range, though; third through fifth may be more appropriate for the challenge of the games and playing against time. Younger readers may get too bogged down with just trying to read the moving words and miss retaining the vocabulary. The words are compiled from lists of frequently used words in children's literature and American textbooks, including good, big, cow, far, jumped, stand, book, eyes, stopped, and laughed.

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

The quest theme draws kids in. Fun games keep them playing.

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

Encountering the words in different games helps solidify learning, but memorizing the same definition for each encounter does not give much depth or transfer knowledge.

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

Games are intuitive, so not much help is needed. Excellent data tracking for mastered words and words still being learned ("apprenticed"), as well as for times and scores.

Common Sense Reviewer
Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Language

  • L.2.4

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

  • L.3.4

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  • L.4.4

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  • L.5.4

    Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

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Teacher Reviews

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Featured review by
Lisa B. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Alexander Valley School
Healdsburg, United States
Little engagment -- just memorize a few vocabulary words
I stopped using the app after trying it out for two weeks. The app has a great name and I was hoping it would be more interactive. However the app just gives the child 5 vocabulary words with definitions. After that they give a definition and they have to click on the word it goes with as it goes across the screen. So basically the student needs to memorize the word for about 1 min before they have to use it. I think boring old flash cards would be better!
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