Phonics Museum App Review

phonicsorg on September 15, 2025

A Classical Approach to Phonics in a Magical Museum Setting

Are you curious about how other literacy apps measure up? Check out the other detailed literacy app reviews on phonics.org to make informed choices for your students or children.

Continue reading to learn more about the Phonics Museum app from Veritas Press.

What is the Phonics Museum App?

The Phonics Museum is a comprehensive reading app developed by Veritas Press, based on their award-winning classical phonics curriculum. Designed for children ages 3-7, this app transports young learners into a magical interactive museum where they follow characters Miss Biddle (the museum curator) and Percival (a knight) through ten different floors of phonics instruction.

The app integrates over 900 games, videos, early reading books, memory songs, and exercises into a museum-themed adventure. Unlike many phonics apps, Phonics Museum combines live-action teaching with animation, allowing children to watch real people speak and pronounce words to help them understand proper lip movements and pronunciation.

Based on Veritas Press’s physical Phonics Museum curriculum—from what they call “the most awarded Classical Education curriculum provider over the last 20 years”—the app aims to teach children to read while incorporating art appreciation, history, and cultural literacy into the learning experience.

Is the Phonics Museum App Easy to Use?

The following factors impact the overall usability of the Phonics Museum app.

Getting Started With Phonics Museum

The Phonics Museum requires account creation and offers a 14-day free trial before transitioning to a paid subscription. Users can create up to three child profiles per account, making it suitable for families with multiple young learners. The initial setup process is straightforward, though some parents have noted that the large file size can be challenging for those with metered internet connections.

The app is available on both iOS and Android devices, requiring iOS 12.0 or later for Apple devices. The substantial download size reflects the app’s rich multimedia content, including live-action videos and detailed animations.

Navigation and Interface

The app features a kid-friendly interface with smooth navigation between museum floors and activities. Children select exercises from an easel for each letter, earning stars when activities are successfully completed. The visual design is attractive and detailed without being overly distracting during the learning process.

However, some parents have noted limitations in avatar customization options, and children may become frustrated that they cannot skip ahead or move through content faster if they already know certain concepts. The app requires all learners to start from the beginning, which ensures thorough foundation building but may discourage advanced students.

Settings and Progress Tracking

Parents receive email notifications about their children’s progress as they complete letters and activities. The app allows some customization of learning experiences, though the classical curriculum approach means less flexibility compared to more adaptive programs.

One notable feature is the inclusion of handwriting practice using fingertip tracing on the screen, which helps children learn letter formation before they develop the fine motor skills needed for pencil writing.

Engagement in the Phonics Museum App

The following factors influence how engaging young learners may find the Phonics Museum app.

Visual Appeal and Characters

The Phonics Museum excels in creating an immersive, magical environment that captures children’s imagination. The app features high-quality graphics with fine art reproductions integrated throughout the learning experience. Children explore famous paintings and artwork while learning letters, adding an element of art appreciation to phonics instruction.

The combination of Miss Biddle (both as an animated character and in live-action videos) and Percival creates engaging storytelling that holds children’s attention. The live-action component is particularly valuable, as children can observe proper mouth movements and pronunciation techniques.

Interactive Features and Activities

With over 900 activities, games, videos, and exercises, the app provides an extensive variety to maintain interest. The museum theme creates a cohesive narrative that ties together different learning activities, making the educational experience feel like an adventure rather than isolated lessons.

The app includes catchy songs, interactive games, and story elements that appeal to different learning styles. Children can engage through visual, auditory, and tactile methods, supporting multisensory learning approaches.

Motivation and Rewards

Rather than external rewards like points or badges, Phonics Museum focuses on intrinsic motivation through discovery and accomplishment. Children earn stars for completing activities, and the progression through museum floors provides a sense of advancement and achievement.

The app’s design encourages children to ask for learning time rather than avoiding it, with many parents reporting that their children beg to use the app daily.

Literacy Learning With Phonics Museum

These factors impact how effectively the Phonics Museum app teaches essential literacy skills.

Phonics Methodology

The Phonics Museum follows a systematic approach to phonics instruction, though letters are not taught in alphabetical order. Instead, the program introduces letters strategically to enable children to begin reading words as quickly as possible. For example, the letter A might be followed by M to facilitate early word building.

The program uses both consonant-vowel and vowel-consonant syllables for beginning blending, providing a comprehensive approach to sound combinations. This methodology aligns with classical education principles and emphasizes thorough foundational skill building.

Live-Action Instruction

A unique feature of the Phonics Museum is its integration of live-action teaching with Miss Biddle. Children can watch real people speak and pronounce words, allowing them to observe proper lip movements and pronunciation techniques. This visual component provides valuable modeling that purely animated apps cannot offer.

The combination of live-action and animated instruction creates an engaging learning environment while maintaining educational integrity through explicit phonics teaching.

Scope and Sequence

The app covers comprehensive phonics instruction from basic letter recognition through early reading skills. The curriculum includes letter sounds, uppercase and lowercase letter formation, blending, word families, and early reading practice with specially designed readers.

The program integrates handwriting instruction using D’Nealian manuscript font, allowing children to practice letter formation with their fingertips on the screen. This early introduction to writing can give children an advantage in developing literacy skills before they have the fine motor control needed for pencil writing.

Classical Education Integration

Unlike most phonics apps, Phonics Museum incorporates art appreciation, history, and cultural literacy into the reading curriculum. Children learn about historical figures like Johannes Gutenberg, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and King Tutankhamun while developing reading skills.

This integration of classical education elements sets the app apart from purely skills-based phonics programs, though it may not align with all educational philosophies or family preferences.

Areas for Improvement

While the app provides comprehensive instruction, the classical approach may feel rigid to some learners. The requirement that all children start from the beginning, regardless of their current reading level, can frustrate advanced students who want to move more quickly through familiar material.

The substantial content requires significant internet bandwidth, making it challenging for families with limited or metered internet access. Additionally, the monthly subscription cost may be prohibitive for some families compared to one-time purchase apps.

Is the Phonics Museum App Good for Literacy Instruction?

The Phonics Museum app offers a unique and comprehensive approach to phonics education that successfully combines classical education principles with modern technology. The app’s strength lies in its ability to create an immersive learning experience that children genuinely enjoy while providing thorough foundational instruction.

The integration of live-action teaching, art appreciation, and historical content creates a rich educational environment that extends beyond basic phonics skills. Parents report significant improvements in their children’s reading confidence and motivation.

However, the app’s classical education approach and required sequential progression may not suit all learning styles or family preferences. The subscription model and substantial internet requirements may also present barriers for some families.

The app is particularly well-suited for:

  • Families pursuing classical or Charlotte Mason educational approaches
  • Children who enjoy rich, story-driven learning experiences
  • Students who benefit from multisensory instruction
  • Parents seeking comprehensive phonics instruction with cultural enrichment
  • Children who need motivation and engagement in reading activities

For families seeking a purely skills-based phonics program, more focused options may be more appropriate. However, for those wanting to combine literacy instruction with art appreciation and classical education elements, Phonics Museum provides a unique and engaging solution.

Want to discover more phonics education apps? Check out Phonics.org for a growing library of honest reviews from literacy experts!

Phonics Museum – Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 4/5
Usability: 3/5
Engagement: 4/5

Planet Lettra App Review

phonicsorg on September 10, 2025

An Imaginative Word-Building Playground That Captivates Young Minds

Are you curious about how other literacy apps measure up? Check out the other detailed literacy app reviews on phonics.org to make informed choices for your students or children.

Continue reading to learn more about the Planet Lettra word-building app.

What is Planet Lettra?

Planet Lettra is a unique word-building app developed by Studio Goojaji that transports children into a whimsical space-themed environment where letters float in colorful bubbles across the screen. Unlike traditional phonics apps, Planet Lettra takes an open-ended approach to literacy learning, allowing children to experiment freely with letter combinations without time limits, levels to complete, or points to accumulate.

The app recognizes over 100,000 words in English, French, and Spanish, making it accessible to multilingual learners. Planet Lettra received a Children’s Technology Review Editors’ Choice Award in 2016 and has been praised by education specialists for its innovative approach to phonemic awareness and word exploration.

The app features charming alien creatures called “Munchers” that live on the planet’s surface and interact with the words children create, adding an element of discovery and playfulness to the learning experience.

Is Planet Lettra Easy to Use?

The following factors impact the overall usability of the Planet Lettra app.

Getting Started With Planet Lettra

Planet Lettra includes a helpful tour of the app that is suitable for parents and children alike, narrated in rhyming verse that sounds like it was written by Dr. Seuss. This charming introduction helps new users understand the app’s unique mechanics and sets expectations for the open-ended play experience.

The app requires no account creation or personal information, making it immediately accessible to young children. The developer does not collect any data from this app, which provides peace of mind for privacy-conscious families.

Navigation and Interface

The developers put a lot of thought into the mechanics of the game, making it easy enough for young children to use and intriguing enough to interest older players. The interface is intuitive, with floating letter bubbles that children can manipulate by touching and moving them around the screen.

However, some users have noted challenges with bubble control. Some users find that “the letters go together too easily and it gets frustrating,” though this can be controlled through settings that allow users to adjust how easily bubbles combine.

Settings and Customization

Planet Lettra offers customizable settings through special pink bubbles that can be assigned specific values, allowing educators to focus on particular blends or rhymes. Users can control how letter bubbles combine with a ring feature, where pulling the ring all the way to the bottom requires bubbles to be pushed together manually for combination.

The app supports multiple languages and regional accents, including American English, Australian English, Irish English, and British English, making it adaptable to different linguistic backgrounds.

Engagement in Planet Lettra

The following factors influence how engaging young learners may find the Planet Lettra app.

Gameplay and Visual Appeal

Planet Lettra excels in creating an immersive, magical environment that captures children’s imagination. The app features floating bubbles that change color depending on their contents: single-letter bubbles are white, multiple-letter bubbles are yellow, real words are orange, and non-word combinations turn blue.

The planet also has creatures living on the surface that like to eat bubbles, with some eating any bubble while others only want orange bubbles containing real words. Some creatures even “get dressed up” when they eat their favorite bubbles by sprouting clothing, beards, and antennae.

Interactive Features and Rewards

Rather than traditional point-based rewards, Planet Lettra uses intrinsic motivation through discovery and experimentation. The sound environment is musical, soothing, and non-repetitive, creating a calming atmosphere that encourages extended play without overstimulation.

Children can explore beneath the planet’s surface to review words they’ve created and even rearrange them into silly sentences, adding layers of engagement and reinforcement to their word-building activities.

Age Range and Accessibility

The app is designed to be accessible for children of various ages and reading abilities, encouraging play in a non-competitive and relaxing manner. Teachers report using it successfully with students at all levels, from prereaders to more advanced learners.

Literacy Learning With Planet Lettra

These factors impact how effectively Planet Lettra teaches essential literacy skills.

Type of Phonics Instruction

Planet Lettra takes an exploratory approach to phonics learning rather than following a systematic, explicit instruction model. While this can be beneficial for developing phonemic awareness and letter-sound recognition, it lacks the structured scope and sequence that research shows is most effective for beginning readers.

The app is designed to guide children in building the most important sight words for reading fluency and provide exposure to important letter blends. However, without explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondences, some children may miss foundational phonics concepts.

Word Recognition and Building

Planet Lettra recognizes over 100,000 words in each supported language, with words important to reading fluency (about 1000) being formed more easily and more often. This feature helps guide children toward creating meaningful words while still allowing creative exploration.

Children will hear new words read automatically when real words are formed by popping bubbles, and words previously built can be reviewed and read aloud. This immediate auditory feedback helps reinforce word recognition and pronunciation.

Phonemic Awareness Development

Teachers can use this word-building app to help students develop phonemic awareness and encourage risk-taking in spelling and the discovery of new words. The app’s open-ended nature allows children to experiment with letter combinations without fear of making mistakes, which can build confidence in emerging readers.

However, some letter combinations are not pronounced correctly, such as “im” being pronounced “I am” and “un” being spoken with a long u sound instead of a short one. These pronunciation errors could potentially confuse children learning letter-sound relationships.

Areas for Improvement

The app works best for students who already know their letters and can work on word building and letter-sound recognition. Children without strong foundational letter knowledge may struggle to benefit from the open-ended approach.

Kids need a solid comfort level with words to prepare a word mentally and construct it successfully, and it can be tricky to figure out which words work and which don’t. Some children may become frustrated without more explicit guidance on word formation.

Is Planet Lettra Good for Literacy Instruction?

Planet Lettra offers a refreshing and creative approach to phonics learning that stands out from more traditional educational apps. This outstanding app helps young readers develop an intuitive understanding of phonics and word analysis skills in a playful, encouraging environment.

The app’s greatest strength lies in its ability to foster exploration and experimentation with language in a stress-free environment. Children can experiment and play without stress: there are no time limits, no levels to complete, no points to accumulate, and no in-app purchases. This approach can be particularly beneficial for children who may feel pressured by more structured learning environments.

However, Planet Lettra works best as a supplementary tool rather than a primary phonics instruction program. While it excels at building phonemic awareness and encouraging word play, it lacks the systematic, explicit instruction that research shows is most effective for teaching foundational reading skills.

The app is particularly well-suited for:

  • Children who already know basic letter-sound relationships
  • Supplementing structured phonics instruction
  • Encouraging creative exploration with language
  • Supporting English language learners through multilingual features
  • Special education settings where open-ended exploration is beneficial

For families seeking comprehensive phonics instruction, Planet Lettra should be paired with more structured programs. For those wanting to spark curiosity about words and language, this app provides an engaging and unique learning playground.

Want to discover more phonics education apps? Check out Phonics.org for a growing library of honest reviews from literacy experts!

Planet Lettra – Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 3/5
Usability: 4/5
Engagement: 5/5

Lexia Core5 Reading App Review

phonicsorg on September 8, 2025

A Research-Backed Powerhouse for Elementary Reading Instruction

Are you curious about how other literacy apps measure up? Check out the other detailed literacy app reviews on phonics.org to make informed choices for your students or children.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lexia Core5 Reading program.

What is Lexia Core5 Reading?

Lexia Core5 Reading is a comprehensive, research-based literacy program designed for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. Built on the science of reading, this adaptive blended learning platform has been developed by Lexia Learning Systems, a company with nearly 40 years of experience in literacy education.

The program targets six critical areas of reading instruction: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, automaticity/fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Core5 uses adaptive assessment technology to personalize instruction for each student, making it suitable for at-risk learners, on-level students, and advanced readers alike.

With over 20 peer-reviewed research studies supporting its effectiveness, Core5 has received a “Strong” rating from Evidence for ESSA—the highest ranking available. The program is widely used in schools across the United States and is also available for home use.

Is Lexia Core5 Reading Easy to Use?

The following factors impact the overall usability of the Lexia Core5 Reading program.

Getting Started With Core5

Core5 requires an active account, typically provided through schools or purchased for home use. The initial setup includes a research-validated adaptive auto-placement assessment that determines each student’s appropriate starting level. This eliminates guesswork and ensures students begin at the level that’s “just right” for them.

The program works across multiple devices, including computers and iPads (iPad 5th generation or newer). Students can seamlessly move between devices without losing progress, making it highly flexible for both classroom and home use.

Navigation and Interface

The Core5 interface is designed with young learners in mind, featuring clear visual cues and intuitive navigation. Students can easily access their personalized learning path, and the program provides consistent feedback throughout activities. However, the interface can feel somewhat clinical and institutional compared to more game-like apps, which may impact engagement for some children.

Settings and Customization

For educators, Core5 offers robust administrative features through the myLexia platform. Teachers can monitor student progress in real-time, access detailed reports, and receive data-driven instructional recommendations. The program automatically adapts to student performance, providing scaffolding for struggling learners and advancement for those ready for more challenging content.

Home users have access to progress tracking and can view reports, though the administrative features are more limited compared to the school version.

Engagement in Lexia Core5 Reading

The following factors influence how engaging young learners may find the Core5 program.

Gameplay and Activities

Core5 activities are primarily instructional rather than game-based, which reflects its focus on systematic, explicit teaching. While this approach aligns with research-based best practices, it may feel less entertaining compared to more gamified apps. Activities include interactive exercises, listening tasks, and reading practice, all designed to build specific literacy skills.

The program does include some engaging elements, such as animated characters and interactive feedback, but the overall experience prioritizes educational effectiveness over entertainment value.

Feedback and Rewards

Core5 provides immediate corrective feedback when students make errors, guiding them toward the correct response through scaffolding. Students earn recognition for completing activities and reaching milestones, though the reward system is more subdued than in game-focused apps.

The program emphasizes mastery-based learning, requiring students to demonstrate proficiency before advancing to more complex skills. This approach builds confidence and ensures solid foundational learning, even if it means slower progression for some students.

Literacy Learning With Lexia Core5 Reading

These factors impact how effectively Core5 teaches essential literacy skills.

Research Foundation

Core5’s instructional approach is grounded in extensive research, with 20 peer-reviewed studies demonstrating its effectiveness. The program received the highest “Strong” rating from Evidence for ESSA, and the National Center on Intensive Interventions reported positive effects favoring Lexia users over non-users in all reviewed studies.

This research backing sets Core5 apart from many educational apps that make claims without substantial scientific evidence to support their effectiveness.

Systematic Phonics Instruction

Core5 employs explicit, systematic phonics instruction that aligns with the science of reading. The program teaches phonics concepts in a logical sequence, starting with foundational skills like phonological awareness and progressing through more complex elements like structural analysis and multisyllabic word reading.

The phonics instruction is synthetic in nature, teaching students to blend individual letter sounds to form words—an approach strongly supported by reading research.

Comprehensive Scope and Sequence

The program covers all essential components of literacy instruction, including:

  • Phonological Awareness: Sound recognition and manipulation
  • Phonics: Letter-sound correspondences and decoding
  • Structural Analysis: Prefixes, suffixes, and word parts
  • Automaticity/Fluency: Reading speed and accuracy
  • Vocabulary: Word knowledge and comprehension
  • Comprehension: Understanding and interpreting text

This comprehensive approach ensures students develop all the skills necessary for reading success.

Adaptive Assessment Technology

Core5’s embedded assessment continuously monitors student performance and adjusts instruction accordingly. Students who struggle receive additional scaffolding and practice, while those who demonstrate mastery advance to more challenging content. This personalized approach helps ensure all students can progress at an appropriate pace.

Areas for Improvement

While Core5 excels in instructional quality, it has some limitations:

  • The interface could be more visually appealing and engaging for young learners
  • The program can feel repetitive for students who require extensive practice
  • Some activities may feel too drill-focused compared to more contextualized learning experiences

Is Lexia Core5 Reading Good for Literacy Instruction?

Lexia Core5 Reading represents one of the most research-backed and educationally sound literacy programs available. Its systematic, explicit approach to reading instruction aligns perfectly with the science of reading and has been proven effective through extensive research.

While the program may not offer the entertainment value of more game-focused apps, its strength lies in its educational rigor and personalized approach to learning. For parents and educators seeking a program that prioritizes instructional effectiveness over flashy graphics, Core5 delivers exceptional value.

The program is particularly beneficial for:

  • Schools implementing Response to Intervention (RTI) models
  • Students who need systematic, explicit phonics instruction
  • Educators seeking data-driven instructional support
  • Families wanting research-proven literacy support at home

For those interested in exploring other literacy programs, check out detailed reviews on phonics.org to see how they compare to Core5’s research-backed approach.

Lexia Core5 Reading – Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Engagement: 3/5

Phonics Assessment Tools: How to Measure Reading Progress Effectively

phonicsorg on June 2, 2025

The journey to reading proficiency isn’t linear—it’s filled with plateaus, leaps forward, and occasional steps back. This natural variability makes systematic assessment not just helpful but essential. When we regularly measure phonics skills with appropriate tools, we gain invaluable insights that guide our instruction, identify struggling readers early, and celebrate genuine progress.

The Science Behind Effective Phonics Assessment

Effective phonics assessment is grounded in our scientific understanding of how children learn to read. The simple view of reading, a framework supported by decades of research, tells us that reading comprehension is the product of two essential components: 

  1. Decoding skills
  2. Language comprehension

Phonics assessment specifically targets the decoding component, measuring how well children can apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to read words. So, what makes a phonics assessment effective? 

The National Reading Panel identifies several key characteristics:

  • It must be valid (measuring what it claims to measure)
  • It must be reliable (producing consistent results)
  • It must be sensitive enough to detect small increments of growth
  • It must align with evidence-based reading instruction

Essential Phonics Assessment Tools for Different Grade Levels

Early Literacy Screeners (Pre-K and Kindergarten)

PALS-K (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarten) 

This comprehensive assessment evaluates rhyme awareness, beginning sound awareness, alphabet knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and concept of word. It typically takes 20-25 minutes per student and provides clear benchmarks for kindergarten readiness.

DIBELS 8th Edition (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) 

The updated DIBELS assessment includes measures of first sound fluency, letter naming fluency, and phoneme segmentation fluency—all critical precursors to phonics mastery. Each subtest takes just 1-3 minutes, making this an efficient screening tool.

PAST (Phonological Awareness Screening Test) 

This free, individually administered assessment evaluates phonological awareness at increasingly complex levels. It helps identify specific areas of phonological processing that may need targeted instruction before formal phonics teaching.

Core Phonics Assessments (Grades K-2)

CORE Phonics Survey 

This comprehensive assessment evaluates alphabet skills, reading and spelling of CVC words, blends, digraphs, and more complex phonics patterns. Taking about 10-15 minutes per student, it provides a detailed profile of phonics knowledge.

Phonics and Word Reading Survey (PWRS) 

Developed by literacy expert Timothy Shanahan, this assessment evaluates students’ ability to apply phonics knowledge when reading words in isolation. It systematically samples different phonics patterns to identify specific areas of strength and weakness.

Really Great Reading’s Diagnostic Decoding Surveys 

These assessments evaluate students’ ability to decode words with various phonics features. They help identify whether students struggle with basic sound-symbol correspondence, blending, or applying phonics knowledge to multisyllabic words.

Advanced Phonics and Decoding Assessments (Grades 2-3)

Words Their Way Spelling Inventories 

These assessments evaluate students’ knowledge of more complex orthographic patterns through spelling. Results place students at specific developmental stages and guide appropriate instruction.

TOWRE-2 (Test of Word Reading Efficiency) 

This norm-referenced test measures word reading accuracy and fluency, with distinct subtests for sight word efficiency and phonemic decoding efficiency. It helps identify students who can decode accurately but lack automaticity.

Quick Phonics Screener (QPS) 

This assessment evaluates phonics knowledge from basic CVC words through multisyllabic words with various syllable types. It’s particularly useful for identifying specific phonics patterns that older struggling readers haven’t mastered.

Create a Balanced Assessment System: Formal and Informal Measures

A truly effective assessment system balances formal measures with ongoing informal assessment to capture both the big picture of student progress and the day-to-day fluctuations in skill application.

Formal Assessment Components

Universal Screeners (3 times per year) 

These brief assessments identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. They’re typically administered to all students at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Examples include DIBELS, AIMSweb, and MAP Reading Fluency.

Diagnostic Assessments (as needed) 

When screening indicates potential concerns, diagnostic assessments provide more detailed information about specific skill deficits. These might include comprehensive phonics inventories, phonological awareness tests, or more specific decoding measures.

Progress Monitoring (biweekly to monthly) 

For students receiving intervention, regular progress monitoring using parallel forms of assessment helps determine whether the intervention is working. Tools like DIBELS Progress Monitoring passages or curriculum-based measurements track growth over time.

Informal Assessment Approaches

Running Records 

These provide in-the-moment information about how students apply phonics knowledge during connected reading. Note which phonics patterns cause decoding difficulties and whether students self-correct errors.

Word Sorts 

Observing how students categorize words by phonics patterns can reveal their understanding of sound-symbol relationships. Pay attention to their reasoning and any consistent misconceptions.

Teacher-Created Check-ins 

Brief, targeted assessments of recently taught phonics patterns help determine whether whole-class instruction was effective or whether some students need reteaching. These might be simple dictation tasks or quick word-reading checks.

Anecdotal Notes 

Systematic observation during phonics application activities provides valuable insights about the transfer of skills. Create a simple recording system to document which students consistently apply which phonics patterns.

Interpret Assessment Data to Drive Instruction

Collecting assessment data is only valuable if we use it effectively to inform instruction. Here’s a systematic process for turning assessment results into actionable teaching plans:

Step 1: Analyze Patterns, Not Just Scores

Look beyond the numbers to identify specific skill strengths and gaps:

  • Which phonics patterns has the student mastered?
  • Which patterns cause consistent errors?
  • Are errors related to specific phonemes, blending, or application?
  • Does performance differ between reading and spelling tasks?

Step 2: Group Students by Instructional Needs

Based on assessment results, create flexible groups for targeted instruction:

  • Students with similar phonics needs can be grouped for focused small-group work
  • Consider both skill level and learning pace when forming groups
  • Plan for regular reassessment and regrouping as students progress at different rates

Step 3: Match Instruction to Assessment Findings

Design targeted instruction that directly addresses identified needs:

  • If assessment shows students struggle with consonant blends, plan explicit lessons on these patterns
  • If students can decode accurately but slowly, focus on building automaticity through repeated reading of decodable texts
  • If students apply phonics in isolation but not in context, provide more connected reading practice with controlled text

Step 4: Set Clear, Measurable Goals

Establish specific targets based on assessment results:

  • “Jasmine will accurately decode words with r-controlled vowels in 8 out of 10 attempts by November 15.”
  • “The yellow group will increase nonsense word fluency from 15 correct letter sounds per minute to 25 by mid-trimester.”
  • “Carlos will apply knowledge of digraphs while reading connected text with 90% accuracy.”

Step 5: Monitor Progress Regularly

Determine appropriate intervals for reassessment:

  • Students significantly below the benchmark may need weekly progress monitoring
  • Students approaching benchmarks might be monitored biweekly or monthly
  • Use brief, targeted measures rather than readministering comprehensive assessments

Support Struggling Readers: Assessment for Intervention

For students who struggle with phonics acquisition, more intensive assessment approaches help pinpoint the nature of their difficulties and guide appropriate intervention.

Diagnostic Depth for Struggling Readers

Phonological Awareness Diagnostics 

Tools like the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2) help determine whether phonological processing deficits underlie phonics difficulties. This is particularly important since approximately 85% of struggling readers have phonological weaknesses.

Error Pattern Analysis 

Systematically analyze decoding errors to identify patterns. Does the student consistently confuse certain vowel sounds? Omit endings? Struggle with specific consonant blends? These patterns guide targeted intervention.

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) Assessment 

Measures of naming speed help identify students with potential double deficits (difficulties with both phonological processing and rapid naming), who often require more intensive intervention approaches.

Creating Effective Intervention Plans

Assessment results should translate directly into intervention design:

Intensity Variables

  • Frequency: How many days per week?
  • Duration: How many minutes per session?
  • Group size: Individual, small group (2-3), or larger group (4-6)?

Content Focus

  • Targeted phonics patterns identified in the assessment
  • Prerequisite skills that may be missing
  • Application in controlled, decodable text

Instructional Approach

  • Highly explicit and systematic
  • Multisensory when possible
  • Higher levels of repetition and practice
  • Cumulative review of previously taught skills

Technology-Enhanced Assessment Tools: Efficiency and Insight

Modern phonics assessment has been transformed by technology, offering both efficiency and deeper insights into student learning:

Adaptive Digital Assessments 

Platforms like MAP Reading Fluency use adaptive technology to efficiently measure phonics skills, automatically adjusting difficulty based on student responses to pinpoint instructional levels in minutes rather than hours.

Automated Progress Monitoring 

Tools like AIMSweb Plus and Acadience Learning Online provide digital delivery of traditional measures, with automated scoring and immediate data visualization to track progress over time.

Comprehensive Digital Literacy Platforms 

Systems like i-Ready, Lexia Core5, and Amplify mCLASS integrate assessment with instruction, providing both screening measures and ongoing formative assessment tied directly to digital learning activities.

When evaluating technology-enhanced assessment options, consider:

  • Alignment with the science of reading principles
  • Technical adequacy (reliability and validity evidence)
  • User experience for both teachers and students
  • Data reporting features and actionability
  • Integration with existing curriculum and intervention systems

Build a Culture of Assessment for Growth

The most effective schools approach phonics assessment not as a compliance exercise but as a core component of their instructional culture:

Professional Learning Communities

Create structured opportunities for teachers to collaboratively analyze assessment data:

  • Grade-level teams meet regularly to review class-wide and individual student data
  • Vertical teams ensure consistent assessment and instructional responses across grade levels
  • Data meetings follow protocols that move from analysis to action planning

Parent Communication

Share assessment information with families in accessible ways:

  • Translate technical assessment terms into parent-friendly language
  • Provide visual representations of student progress over time
  • Connect assessment results to specific home support activities
  • Celebrate growth and improvement, not just benchmark achievement

Student Involvement

Engage students in understanding their own assessment data:

  • Develop age-appropriate ways for students to track their own progress
  • Help students set personal goals based on assessment results
  • Teach students to recognize their phonics strengths and areas for growth
  • Create a classroom culture that values improvement over perfection

Assessment as the Compass for Reading Success

Effective phonics assessment provides the roadmap for teaching reading well. When we systematically measure students’ developing phonics skills with appropriate tools, we gain the insights needed to deliver precise, targeted instruction that moves every child forward.

The most powerful assessment systems balance efficiency with depth, formal measures with informal observations, and technological tools with teacher expertise. They prioritize actionable information over mere data collection and connect assessment directly to instructional response.

As you refine your approach to phonics assessment, remember that the ultimate goal extends beyond measurement to transformation—creating confident, capable readers who apply their phonics knowledge automatically as they engage with increasingly complex texts.

For more guidance on evidence-based literacy assessment and instruction, continue exploring the resources available at Phonics.org. Our team is committed to helping educators and parents implement assessment practices that illuminate the path to reading success for every child.

Phonics Games for the Classroom: 10 Teacher-Approved Activities

phonicsorg on May 29, 2025

Learning to read shouldn’t feel like a chore. When children associate reading with enjoyment, they’re more likely to develop into lifelong readers who approach books with enthusiasm rather than dread. This is where phonics games enter the picture, transforming what could be mundane letter-sound practice into engaging, memorable learning experiences that children eagerly anticipate.

Research consistently shows that playful learning environments enhance knowledge retention. The magic happens when children are so engrossed in play that they don’t realize they’re cementing critical literacy skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

The Science Behind Gamified Phonics Learning

The effectiveness of games in phonics instruction isn’t just anecdotal—it’s rooted in cognitive science. When children play games, their brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation. This creates a positive learning environment where children are more receptive to new information and more likely to persist through challenges.

Educational research has consistently demonstrated that gamified learning creates multiple neural pathways in the brain. When students engage with phonemic concepts through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities, they develop stronger connections and better retention. This multi-sensory approach is particularly beneficial for struggling readers who need diverse ways to process information.

Games also support differentiated instruction, allowing teachers to address various learning needs simultaneously. While playing in small groups, children who need additional support can receive it without feeling singled out, while advanced students can be challenged with more complex variations of the same game.

Top 10 Phonics Games That Actually Work

1. Sound Hopscotch

Transform your classroom floor into a phonics learning station with Sound Hopscotch. Draw or tape a traditional hopscotch grid, but instead of numbers, write target letters, digraphs, or blends in each square. As children hop, they must pronounce the sound represented in each square. For advanced learners, have them generate a word using that sound before hopping to the next square.

Materials needed: Chalk, masking tape, or printed letters laminated for durability 

Skills addressed: Letter-sound correspondence, phoneme isolation 

Adaptation for struggling readers: Start with just five squares using highly distinguishable sounds

2. Phoneme Fishing

Fill a small kiddie pool or box with magnetic letters and provide children with fishing rods made from dowels, string, and magnets. Call out specific sounds, and children must “fish” for the corresponding letters. For added challenge, call out words and have students fish for all the letters needed to spell them.

Materials needed: Magnetic letters, homemade fishing rods, container 

Skills addressed: Letter-sound correspondence, phoneme segmentation 

Group size: 3-4 students

3. Blend Card Relay

Divide students into teams and place letter cards at one end of the room. Call out a word, and one student from each team runs to select the letters needed to spell it, bringing them back one at a time. The first team to correctly blend and read the assembled word wins the round.

Materials needed: Letter cards (preferably large format) 

Skills addressed: Blending, letter-sound correspondence, teamwork 

Best for grades: K-2

4. Sound Sorting Treasure Hunt

Hide objects or picture cards around the classroom. Children search for items, then sort them into containers labeled with different beginning sounds, vowel patterns, or rhyme, depending on your instructional focus.

Materials needed: Small objects or picture cards, labeled containers 

Skills addressed: Phoneme categorization, initial/medial/final sound identification 

Adaptation: For advanced students, use multiple phonemic features for sorting

5. Phonics Bingo

Create bingo cards with target phonics patterns instead of numbers. Call out words that contain these patterns, and students mark the corresponding square. The first to complete a row wins. This classic game can be easily adapted for different phonics skills.

Materials needed: Custom bingo cards, markers 

Skills addressed: Pattern recognition, phoneme identification 

Versatility: Can focus on blends, digraphs, vowel patterns, or syllable types

6. Sound Swap

Students sit in a circle, each holding a letter card. The teacher reads a word, and students with the relevant letters must arrange themselves to spell it. Then call out a new word that can be made by changing just one letter, and students must rearrange accordingly. For example, “cat” to “hat” to “hit” to “hip.”

Materials needed: Large letter cards 

Skills addressed: Phoneme manipulation, spelling patterns 

Group size: 6-10 students

7. Nonsense Word Challenge

Create cards with decodable nonsense words. Students take turns drawing cards and reading the made-up words using their phonics knowledge. Award points for accurate decoding, with bonus points for creating a silly definition or using the nonsense word in a sentence.

Materials needed: Nonsense word cards 

Skills addressed: Decoding, phoneme blending 

Why it works: Nonsense words prevent reliance on memorization and ensure students are truly applying phonics skills

8. Phonics Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of phonics features (e.g., “something with a short ‘a’ sound” or “something with the ‘sh’ digraph”). Students explore the classroom or school to find and document items that match each criterion, either by writing them down or taking photos if devices are available.

Materials needed: Scavenger hunt lists, writing materials or devices 

Skills addressed: Real-world application of phonics knowledge, phoneme identification 

Extension: Can be sent home as a family engagement activity

9. Sound Slap

Place letter cards or phonics pattern cards on a table. Call out a sound or word containing a target pattern, and students race to slap the corresponding card. The first to correctly identify the phonics element keeps the card, with the goal of collecting the most cards.

Materials needed: Letter or phonics pattern cards 

Skills addressed: Quick phonics recognition, auditory processing 

Small group size: 2-4 students

10. Phonics Board Games

Adapt classic board games like Candyland or Chutes and Ladders with phonics challenges. To move spaces, students must read words, identify sounds, or complete phonics tasks appropriate to their level. Commercial options exist, but teacher-created versions can be perfectly tailored to your classroom’s current focus.

Materials needed: Adapted board game, challenge cards 

Skills addressed: Various phonics skills depending on design 

Flexibility: Easily adaptable for different skill levels and phonics elements

Implement Games Effectively in Your Phonics Curriculum

While phonics games are unquestionably valuable, they’re most effective when thoughtfully integrated into a comprehensive literacy program. The Science of Reading reminds us that systematic, explicit phonics instruction forms the backbone of effective reading education. Games should enhance—not replace—this structured approach.

Consider using games at strategic points in your instructional sequence: as engaging warm-ups to introduce new concepts, as practice activities to reinforce recently taught skills, or as assessment tools to gauge understanding in a low-pressure environment.

When selecting games, ensure alignment with your current instructional focus. If you’re teaching short vowel sounds, prioritize games that specifically target this skill. This intentional alignment strengthens the connection between explicit instruction and playful practice.

Also, consider the grouping implications of different games. Some activities work best with partners, small groups, or whole-class participation. Strategic grouping can address specific learning needs—pairing struggling readers with supportive peers or creating homogeneous skill groups for targeted practice.

Differentiating Phonics Games for All Learners

One of the greatest strengths of game-based learning is its adaptability for diverse learning needs. With thoughtful modifications, the same basic game structure can challenge advanced readers while supporting those still mastering foundational skills.

For struggling readers, consider these adaptations:

  • Reduce the number of phonics elements addressed in each game session
  • Provide visual supports, such as sound-spelling cards, for reference
  • Allow more processing time by adjusting game pacing
  • Use larger print and high-contrast materials for visual clarity
  • Pre-teach key concepts before game play

For advanced readers:

  • Introduce more complex phonics patterns or multisyllabic words
  • Add time constraints to build automaticity
  • Include writing components alongside reading activities
  • Challenge students to generate their own examples
  • Incorporate unfamiliar words to push vocabulary development

English language learners benefit from games that:

  • Include visual representations alongside text
  • Explicitly connect to vocabulary development
  • Provide opportunities to hear correct pronunciation
  • Allow for choral responses before individual turns
  • Incorporate physical movement to reinforce meaning

How to Know Your Phonics Games Are Working

While the smiles and engagement during game time provide immediate feedback, intentional assessment helps ensure these activities are driving actual learning outcomes. The most effective teachers regularly gather data on student progress, using both formal and informal measures.

Before implementing new phonics games, establish baseline performance on target skills. This might involve quick checks of letter-sound knowledge, nonsense word reading fluency, or application of specific phonics patterns in writing. After several weeks of incorporating games targeting these skills, reassess to measure growth.

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) offer research-validated tools for monitoring phonics progress. These brief assessments can be administered periodically to track improvement in areas like phoneme segmentation fluency and nonsense word fluency—both critical indicators of phonics mastery.

Beyond formal assessments, observe students during game play. 

  • Are they applying the target skill correctly? 
  • Do they show increasing confidence and speed? 
  • Are they beginning to self-correct errors? 

These observations provide valuable information about the effectiveness of your game-based instruction.

Parent feedback can also reveal the impact of your phonics games. When children spontaneously point out phonics patterns in environmental print or eagerly practice reading at home, you’re seeing evidence that your classroom games are fostering a transfer of skills to 

Make Phonics Games Part of Your Teaching Toolkit

The most successful implementation of phonics games happens when they become an integrated, expected part of your literacy instruction rather than occasional “special” activities. Consider establishing a predictable routine for game-based practice, perhaps during small group rotations or as a whole-class activity to start or end the literacy block.

Create a designated area in your classroom for phonics games, with materials organized and accessible. This might be a shelf labeled “Phonics Fun” or activity bins coded by skill. When students can independently access appropriate games during choice time or center rotations, you’re fostering both literacy skills and student autonomy.

Document your most successful games in a teaching journal, noting specific adaptations that worked well for different students. This reflective practice helps refine your approach over time and builds a personalized resource you can share with colleagues or refer to in subsequent years.

Remember that while the games themselves are important, your enthusiasm and engagement as the teacher significantly impact their effectiveness. When you model enjoyment of phonics activities, students are more likely to develop positive associations with reading instruction.

Game On for Reading Success

The research is clear: when children enjoy learning, they learn better. Phonics games transform potentially dry skill practice into engaging experiences that children eagerly anticipate. By thoughtfully selecting and implementing these activities, you’re not just teaching letter-sound correspondence—you’re fostering a love of language that can last a lifetime.

As you incorporate these games into your classroom, remember that the goal extends beyond phonics mastery to developing confident, enthusiastic readers. The laughter during Sound Hopscotch and the focused concentration during Phonics Bingo are stepping stones toward this larger aim.

For more creative, evidence-based literacy activities and the latest research on effective phonics instruction, regularly visit Phonics.org. Our team is committed to supporting your teaching journey with practical tools and trusted information that help all children become successful readers.

What is Inference? Helping Young Readers Become Critical Thinkers

phonicsorg on May 21, 2025

Your five-year-old is listening to you read “Little Red Riding Hood.” When the wolf appears dressed as Grandma, your child exclaims, “That’s not Grandma! It’s the wolf trying to trick her!” In this moment, your child has just demonstrated inference—a critical thinking skill that forms the foundation of reading comprehension long before they can decode words independently. While we often associate inference with older students analyzing complex texts, this vital skill begins developing in the earliest stages of literacy.

What is Inference and Why Does it Matter for Young Readers?

Inference is the ability to “read between the lines”—to understand information that isn’t directly stated but is implied by context, prior knowledge, and clues within the text. It’s the mental process of connecting what we know with what we observe to draw logical conclusions.

For young children, inference begins with everyday observations: “Mommy has her keys and purse. We must be going somewhere!” This natural detective work forms the cognitive foundation for later reading comprehension.

The building blocks of inference begin developing during the pre-reading stage, when children are learning to make connections between their experiences and the stories they hear. Essentially, inference is the process of connecting new information with existing knowledge. It’s how we bridge what we don’t know with what we already know to create understanding.

For parents and teachers of pre-readers and early readers, understanding inference means recognizing it as an essential skill that develops alongside—not after—basic decoding abilities.

Signs Your Child is Developing Inference Skills

Children naturally begin making inferences long before they can read independently. Watch for these promising signs that your young learner is developing this critical thinking skill:

During Storytime

  • Predicts what might happen next in a story
  • Notices when a character’s feelings change based on illustrations or story events
  • Explains why a character might have acted in a certain way
  • Recognizes cause-and-effect relationships that aren’t explicitly stated

In Everyday Life

  • Uses background knowledge to make connections (“It’s cloudy. We might need umbrellas.”)
  • Notices patterns and makes predictions based on observations
  • Asks “why” questions that demonstrate curiosity about unstated information
  • Solves simple problems by connecting available information

These natural behaviors demonstrate that your child is already practicing inference—a skill you can intentionally nurture to support their reading development.

How Inference Connects to Other Early Reading Skills

While phonics and decoding often take center stage in early reading instruction, comprehension skills like inference play an equally important role in developing proficient readers. Here’s how inference connects to other foundational literacy skills:

Vocabulary Development

Children use inference to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues. When they encounter a new word, they use surrounding words, pictures, and their background knowledge to make educated guesses about what it means.

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

As children learn that letters represent sounds, they use inference to apply decoding patterns to new words. After learning that ‘c’ can make a /k/ sound, they might infer that an unfamiliar word like “cat” begins with that same sound.

Reading Comprehension

Inference is one of the most critical components of successful reading. Educational research consistently shows that without the ability to infer meaning, reading becomes merely a mechanical exercise in decoding words without true understanding.

Practical Activities to Develop Inference Skills in Young Children

Helping your pre-reader or early reader develop inference skills can be both fun and effective with these age-appropriate activities:

1. Picture Book Detective

Choose wordless picture books or books with limited text and encourage your child to “read” the story by interpreting the illustrations. Ask questions like:

  • “What do you think is happening in this picture?”
  • “How do you think this character feels? How can you tell?”
  • “What might happen on the next page? Why do you think that?”

2. Mystery Box

Place an object in a box and give your child clues about what’s inside. For example: “It’s round, it bounces, and you can play with it outside.” As they guess, ask them to explain their reasoning—this metacognitive practice strengthens inference skills.

3. Emotion Detectives

Cut out pictures of people showing different emotions from magazines. Ask your child to identify how the person feels and what clues helped them know. Extend the activity by asking them to imagine what might have happened to make the person feel that way.

4. Prediction Pauses

While reading a story aloud, pause at key moments and ask, “What do you think will happen next?” After they predict, ask, “What made you think that?” This helps children identify the clues they’re using to make inferences.

5. Real-Life Inference Practice

Point out everyday situations that require inference: “I see puddles on the ground. What do you think happened while we were sleeping?” or “Look at those birds flying south. What season do you think is coming?”

Activities that encourage prediction and logical reasoning support not only literacy skills but also executive function—the brain’s ability to focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks.

Support Inference Skills When Reading With Your Child

The way you read with your child can significantly impact their inference development. Try these strategies during your next storytime:

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Instead of yes/no questions, ask “why” and “how” questions that encourage deeper thinking:

  • “Why do you think the character made that choice?”
  • “How do you think the problem might get solved?”
  • “What might the character be thinking right now?”

Think Aloud

Model inference by sharing your own thought process: “Hmm, the illustration shows dark clouds and people carrying umbrellas. I’m inferring it’s about to rain in the story, even though the words don’t say that directly.”

Connect to Prior Knowledge

Help your child link new information to what they already know: “Remember when we saw that butterfly emerge from its chrysalis? This story reminds me of that because…”

Discuss Implied Information

Point out when authors don’t explicitly state information: “The story doesn’t say she’s sad, but we can tell she is because she’s crying in the picture.”

Common Challenges and How to Address Them

As you support your child’s inference development, you might encounter these common challenges:

Literal Thinking

Young children naturally tend toward literal interpretations. If your child focuses only on explicitly stated information, gently guide them toward implied meanings through questions and modeling.

Limited Background Knowledge

Inference requires connecting new information to prior knowledge. Expand your child’s experiences through conversations, outings, videos, and diverse reading materials to build the knowledge base they’ll draw from when making inferences.

Difficulty Articulating Reasoning

Children often make accurate inferences but struggle to explain their thinking. Provide sentence starters like “I think ___ because ___” to help them verbalize their reasoning process.

Balance Explicit Reading Instruction

Balanced literacy instruction should include both explicit phonics instruction and comprehension strategies like inference.  Supporting children as they develop these higher-level thinking skills requires consistent practice and guidance, but the long-term benefits for reading success make it well worth the investment.

Remember that inference skills develop gradually alongside other reading skills—celebrate small successes and maintain a playful, curious approach to learning.

When to Seek Additional Support

While inference skills develop at different rates, some persistent difficulties might warrant additional attention:

  • Consistent trouble understanding implied meanings in simple stories
  • Difficulty connecting related information within a story
  • Inability to use context clues to make logical guesses
  • Struggles with cause-and-effect relationships

If you notice these challenges persisting, consider consulting with your child’s teacher or a reading specialist. Early intervention can make a significant difference in supporting comprehension development.

Build a Foundation for Lifelong Reading Success

Understanding inference and how to nurture it gives you a powerful tool for supporting your young reader’s literacy development. By weaving inference-building activities into everyday interactions, you’re helping your child develop critical thinking skills that will benefit them throughout their reading journey and beyond.

The beauty of inference is that it connects reading to thinking—the ultimate goal of literacy education. As you support your child’s inference skills, you’re not just helping them become better readers; you’re helping them become better thinkers.

Visit Phonics.org regularly for more evidence-based strategies to support your child’s reading development. Our resources help you navigate every aspect of the literacy journey, from phonemic awareness to advanced comprehension skills like inference.

Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) App Review

Jaymi Thiessen on December 17, 2024

Empowering Nonverbal Learners with Phonics and Reading Skills

Are you curious about other literacy apps that may be a good match for your child? Check out additional expert reviews at phonics.org. 

Continue reading to learn more about the Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) app. 

What is Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL)?

The ALL (Accessible Literacy Learning) program is designed to help nonverbal students, particularly those who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), develop foundational reading skills. Priced at $79.99 USD, it offers an evidence-based approach that allows learners to engage with the material using touch, eye gaze, or scanning instead of verbal prompts. 

The ALL app covers six key reading skills:

  • Sound-blending
  • Phoneme segmentation
  • Letter-sound correspondence
  • Single word decoding
  • Sight word recognition
  • Shared reading 

The ALL app progresses through these skills in various degrees of difficulty moving from easy to more difficult. 

Is the ALL App Easy to Use?

The following factors impact the usability of the ALL app. 

Getting Started With ALL

Getting started with the ALL program is straightforward and relatively simple. A short introductory video provides a clear and quick guide to help users begin, while additional system tutorial videos in the Teacher Mode offer further support. Setting up student profiles is simple and requires minimal information, with the flexibility for multiple children to use the same license.

Teacher Mode also includes convenient features like individual student reports, tracking session frequency, duration, and performance data from student sessions. Switching between Teacher and Student Modes is easy, and both modes are designed to be highly navigable, ensuring a smooth experience for both educators and learners.

Getting started with the ALL app is simple and straightforward.

Modes of Play

The ALL program features three modes of play: 

  1. Independent Mode– student independently completes activities and records data (default mode)
  2. Practice Mode – student completes activities independently or with a facilitator (data not recorded)
  3. Teacher-Assisted Mode– teacher provides some instruction while student completes activities

There is also an option to access a library of books in addition to progressing through the lessons. While the game instructions are clear and concise, they are not repeatable, which could pose a challenge for some learners needing to review the instructions.

Advanced Settings

The ALL app offers customizable settings, including advanced options to adjust the text-to-speech rate and response delay. It is advisable to adjust two important advanced settings:

  1. Text-to-speech rate controls how quickly the instructor speaks 
  2. Response delay sets how much time a student has to answer before the app provides a response

It is highly recommended to tailor these settings to meet the specific needs of each learner. Slowing down the response time could significantly improve the learning experience for many students, making it more effective and accessible.

Adjusting the advanced settings is important in the ALL app

Engagement in the ALL App

The following factors influence user engagement in the ALL app. 

Rewards

The ALL program uses positive reinforcement to motivate students, providing encouraging messages like “You’re right!” along with a rewarding sound and a short and simple animation. There are no distracting reward systems, which helps maintain focus on learning and emphasizes intrinsic motivation. Additionally, students can earn “Skill Acquisition Badges” for successfully mastering specific skills, further rewarding their progress in a meaningful way without taking away from valuable learning time. 

Progression and Pace

The ALL program includes an animation at the top of the screen that shows how many questions have been answered and how many remain in the activity set. This feature helps students predict the duration of the task, offering a sense of progression. 

However, the timing for answering questions can be frustrating. There is a narrow window to tap on the correct answer—if tapped too early, nothing happens; if tapped too late, the app provides the answer and quickly moves on. Requiring a delicate and specific time to answer questions could be frustrating and unmotivating for some young learners. 

Literacy Learning With the ALL App

The following factors influence the quality of literacy instruction in the ALL app. 

Direct and Sequential Phonics Instruction

The ALL app follows a direct and sequential learning approach to literacy learning. This is recommended by literacy experts for building skills from simple to more complex concepts, ensuring mastery at each step. The scope and sequence of the program are clearly outlined and publicly available in the online manual, even without purchasing the app—this is a great feature for transparency and connection to classroom or at-home practice. 

The ALL app uses synthetic phonics, which focuses on blending and segmenting individual letter sounds. This is an efficient method of learning to read and spell words. The letter sounds are clearly and accurately represented, which is another great feature. 

Students are considered to have mastered a skill once they achieve 80% accuracy or higher in two consecutive sessions on that skill. For instructors who prefer more flexibility, there is an option to override this process by using the “Set As Acquired” button on the Skill Overview screen, allowing them to mark a skill as mastered immediately.

Phonemic Awareness

The Phonemic Awareness section of the ALL app provides a solid foundation for learners, especially when it comes to critical skills like blending and segmenting sounds, which are key to reading and spelling. The app begins by showing four real photographs, with the corresponding vocabulary spoken aloud, which also builds vocabulary skills. Repetition of the pictures further reinforces learning.

The app effectively models phonemic awareness skills and encourages learners to apply these skills to answer questions. One standout feature is the app’s use of continuous blending, which is an excellent way to help students learn to read words. In continuous blending, sounds are pronounced without stopping or pausing between them – for example, when reading “am,” the “a” sound is held continuously and flows directly into the “m” sound, rather than breaking it up into separate sounds. While it’s rarely featured in other literacy apps, ALL’s implementation of continuous blending is a valuable addition to its teaching toolkit.

However, while the app introduces phoneme segmentation tasks, these are more aligned with phoneme isolation. Instead of having learners break words into their individual sounds, they are asked to identify the first sound in a word. Though both tasks are valuable, the labeling of these activities as segmentation is slightly misleading.

Learners are asked to choose a picture that starts with the highlighted letter sound.

Shared Reading

The Shared Reading feature in the ALL app is designed to support nonverbal learners by allowing them to interact with sentences read aloud by the app. The learner is prompted to complete a sentence by tapping on a corresponding picture. 

However, the app’s computer-generated voice reads the sentences in a fast and monotone manner. It is not the same clear voice used in other parts of the app. The voice lacks expression or fluency, making it sound robotic and abrupt, which makes it difficult to understand. 

Players are expected to tap a picture that represents the highlighted word in the sentence.

Is the ALL App Good for Learning to Read?

The Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) app is a valuable tool for helping nonverbal students, particularly those who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), build foundational literacy skills. It offers an evidence-based, systematic approach to teaching phonemic awareness, blending, and sight word recognition. The app provides customizable settings, modes of play, and positive reinforcement techniques to keep students engaged. However, while it has strong features, there are areas in need of improvement.

The phonemic awareness section is particularly strong, especially with the inclusion of continuous blending, a feature not commonly found in other literacy apps. However, the app’s shared reading function falls short, largely due to the poor quality of the computer-generated voice, which undermines the fluency and expression essential for effective learning. 

Despite these issues, the ALL app offers a structured and accessible approach to literacy learning for nonverbal students. Educators and caregivers should consider the app’s strengths in phonemic awareness and phonics instruction but should also be aware of its limitations, especially in shared reading. With some refinement, the ALL app has the potential to be a more effective and engaging tool for literacy development.

ALL (Accessible Literacy Learning): Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 3.5 / 5

Usability:  4.5 / 5

Engagement: 3 / 5

Sound Beginnings App Review

Jaymi Thiessen on November 29, 2024

A Simple Approach to Phoneme Isolation

Check out the other articles at phonics.org to see how other literacy apps measure up. 

Continue reading this article to learn more about the Sound Beginnings app. 

What is Sound Beginnings?

Sound Beginnings is an app created by Preschool University, designed for children ages 4 and up. Its primary goal is to help young learners practice phoneme isolation—identifying and isolating individual sounds in words and matching them to their corresponding letters. This is an early literacy skill. The app offers a free trial, and users can unlock full access with a small one-time fee.

There are four practice games for children in the app. All four games help children identify individual sounds in words:

  • Game 1: Images to Letters – Match images with the given letter sound
  • Game 2: Letters to Images – Fill in missing letters in a given
  • Game 3: Which One Doesn’t Belong – Find the image that doesn’t fit the sound pattern
  • Game 4: Double Match – Match image pairs that fit the given letters 
Four game options on the landing page of the Sound Beginnings App

Is the Sound Beginnings App Easy to Use?

The following factors influence how easy it is to use Sound Beginnings. 

Getting Started and Navigation

Sound Beginnings is easy to get started with—simply download and begin playing. No sign-up or account creation is required. The main landing page presents four games to choose from, along with settings and instructions. Navigation is straightforward, and it’s easy to access all sections. 

Instructions  

The instructions section of the app is lengthy and detailed, but it is written exclusively for adults, not children. There are no verbal instructions within the games themselves, which means children will need an adult to guide them through each game (at least initially). This reliance on adult assistance can be inconvenient and limits the app’s overall usability, particularly for young users who may need more in-app support and reminders. Also, even adults may have difficulty figuring out how to play the game at first. A simple, repeatable oral direction for each game would be a beneficial upgrade. 

Game instructions are only available for literate grown-ups

Engagement in Sound Beginnings

The following factors influence a child’s engagement in the Sound Beginnings app. 

Positive Reinforcement

One of the standout features of Sound Beginnings is its approach to positive reinforcement. The app avoids an elaborate external reward system, which ensures that the focus remains on learning rather than on distracting rewards. This minimalist approach supports the educational goals of the game without overwhelming young users. 

The grid of 12 bears that fills in with each correct answer is a subtle yet effective motivator. Additionally, it provides children with a clear sense of progress by showing how many questions are left, helping them understand how much longer the game will last. The absence of flashy “bells and whistles” is intentional, ensuring that the learning experience stays front and center without unnecessary distractions.

Visual Appearance

The visual appearance of Sound Beginnings feels somewhat outdated, which may not appeal to all users. However, the app’s use of real images is a notable strength. These images are generally clear, and there’s the added benefit that they can be clicked on to hear their names, eliminating any ambiguity about what the pictures represent. This feature is particularly useful for vocabulary building, as it helps reinforce word-object associations in a straightforward and engaging way. Despite its dated design, the app’s image-based approach effectively supports early learning.

The visual design and some images in Sound Beginnings are outdated

Literacy Learning With the Sound Beginnings App

The following factors impact the quality of literacy instruction in the Sound Beginning app. 

Direct and Sequential Instruction

Sound Beginnings focuses primarily on practicing the identification of individual sounds in words, but it doesn’t provide direct instruction on sound-letter associations. The app assumes that children already have a basic understanding of all letter sounds, as it is designed specifically for practicing this skill rather than teaching it from scratch.

While there isn’t a clearly outlined scope and sequence or phonics plan, the game follows a logical progression by starting with beginning sounds, moving to ending sounds, and then focusing on middle sounds. This sequence aligns with how children typically develop their phonemic awareness, making it a sensible approach for reinforcing sound identification.

Letter Sound Correspondences

Sound Beginnings does a decent job of reinforcing phoneme-grapheme (letter to sound) correspondences. It presents letter sounds clearly and accurately with an American English accent which is important for children who are learning to read and spell. 

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the ability to manipulate spoken sounds in a language and is an essential skill for new readers to develop. Phoneme isolation is one key component of phonemic awareness and is the simplest and most basic skill for new readers to learn. However, it is important not to linger on this skill for too long. Moving on to blending and segmenting phonemes to read and spell is more important for developing reading and spelling proficiency. Choose a different app to move on to these other essential phonemic awareness skills. 

Is Sound Beginnings a Good Literacy App?

Sound Beginnings offers a focused approach to practicing letter-sound associations and building one specific phonemic awareness skill: phoneme identification. The Sound Beginnings is easy to get started and navigate. It offers real images and subtle positive reinforcement to engage new readers. The letter sounds in this app are accurate and it does reinforce an important phonemic awareness skill. 

However, its limitations include a lack of direct instruction and a reliance on adult guidance for young users. Each of the four games would be easier to play and understand if simple, repeatable, oral directions were an option. Additionally, the absence of additional phonemic awareness skills such as blending and segmenting means it should not be the only tool for developing a child’s literacy skills. 

Overall, Sound Beginnings is a solid choice for practicing foundational phonemic awareness, but parents and educators should consider using additional resources to support further phonics development. 

Check out Phonics.org for more phonics app reviews, instruction tips, and learning resources as you teach your child to read!

Sound Beginnings: Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 3 / 5

Usability:  2.5 / 5

Engagement: 3 / 5

Read With Phonics Games – App Review

Jaymi Thiessen on November 22, 2024

A Simple and Playful Phonics Experience

There are tons of phonics reviews at phonics.org! Check them out to become more informed about educational options for your student or child. 

Continue reading to learn more about Read With Phonics Games app.

What is Read With Phonics Games?

Read With Phonics – Games is an educational literacy app designed for children ages 4 and up. The app features an engaging alien character named Albee who guides young learners through various phonics activities with a British English accent. Read With Phonics has no advertisements and is free to trial. However, to access full learning content there are some optional one-time, in-app purchases.

Is the Read With Phonics App Easy to Use?

The following factors influence the usability of Read With Phonics app.  

Set-Up & Navigation

Read with Phonics is user-friendly, allowing users to simply download the app and get started. The main interface is a map with four distinct categories, each targeting different phonics concepts: 

  • Water World – Common consonant sounds and short vowels
  • Forest World – Less common consonant sounds, digraphs, and long vowels
  • Lava Land – Digraphs, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, diphthongs
  • Jelly City – Long vowels (CVe), diphthongs
The main page is divided into four levels of phonics games

The four sections are arranged in a logical and sequential order for children to follow. Players can skip ahead to any section based on their individual needs. The parent area is easily accessible, offering a few options for managing the app. One downside is that there isn’t an option to adjust the sound effects, which could be annoying for some users, especially with the frequent giggling of the alien character.

Instructions and Gameplay

The instructions in Read With Phonics Games are short, simple, and clear. The app as a whole is delivered in a British English accent which may be a downside or limitation for students with different accents. One great feature is the ability to replay the instructions as many times as necessary, thanks to a clearly marked audio button. This ensures that children can follow along at their own pace without confusion. The games are designed to be easy to play and intuitive, allowing kids to engage with the content independently while building their phonics skills.

Engagement in Read With Phonics App

The following components influence player engagement in the Read With Phonics – Games app. 

Positive Reinforcement

The app encourages player engagement primarily through positive feedback and progress tracking. The app allows children to easily see how far they’ve come by showing progress on a map, with each map level indicating how much further is left to complete. A progress bar helps kids understand their advancement and motivates them to keep going. There are also completion badges to collect which may visually enhance progress in the game. 

One of the app’s strengths is its avoidance of distracting external rewards. Rather than bombarding players with flashy incentives, it keeps the focus on learning and steady progress, which helps children stay engaged without losing sight of the educational goals.

Mistakes

In Read With Phonics Games, when a player makes three mistakes in any activity, they are immediately booted out of the map level and must start over. While this may encourage persistence, it could be discouraging for some children, especially if they struggle with a particular skill or concept. 

The current approach relies heavily on a “guess and check” method, which might not be the most effective way to support learning. It could be more beneficial to introduce a mechanism that helps teach or reinforce the specific phonics skills a child is struggling with, rather than forcing them to restart. This could reduce frustration and provide a more supportive learning experience.

Literacy Learning With the Read With Phonics App

The following components impact the quality of the literacy instruction in the Read With Phonics Games app.  

Direct and Explicit Instruction

This app does not provide direct and explicit phonics instruction, which is typically recommended by reading experts for building foundational literacy skills. Instead, the app functions more as a practice tool rather than a “learn to read” game. The setup encourages children to learn new concepts by providing clear positive or negative feedback based on their answers. 

While this feedback system can help reinforce learning, it does not offer the in-depth instruction or skill-building that some children might need to master phonics concepts. For example, players will learn how to read ‘-ll’ at the end of words but now why or how the FLOSS rule is relevant. This approach places more emphasis on practice and self-correction, rather than providing explicit teaching of phonics rules.

Read With Phonics does not explain why this word ends in a double ‘ll’

Sequential Learning

Sequential learning, which is recommended by reading experts, is an important principle in phonics instruction. It ensures that phonics concepts are introduced in a logical order, starting with the simplest concepts and gradually progressing to more complex ones. In Read With Phonics Games, the intended sequence is designed to follow this principle. 

Sequence of lessons in one segment of the Read With Phonics app

However, there are some inconsistencies in how the game handles this approach. For example, the second activity in the entire game involves placing the correct vowel sound in the word “ham,” even though the sounds /h/ and /m/ haven’t been taught or practiced yet. This can disrupt the flow of learning, as it doesn’t always adhere to the progression from easier to more difficult concepts. 

Learning to Read Words

In the app, the letter sounds are usually clearly pronounced and accurately represented with a British English accent. This clarity helps young learners focus on the precise sounds needed for reading. 

The app also uses synthetic phonics, where individual letter sounds are blended together to form words and segmented to spell words. Research shows that synthetic phonics is one of the most effective methods for both reading and spelling, making this approach a strong educational choice. 

The app does a good job of modeling how to blend sounds together to read. As part of the gameplay, kids are asked to match words with pictures, which encourages them to sound out and read words. This method of associating words with images is good for children with strong vocabularies. However, children who aren’t certain of the initial meaning of the word or do not know what the picture is may have more difficulties completing this activity. 

Matching words to pictures in Read With Phonics

Is Read With Phonics a Good Literacy App?

This app offers a user-friendly interface with four distinct levels that cover various sequential phonics concepts. The app is easy to use and fairly engaging. It provides positive reinforcement through progress tracking and badges. The app also uses systematic synthetic phonics to teach children how to read words. This approach is backed by reading experts.  

However, the app doesn’t offer direct and explicit phonics instruction. Instead of providing an in-depth explanation of phonics rules, such as why certain spelling patterns are used, the app focuses on practice and feedback. It also occasionally strays from the ideal sequence of learning, with some concepts introduced out of order. 

Overall, Read With Phonics is a good app that would work well alongside a full literacy program. While the app is a good tool for reinforcing phonics skills, it may not fully support children who need more explicit instruction or guidance. Check out more phonics reviews at Phonics.org to find the best app for your child!

Read With Phonics Games: Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 3 / 5

Usability:  4 / 5

Engagement:  4 / 5

GraphoGame: Learn To Read App Review

Jaymi Thiessen on November 16, 2024

Does The ‘World’s Most Researched Game’ Meet Current Standards? 

Are you curious about how other literacy apps measure up? Check out the other detailed literacy app reviews on phonics.org. 

Continue reading to learn more about the GraphoGame: Learn to Read app.

What is GraphoGame: Learn to Read?

GraphoGame: Learn to Read is an educational app designed for children aged 3 and up. The app aims to make the learning to read process engaging and accessible. Initially developed in Finland, it was created in collaboration with the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Neuroscience in Education. With support for nine different languages and usage in over 20 countries, GraphoGame has a significant reach.

The app makes bold claims about its effectiveness, stating that it can help young children learn to read in just days. It also touts itself as “the most researched game in the world.” This review will take a critical look at the GraphoGame: Learn to Read app and the feasibility of these grand claims. This review focuses on the American English version of the GraphoGame app. 

Is the GraphoGame: Learn to Read App Easy To Play?

The following factors impact the usability of the GraphoGame app. 

Getting Started With GraphoGame: Learn to Read 

Getting started with GraphoGame requires a sign-up process that begins with selecting the child’s gender. It is unclear why this information is relevant. Users must then create a username and a 4-digit pin code, which combines pictures and letters—an approach that feels overly complicated for young children.

Once set up, the app offers two distinct modes:

  1. The Adventure Map – designed for independent play
  2. The Stars Mode – more suitable for older children and educational settings

Additionally, there doesn’t appear to be an easily accessible method of changing the starting point in the game to match the literacy skills of the player. While the app claims to be adaptive, providing the option for a grown-up to choose a starting point would be an advantageous feature. Finally, the navigation in the Adventure Map can be clunky and awkward, especially for young players. 

The Adventure Map in GraphoGame can be awkward to navigate

Instructions and Settings

GraphoGame includes helpful features for guiding young players through the app. Instructions and sound cues can be repeated as needed, and they will automatically repeat if too much time passes, which is a great support for children who may need extra reminders. 

Data Collection

GraphoGame offers detailed data collection regarding student performance and achievement at each level, providing valuable insights for parents and educators. This feedback is instrumental in helping adults understand how well a child is progressing, identifying areas where they may need additional support. By highlighting specific strengths and weaknesses, the app enables parents and teachers to guide their children more effectively in their literacy journey. 

GraphoGame offers detailed data and feedback on individual student progress

Engagement In GraphoGame: Learn to Read

The following factors impact how potentially engaging young players may find the GraphoGame: Learn to Read app. 

Rewards

In GraphoGame: Learn to Read, engagement is driven by a variety of reward systems that young players may find appealing. Players earn stars, track their correct answer percentages, and collect coins. These coins can be spent in an occasional in-game store for items like garments and accessories for their avatars. The gameplay follows a cycle of 10 minutes of tasks followed by 2 minutes of reward opportunities. While these rewards can enhance engagement, they also risk diverting attention from the educational goals of the app.

Potential purchaser rewards in the GraphoGame app

Visual Appearance

The visual appearance of GraphoGame: Learn to Read features an individualized avatar, which adds an engaging personal touch for young players. However, the animations feel somewhat clunky and dated, suggesting that there is room for improvement in the overall visual design of the app.

Literacy Learning With GraphoGame: Learn to Read

The following factors influence the quality of literacy instruction in the GraphoGame: Learn to Read app. 

Research Claims

GraphoGame: Learn to Read positions itself as “the most researched game in the world.” A few studies on the app found a positive correlation between students playing the games and improved literacy outcomes. However, this evaluation found that the GraphoGame app had “no impact on pupils’ reading attainment compared to a business-as-usual control” (p. 5). Additionally, the students were receiving school-based literacy support in addition to time spent with the app, confounding the results further. 

Type of Phonics

GraphoGame: Learn to Read primarily employs an Onset-Rime phonics approach, teaching children initial consonant sounds followed by vowel/consonant combinations (e.g., /m/ + “at” for “mat”). While any phonics instruction is beneficial, research shows that synthetic phonics is more efficient for learning to read and spell. 

A synthetic phonics approach combines (synthesizes) individual letter sounds to read words. This approach is recommended by the International Dyslexia Association and multiple researchers in the field. Overall, GraphoGame’s reliance on an analytic phonics method may limit its effectiveness. 

Sequential Learning

GraphoGame: Learn to Read incorporates systematic phonics instruction, structured into 25 streams, each divided into 5-9 levels, along with 7 assessments. This sequential approach aligns with recommendations from literacy experts. However, the lack of a publicly available scope and sequence (phonics plan) for these streams limits accessibility for educators and parents who want to understand or anticipate their child’s learning progression. 

Letter Sounds

The GraphoGame: Learn to Read app generally provides clear and accurate representations of letter sounds. However, it inaccurately represents the short /e/ sound (as in ‘echo’). This sound is often the most challenging for students to identify and learn, and is also one of the most commonly used and important sounds to learn. The inaccuracy of this specific sound in the game is a huge pitfall. 

These short vowel sounds are difficult to distinguish in the GraphoGame app. 

Word Building

Elkonin boxes are rectangles that surround individual sounds in words in order to demonstrate the connection between sounds and letters in words. GraphoGame uses these boxes in their app to encourage children to read and spell words. Sometimes this literacy tool is used correctly in the app, and at other times the app incorrectly boxes entire rhyme units instead of individual sounds. This misapplication detracts from the overall effectiveness of the word-building instruction.

Incorrect use of Elkonin boxes in the GraphoGame app

Is the GraphoGame App Good for Literacy Instruction?

The GraphoGame app offers a range of features aimed at making literacy learning engaging and accessible for young children. However, it faces significant challenges including outdated animations, inconsistent use of phonics tools, and a questionable research base regarding its effectiveness. 

While the app’s structured phonics instruction and data collection features provide valuable insights for parents and educators, the reliance on an analytic phonics approach may limit its impact compared to more effective methods like synthetic phonics. Overall, while GraphoGame has potential, it requires improvements in instructional accuracy and visual design to fully realize its educational goals. 

For those interested in exploring other literacy apps, check out detailed reviews on phonics.org to see how they compare.

GraphoGame: Learn to Read – Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 2 / 5

Usability:  3 / 5

Engagement:  3 / 5

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