Word Wagon

Price: $1.99
Grade Recommendation: PreK - 2nd
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Phonics
Levels: 4
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

If you're looking for a phonics app for early readers, this is an acceptable choice! Users join a mouse and his bird friend on a conveyor belt adventure. There are several categories to choose from: animals, numbers and colors, vehicles, food, and Mozz and Coco (the mouse and bird); you may also choose to get words from all the categories at the same time. After touching an object that passes by, the user must perform a task - according to the selected level.

The app consists of 4 levels:

1 - Letters
The letters that make up the word are scrambled on the screen. The word is also written. The user has to drag the letter onto its matching spot. The device says each letter when they are touched.

2 - Phonics
Quite similar to Level 1 - Letters. However, the app phonetically pronounces each word after the user is done dragging the letters to the matching spot in the word.

3 - Spelling 1
Similar to Level 2 - Phonics. But, students have to figure out the correct order of the letters in order to spell the word.

4 - Spelling 2
It's just like Level 3 - Spelling 1; but the words are slightly more difficult.

You can change the settings for each level to use capital or lowercase letters. A cute little animation occurs after each task is correctly completed.

Sound Sorting: Beginning Sounds

Price: Free!
Grade Recommendation: PreK - 2nd
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Phonics
Levels: 1
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

This app is developed by Lakeshore Learning - one of my favorite education stores. It's quite simple, yet effective. Students sort pictures of objects according to their beginning sounds.

Here are the objectives it's designed to meet:
- Building phonemic awareness
- Identifying words by beginning sounds
- Matching words by sound

Students can either choose 3 beginning sounds or have the mobile device randomly choose 3 sounds for them. Nine balls with pictures appear on the side. Students must drag each ball under the picture that has that same beginning sound.

I appreciate how the app verbally states both the names of the pictures on the balls and the names of the pictures atop each column.

Incorrect placements cause the picture balls to return to the area where the remaining balls are, giving students another chance to correctly place it.

It would be nice if this app also addressed middle and/or ending sounds. However, that's not its purpose. Despite this, it's still worth retrieving from the App Store.

ABC Spelling Magic 2 - Consonant Blends

Price: Free!
Grade Recommendation: K - 2nd
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Spelling and phonics
Levels: 2
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

I'm quite impressed with this free app. It focuses on consonant blends and is the perfect way to tackle spelling and phonics instruction.

Children have a choice between 2 levels/activities:

Word Jumble: They're shown a picture and the letters (out of order) that spell the picture. They must arrange the letters to correctly spell the word. When a letter is selected, the device says its sound. The app is self-correcting; letters put in an incorrect spot will automatically 'bounce' out of that spot. There are 7 categories of single consonant blends (animals, outdoors, actions, people, home, work, and items). But you can also choose between double or even triple blends!

Moveable Alphabet: This level/activity is more challenging because the needed letters are not provided for the user. Rather, the entire alphabet is presented. The consonants appear in red and the vowels are in blue. The categories and choice of double or even triple blends remain.

The app can be customized even more by turning the following features on or off: letter sounds, letter hints, and double letter helper.

This is an excellent free app; it should be on every iPad or iPod Touch that will be used with early learners.

Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Interactive Game

Price: Free!
Grade Recommendation: K - 2nd
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Phonics
Levels: N/A
Players: 2
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

Lakeshore Learning developed this impressive phonics app. Two players (or even two teams) play a tic-tac-toe game. Of course, the 'winner' is the first to get three Xs or Os in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

The game board shows 9 questions. The player (or team) taps on a question, it immediately enlarges on the screen. The player/team then taps an answer.

The included 'Teacher's Notes' says the app is designed to meet the following objectives:
- Identifying blends and digraphs
- Recognizing words with the same beginning sounds
- Counting syllables in words
- Recognizing words with the same ending sounds
- Identifying sounds in words

The only downside is that the app does not read the questions (and answer choices) to the students. That's disappointing for a phonics app. But I still recommend this app be added to iPads and iPod Touches in early elementary classrooms.

ABC Pocket Phonics

Price: $2.99 (free Lite version)
Grade Recommendation: PreK - 2nd
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Phonics
Levels: N/A
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

This app would make a good addition to classrooms where students could benefit from simple phonics practice.

Begin in the settings folder - change the handwriting style (D'Nealian or Zaner-Bloser) and lowercase, uppercase, or cursive. You can also select from United States or United Kingdom letter sounds.

Students have a choice between two games - 'Letter sounds and writing' or a 'Word game'.

Letter sounds and writing - The app reads a letter and gives its sound. It also shows users how to write the letter. It then instructs the student to say the letter's sound and encourages them to use their pointer finger to trace the letter.

Word game - The app says one letter sound at a time. Students have to select the letter(s) that's making that sound. The process continues until a word is spelled. Instant feedback is given. Students have the option of having the sound repeated as many times as necessary.

ABC Phonics Animal Writing

Price: Free! (or $2.99 for full version)
Grade Recommendation: Pre-Kindergarten - 1st
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Phonics
Levels: 1
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: iPad

For a free app, this is a good choice! At least one different animal is featured for each letter of the alphabet (for example, B features bat, bear, bee, and bird; but Z only has zebra). When clicked, an appealing voice clearly states the name of the animal. Students can then use a finger to trace the entire word or just the beginning letter (capital and lower case). While not necessary, they can change the ink color (blue, red, green, or yellow).

I must admit that the animals are a little more quirky-looking than necessary. I guess they went with whimsy rather than realism.

Ads do appear quite prominently at the top of the screen. Some reviewers in the App Store have reported inappropriate ones, so beware. The app does contain a link to 'Buy the Full Version'; it's $2.99.