Works well with students who already know letters and letter sounds

Submitted 7 years ago

Community Review for Montessorium: Intro to Words

Hollie B.
Hollie B.
My Rating
Pedagogy
Supports

My Take

Would work good in reinforcing and practicing what is being done in the kindergarten classroom, and would work well as a center activity. Advanced students could use this as enrichment in the beginning of the year, then other students could begin to use it as well as they learn their letter sounds. In first grade this would be great for remediation and practice for students who still struggle with their letter sounds.

How I Use It

This app runs smooth and has a lot of educational value, especially for kids who already know their letters and letter sounds. Those who do have a great time playing the various phonetics games. However, the only part of the app a student who doesn't know their letter sounds yet can really use is the "I Spy" in which the reader reads and shows three pictures, then asks which ones starts with a particular sound. However, there were a few confusing ones. For instance, in one simulation it showed a "rod," a "chin," and a "snail"- then asked which one started with the "k" sound. Technically, none did.
Also, in the storybarding part of the app, students worked so hard in building some sentences- but then there was nothing to do with it, except bring it to me to read. I would have thought that once a child finished they would click a button and it would be read to them.
Some definite pros, but some serious cons as well.

More community reviews for Montessorium: Intro to Words

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JOANN G.
JOANN G.
May 1, 2023

Educational and Effective Learning Tool

I think the app would be useful for young children to practice their phonetic skills. There is a little ding which alerts the user that they are using the correct letters which is a nice touch. This would be a very nice supplementary tool to reading and to help the children learn to sound out the words.
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Margaret A P.
Margaret A P. Director of STEAM Innovation Philadelphia, PA
May 15, 2015

Engaging and Effective Word Practice

Overall, I think this is a great app for students to practice phonemic awareness and apply their knowledge of phonograms. The tangible aspect of the app is great for students when they are just starting to explore letters and sounds and build connections between them. The app does a great job providing audio instructions for each activity and reinforcement whenever a letter or picture is touched. Students also really enjoyed the three artists and the variety of pictures that are available in the app. It would be great if there was a way to track which activities and specific words/sounds different children have practiced in the app and I also wish you could easily save the stories created in the Storyboard activities aside from taking a screenshot. If there was an option to capture a recording of it, including the audio of the letters and pictures, that would be even better. I appreciated that the app does not reward or penalize children for choosing the correct letter, phonogram, or picture, depending on the activity. Instead, the letter simply fits into place or does not move and the sounds are repeated.
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