Feature #38: Phonics & Stuff

Phonics & Stuff - https://phonicsandstuff.com - offers a variety of useful literacy materials. Upon entering the site, visitors will find tabs for ‘Games,’ ‘Read-Alongs,’ ‘Decodable Readers,’ ‘Teaching Tools,’ ‘Articles,’ and a link to their TPT Store. By clicking on the ‘Games’ tab, users will discover a variety of phonics and reading games, including sound blending, sound-letter matching, reading words, short vowels, spelling, ABC order, and more. These games can serve as valuable tools for students who may need assistance with basic literacy skills but could benefit from a change in activity. The website offers a good variety of resources that support ongoing literacy practice. The site also features decodable readers that students can use for practice. These readers highlight specific short vowels, consonants, word types, and tricky words. Additionally, they can be downloaded and printed, which is particularly helpful for extra practice when students do not have online access. Another key feature of the website is its collection of Read-Along Stories, which are excellent for classroom use or individual student access. These stories allow students to listen to books while reading along, making it a valuable resource for enhancing literacy. PhonicsandStuff also provides various tools for teaching phonics, including resources for graphemes, phonemes, building word lists, creating decodable sentences, and a phoneme reference guide, among others. The website’s phonics articles are particularly useful for teachers who are focusing on the fundamentals of reading and literacy with their students. Overall, PhonicsandStuff offers a wide range of materials that can significantly aid in improving literacy for children and students. The site includes activities for students and provides resources for teachers and parents to help their children advance and enhance their literacy skills. 

*Contribution by Jane Ponce

Feature #37: Word Game Time

Word Game Time (https://wordgametime.com/) is a free website that offers language arts games and homework help. The games are fun and have been approved by educators. The goal of Word Game Time is to help students succeed. The site provides content for kindergarten through 7th-grade students in spelling, typing, reading, geography, and language arts.

Word Game Time features a user-friendly site with content organized by grade, subject, and type. The language arts section includes activities that help students with letter-sound recognition, parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, and other essential skills. Another noteworthy feature is the educational videos, which are fun and engaging for all grade levels. Some videos are animated, while others offer instruction from a teacher.

Word Game Time is similar to websites like ABCYa.com and Funbrain.com. However, what sets it apart is the variety of free worksheets available for teachers, parents, and students. While some sites offer worksheets, the ones on Word Game Time cover a wide range of topics, including poetry, homophones, and dictionary practice.

Word Game Time is an excellent online resource for teachers, parents, and students seeking more variety in online learning and practice. The variety sets this website apart from other online learning games and resource sites. The materials are well-organized and easy to find, making it a site that makes learning fun and engaging.

*Contribution by T. Leon Guerrero

Feature #36: Literably

Literably (https://www.literably.com/) is an online literacy assessment for grades K-8 designed to inform instruction, screen students for reading difficulties, identify students’ reading levels, and monitor students’ response to intervention. The data needed to do this are generated by a student reading a short passage out loud into a computer, laptop or tablet device and answering several comprehension questions.

Literably yields an oral reading fluency (ORF) score. An ORF score measures the number of words a student reads out loud correctly in one minute and is sometimes written as words correct per minute. ORF has the desirable property that, in general, it is valid for the purpose of screening elementary school students for reading difficulties. 

Unlike students assessed under these older instruments, students that use Literably read out loud into a device, typically a tablet or laptop. This is in contrast to the traditional process of an educator sitting with a student one-on-one and noting her errors as she reads. This change in mode of administration saves a large amount of staff time, which can improve student achievement via the reallocation of that time toward instructional activities

To promote content validity, Literably’s passages were selected to resemble the materials that students read in the classroom. Thus, Literably draws its reading passages, with permission, from leveled children’s trade books. Approximately half are excerpts and the remainder are the full book, with the full books concentrated at the lowest reading levels. Approximately half are fiction and half non-fiction. Pictures are available for all passages up through the 3rd grade level. All books were officially leveled according to Heinemann’s Guided Reading framework. 

Literably does have a monthly subscription however teachers are offered a free one month trial. After signing up for literably, teachers then add their student roster into the program. After adding students, teachers can have students take the many assessments to start gathering data. 

Overall, Literably is a great tool for parents and teachers. It is an all-in-one website for measuring a student’s literacy levels. 

*Contribution by Ciera Tuiasosopo

Feature# 35 NAT GEO KIDS

            NAT GEO KIDS https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/  offers readers articles about nature and animals. NAT GEO Kids will definitely be more appealing to younger kids. This website is not just an excellent literacy resource for students, it can also be a very interactive and enjoyable site for young readers. It offers readers information about the animal kingdom. For students who love animals, this is one of those websites they will very much enjoy. In addition to the readers and articles about animals, they also have great educational videos that students will love. This is an effective literacy tool for school-aged children.

*Contribution by Anthony Ponce

Feature #34 - Kids World Fun

Kids World Fun

URL: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/

    Kidsworldfun.com stands out as a valuable resource for promoting literacy among young students. This free website offers an extensive range of literature options, providing over seven varieties to choose from. The diverse selection includes poems, short stories, myths and legends, magazines, e-books, children's books, and quotes specifically for kids. Within each category, users can explore a library of over 30 types of engaging stories, making it a versatile platform for reading with children.

    A notable feature of the website is the "Learn" tab, offering educational content across various subjects such as English, science, math, coding, and even guidance on preparing for spelling bees. For a multisensory experience, Kidsworldfun.com includes nursery rhyme videos that promote rhythm and rhyme, enhancing language development.

 Beyond literature and learning, the website also incorporates a wide variety of games and quizzes to make the educational journey enjoyable. Parents and educators will find additional resources such as arts and crafts activities, coloring pages, and even cooking activities, providing hands-on activities  to children's development.

*Contribution by Julie Perez

Feature #33 - Story Jumper Magic

For teachers and kids alike, StoryJumper (https://www.storyjumper.com)is a remarkable literacy tool that emphasizes creativity and storytelling. Students

can create their own digital books by using the website's creative approach, which

encourages creativity and a sense of ownership in the learning process. With StoryJumper,

students can create customized stories using an intuitive interface that improves their writing

skills and fosters their artistic abilities by adding images. 

StoryJumper provides educators with an adaptable platform to help with literacy teaching. Educators can use the platform to create engaging, interactive classes that accommodate different learning styles. Students are able to work on narrative projects because of the collaborative elements, which foster cooperation and communication skills. In addition, the site offers educators a useful tool for evaluating students' writing ability, originality, and comprehension in a multimedia setting. 

One of StoryJumper's main advantages is that it may be used by students of various ages and skill levels due to its versatility. While advanced learners can explore more intricate story structures, early readers can benefit from the platform's simplicity. Because of the website's accessibility, educators may easily include it into their lesson plans, meeting literacy requirements and encouraging a comprehensive approach to teaching language arts.

If users are confused with the website, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) part of StoryJumper is a great resource. In this section of the website, there is a wealth of information and support. Students as well as educators will find it easy to search and locate relevant responses to frequently asked questions due to the FAQs' order and clarity. A wide number of subjects are covered in the FAQ area, including account management, usage instructions, and technical issues. This inclusiveness guarantees that users won't have to go through numerous sites to find information about the platform's capabilities, ask questions, or fix problems. The FAQs' also steers free of technical jargon and offers clear explanations for users with various levels of technological proficiency.

Additionally, StoryJumper encourages students to share their works with a broader audience, which promotes a global perspective on literacy. This fosters a sense of ownership in the work produced by the kids as well as an appreciation for various points of view and storytelling customs that exist throughout the world. StoryJumper is a useful tool that fosters kids' passion for storytelling and self-expression while simultaneously improving literacy skills in an era where technology is still a major factor in education.

*Contribution by Julie Perez

Feature #32 - Imagination Soup

ImaginationSoup.net was founded by Melissa Taylor, a former teacher who is now a blogger and writer. She's not just any writer; According to her website, she is a children's book expert, a former award-winning bilingual teacher with an M.A. in Education, a former literacy trainer, and a passionate advocate for literacy, representation in children's literature, and high-quality education. Imagine Soup is a convenient source of wholesome and reliable children's books. It seems that she created Imagine Soup as a website where families, librarians, and educators can find great children's books and learning ideas, resources, and community. On concluding thoughts about Imagination Soup: It suits parents who need guidance to begin building their child's love for reading. For every parent interested in developing reading abilities, Imagination Soup will develop reading interests, not to mention a robust vocabulary that leads to strengthening reading skills needed to thrive fluency and comprehension. Scroll further down into Imagination Soup's landing page. You will find their "Playful Learning" area, where you will see reading journals, STEM, games, and books with educational reading and writing sheets.

*Contribution by Norly Cabrera-Balbin