Literary Website # 3

 

Perihsa Moya

Effective Literary Website # 3

https://www.starfall.com/h/

Starfall was opened in September 2002 as a free public service to teach children to read. Since then it has expanded to include language arts and mathematics for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. Starfall emphasis on phonemic awareness, systematic sequential phonics, and common sight words in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity has proven effective in teaching emergent readers. Starfall activities are research-based and align with individual and Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics.

This program emphasizes exploration, play, and positive reinforcement, encouraging children to become confident and intrinsically motivated. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children especially effective for special education, homeschooling, and English language art development. It is widely used in schools that serve children with special needs and learning difficulties. No child should be left behind so this website is important for teachers so they can know interesting strategies that can boost up students with special needs.

Students from a variety of learning backgrounds (ELLs, those with language delays, etc.) can use Starfall to explore literacy concepts at their own pace. The earliest readers can explore well-paced videos that introduce each letter and can actively discover letter sounds and usages; while more advanced readers can enjoy the "I'm Reading" section, with short books on subjects from comics to Greek mythology and Chinese fables. The "It's Fun to Read" section, in which kids learn about how reading can help them investigate anything that interests them, offers a nice way to tie together different classroom subjects under the overarching theme of reading and literacy. Teachers can also project the site on an interactive whiteboard to introduce new concepts (letters, letter sounds, phonemes, blending sounds, and more) to the whole class. For teachers who are ready to go all in, the Parent-Teacher Center is a must. It offers an impressive amount of additional ideas, printable worksheets, and pre-K and kindergarten curricula.

I recommend that teachers should refer to this website since it provides many useful resources that can enhance their lesson in literacy. I found this website very useful because it addresses the basic skills for students to develop their knowledge in English reading and writing.