Community reviews for Starfall

I like this site as a teaching tool. Students quickly learn how to navigate the site and can progress through the lessons at their own pace. Students can practice reading rhyming words and then eventually read a book that incorporates the same words.

Starfall.com is a very engaging, interactive website primarily for beginning readers in K - 2. The first level focuses on learning the alphabet letters. It focuses on both the names and sounds for the letters. Children enter "rooms" dedicated to each letter and can play around in the rooms. There are games and activities in all of the rooms. The next level is my favorite for first grade. It's called Learn to Read. This level has so much to do. There is a grid which is divided into 3 sections...Play, Book and Skills. The "Play" section has games to play based on specific skills. For example, word families, silent 'e', r controlled vowels etc. The "Book" section will have an interactive book to read which focuses on the same skill. The "Skills" section has short little movies or lessons which focus on the same skill as the play or book section. The third level is called It's Fun To Read. This level has an All About Me book that they can make, an art gallery where they can learn about different artists, a magic section where they can make a magician, label it etc., a music section where they can learn about famous musicians in history, a poetry section where they can listen to or read 4 poems and interact with the screen, a tongue twister section where they can read or listen to 4 tongue twisters and interact with the screen and a bird riddles section where they can read 4 different bird riddles. This section just doesn't seem to have as much for the children to do. It also reads everything to them and is a bit too slow for the better readers. The 4th level is I'm Reading. This section has a variety of books for the children to read. There are plays, fiction and non fiction stories, comics, folktales, Greek myths and Chinese fables. Again, this section isn't as engaging for the students. They really enjoy the games from the Learn to Read level. I would highly recommend this website for early readers who need to practice skills. I would recommend the website over the app. Although the website does have a pay version, there is much more offered for free than on the app. The app is almost totally locked off unless you pay.

Some of the aspects of this site are great for whole group instruction with early learners. The songs, colorful displays, and interactive tasks engage students for optimal learning.

Starfall is very interactive. It serves the student population by providing multiple opportunities for independent practice.

I LOVE this site. I use it nearly everyday. There are great songs that teach on starfall. The students can interact with the whiteboard, work at their own pace, or we can work as a group. There is no end to its versatility.

Starfall is best used when coached or supervised. It is a direct instruction phonics program that can be very helpful to students that are breaking the code. It is also useful and fun for students in grades pre-k through first grade who are experimenting with what they are successfully learning. Older students who are in need of phonics re-teaching should not be encouraged to "play" Starfall. It should be used with a teacher or parent who will insist that the phonics activity be done - i.e. say the sound, or read the word. One example is that the purpose of the concentration type games is not to memorize the spacial relationships of the correct answers but rather to read the words.

This is a great product as a teaching tool. The free portions are fantastic and if students have Internet at home they are wonderful to use as homework. Some of my lowest functioning special education students have learned the letters and sounds using this website. The fee for using some parts and for the iPad apps is constricting and prohibits me from using all the materials.

I like using Starfall with my students.The website could be used along with many letter recognition and phonics lessons. I would not recommend using this website as a stand alone teaching tool. The website works very good as an add on to a lesson. The students really enjoy using the website and learn from the activities.

The colorful videos and easy navigation keep kids engaged. Sequential lessons provide a strong phonics foundation. I feel like this website could be used more whole class for Kindergarten and first grade for beginning reading instruction. Second graders who need intervention for reading also benefit, but once a student (especially older second grade) is a solid reader, they may find the site a bit childish OR they may enjoy it and just play instead of using it to gain knowledge.

I really like that the kids already have knowledge of this site. They are able to find different songs and activities that they like to do, and it helps them with their phonics and reading skills. I have had great success with ELLs who knew no English at the beginning of the year coming to my room, using this website, and learned how to read. This website is wonderful!