New Reviews: Starfall Education

starfall-2014
[Source: Starfall Education]
Starfall Education provides supplemental reading programs for grades PK-1 and supplemental mathematics materials for grade 1.  Resources are available in print and online formats.  Learning List recently reviewed reading products for grades and K and 1 and Starfall’s first-grade math program.

Starfall’s reading programs focus on literary and informational texts and the phonological awareness foundational skills of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). At grade K, instruction also addresses phonemic awareness, phonics skills, and motivating early readers. At both grade levels, content includes diverse sets of reading materials, including non-fiction, fiction, and poetry texts. Literary texts are emphasized and include folktales (e.g., Chicken Little), myths (e.g., Pegasus), Chinese fables, and comics.  Instruction provides opportunities for students to act out “Three Little Plays” in a reader’s theater or puppet show format.  Texts at both grade levels have colorful, age-appropriate illustrations and most have audio readers that highlight each sentence as it is read aloud.

[source: Starfall Education]
[Source: Starfall Education]
Content for the grade 1 math program is organized in terms of the CCSS mathematics domains for first grade and include “Operations & Algebraic Thinking,” “Base Ten Numbers & Operations,” and “Measurement & Geometry.” Instruction is provided in short interactive videos that address specific standards (e.g., add and subtract within 20) and concepts (e.g., regrouping). Videos have characters that will appeal to young learners (e.g., a skateboarding dog) and include audio that reads problems and solutions aloud. Although not specifically for the first grade, Starfall’s Main Index page includes additional mathematics resources, such as songs and games that may be used for instruction.

About Starfall Education*

Starfall strives to create a love of learning in an environment of collaboration, wonderment, and play. Starfall provides free and low-cost educational resources that promote understanding, diversity, and compassion.

Starfall is the brain-child of Stephen Schutz. At age 9, Stephen was still struggling to read. What came easily for his peers required many more hours of his work. As a reader, he was consistently toward the bottom of his class. Now a PhD in physics and a successful publisher and artist, Dr. Schutz, with the help of his dedicated team, created Starfall to ensure today’s children have resources that can help.

* The content in this section is provided by or adapted from Starfall Education.

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