Starfall

Starfall Added by Diane Machado

Description: Starfall is a reading website for Pre-K through 2nd grade students. It was the brainchild of Dr. Schutz who struggled when learning how to read. This website progresses from the basic letters and their sounds and American Sign Language equivalents to reading short books of varying genres.
 * Strengths**
 * Free
 * Targets primary grades only
 * Has audio component
 * Student paced
 * Variety of genres at the upper two levels
 * Downloads
 * Printable materials
 * Scope and sequence on website
 * Educator page
 * Parent page
 * Gives correct pronunciation for ESL students
 * Easily navigated by students
 * Phonics based
 * Uses catchy tunes to remember sounds
 * Integrates holiday themes
 * Very user friendly
 * Students identify characters with family words and it makes it easier for them to remember word families.

Weaknesses
 * Speech is a little choppy
 * Fluency is not targeted until the upper levels
 * Fluent audio must by requested by clicking special symbol
 * Requires teacher instruction therefore can be difficult to use at learning center
 * Activites are repetitive from day to day, not much variation
 * Once all the basic levels are mastered there isn't any more levels to reach or master, in other words they plateau.
 * Limited to one activity online per word family.

Opportunities
 * With sufficient planning and instruction can be used as a learning center
 * Can be used as an intervention with print resources
 * Keeps attention of otherwise distracted students
 * Can be easily integrated into primary lesson plans to teach appropriate benchmarks
 * Parent can use with student at home
 * Can inidividualize assignments based on the strenght/weaknesses of the students
 * Can scaffold the activities as the child progresses
 * Can be used to differentiate computer literacy centers
 * Can be used to reteach concepts that students have not mastered.
 * Printables can be used as supplementary materials in the classroom.

Threats


 * Teacher can become dependent upon program
 * Students able to access all areas of website at any time
 * Students can easily log off of the site or go to other areas
 * Students might get bored by the limited activities.