Justine+Giorgi

** Justine Giorgi ** ** February 8, 2012 ** ** EDC 203 **

**__ Primary Site __** : http://www.funbrain.com **__ URL __** : http://www.funbrain.com/brain/ReadingBrain/Games/Game.htmlGameName=MadLibsSchoolRules&Brain=reading&GameNumber=1&Color=FFFFFF

**__ Game: __ Mad Libs School Rules ** **__ Level __** : (4-5) **__ Summary of the Website __** : This website contains a variety of educational and fun games for students to play which assess different levels of comprehension. For example, there is an activity category on the website entitled, "Math Arcade" and another entitled "Reading" so that students can work on specific skills in different school subjects. The website is organized because of these categories and there are animations which accompany the titles of each category. The overall website is blue and orange, two bright colors which make the website more appealing to children. **__ Summary of the Game __** : I thought the game was fun and educational, as it has the child select nouns, adjectives, and verbs in order to create a silly story. In order to start playing the game, the child first has to click the Play button when the initial screen for the game appears, featuring a cartoon child in a school setting. Then, the game asks the child to pick an adjective from a moving word bank or to type an adjective from the moving word bank into a small text box. The child can also think of their own adjective and type it into the text box. After completing this action, the child presses a green Ok button. Next, the child is asked to select, type, or choose a verb. The game continues like this, asking for the child to select, type, or choose their own noun, adjective, or verb to help complete the story. When the child has chosen all the types of words he or she has to in order to make the story, a screen comes up that says "You did it!" and then the child can either click the green OK button to view the story, play again, or click the Done button to play another game on the website. By clicking the green OK button, the entire story is shown to the child and there is a green button labeled "Print" on the top of the page. Therefore, there is no winning or losing in this game, as the child can be as creative as they want with what nouns, adjectives, and verbs they use. The game is focused upon learning nouns, adjectives, and verbs. The game was fun and children would have fun playing it. **__ Evaluation of the Game: __** Overall, the website is appealing for children and it is easy for children to navigate. The colors are bright and the types of games featured on the website appeal to different interests that children may have. The Mad Lib game which I chose is great in particular, as it allows children to be creative while learning about what words are nouns, adjectives, and verbs. The game is not very challenging because if the child does not know any of the words provided in the word bank, he or she can fill in the blank with an adjective, noun, or verb of their own. However, the child must know about adjectives, nouns, and verbs before playing this game. The only flaw of this game was that if the child put in a word that was not the right type of word (ex. a noun instead of an adjective), the game did not recognize this mistake, thus the child may think he or she is using the right type of word when he or she is not.

**__ Color __** : The colors are bright and varied. The Mad Libs game contains different colors on each page, prompting the child to choose an adjective, noun, or verb. Some colors used were greens, blues, and purples. Also, the game uses the color green frequently for the OK button, which the child presses when he or she has selected or typed in a word or when he or she wants to see the final story at the end of the activity. **__ Repetition: __** The game is very repetitive, as in each step, the child has to choose or type in a word. Also, the format for each prompt is similar, as the text box is in the center of the screen with clickable nouns, verbs, or adjectives moving around this center text box. Also, there is a green OK button that the child presses every time he or she chooses or types in a word. Also, if the child wants to play the game again, the same story line is used for the Mad Lib, thus the only difference in the story comes from the words that the child chooses or types in. **__ Talking Text __** : There is no talking text, but rather written directions on each screen saying "Choose an (adjective, noun, verb)"and other commands or options. **__ Visual Cues __** : Once the child chooses or fills in an adjective, verb, or noun into a text box, there is a green OK button that indicates to fill in the next blank with either an adjective, a verb, or a noun. There are also subtle arrow keys which allow the child the go back if he or she wants to change the word that he or she has put into the blank text box. **__ Mistakes: __** If a child makes a mistake, the game does not recognize it, as I accidentally put a noun into an adjective space and the game still allowed me to proceed onto the next space to fill in. Therefore, the child may make mistakes during the game by using the wrong kind of word, but the game will not recognize it as being wrong. **__ Rating: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Highlighted Cues: __** When the child is ready to move onto the next blank space to fill in, he or she clicks the green OK button to continue with the game. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Navigation Routine: __** The navigation routine is comprised of clicking an adjective, noun, or verb from the word bank, if the child chooses to, and then clicking the green OK button to go onto the next blank space. The child can also go back to the last space he or she filled in if he or she wants to change the word he or she entered. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click back and back: __** If the child clicks the small back arrow on the game's screen twice, they can go back to not just the previous blank they filled in, but also to the one before that if they want to change any past word they filled in or selected. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click and Drag: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click forward __** : If the child has chosen to go back to change a word from a previous blank space, but then decides he or she does want to keep his or her original answer, the child can click on a small forward arrow to return to the next blank space again. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Teacher __**__ **Rating** __ : 7

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__** Primary Site: **__http://www.scholastic.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__URL:__** http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/flash/concentration/index.htm

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Game:__** Concentration <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Level:__** Ages 3-7 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__**Summary of the Website:**__ This site contains different categories which appeal to not only children, but also to parents and other school involved adults. Therefore, the website is well-organized because of the separate categories for different audiences, but it is also well-organized in the game section. The games are organized in columns and rows, and each contains a brief description of what each game entails. Also, the site is colorful, featuring a green and blue background with moving animations to add to the visual interest of the website. The games featured in the kids' section of the site appeal to different age groups, thus targeting the different intellectual levels of children. The games feature well-known characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, increasing a child's desire to play the games. Thus, overall, I think that this website is effective in capturing a child's attention and allowing him or her to have fun while learning. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Summary of the Game:__** The game, called Concentration, involves matching words that have the same middle vowel sound. Clifford the Big Red Dog is featured in this game. There are eight cards that pop up on the game screen and the directions ask the child to "find the objects that have the same middle sound." Then, the child has to flip over two cards at a time to find two that have the same matching middle vowel sound. The child flips over the cards by clicking on them and then a voice reads what word is on the card to help the child hear if the sounds are similar. The cards also contain pictures to accompany the vocabulary. If the child flips over two cards that do not have matching middle vowel sounds, the cards are flipped back over. If the child selects two cards that do have the same middle vowel sound, the voice in the game says that the two words have the same middle sound, the two matching cards go away, and the two words are added to a list on the side of the game entitled "My Word List." The list represents the matches which the child finds in correlating middle vowel sounds. When the child has found all the card matches, a small box appears saying "Great Job!" and it asks if the child would like to play the game again with different objects or exit the game. If the child wants to stop playing the game while in the middle of playing, he or se can click the Done button, which is in the shape of a dog bone. Then, a prompt box appears which says how many pairs the child has made and asks if the child would like to keep playing, try new objects, or exit the game. The child wins the game by matching each card to its vowel sound pair and the game involves phonology, as the child has to recognize similarities in sound between different words. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Evaluation of the Game:__** Overall, I think that this game is great in testing children on their phonological awareness skills through middle vowel sound recognition. The game is very colorful and features the cartoon character, Clifford, who many children know and love. The game's theme is great as well, as it follows the dog theme by containing a bone shaped button, a bone border around the game, and Clifford's face is featured on the backs of the vocabulary cards. The game is structured, as the child has to match each card with its pair in order to win, yet it is still enjoyable for the child. Also, because music is played when the cards first appear on the game screen, when the cards are flipped back over, and when the cards disappear after being paired correctly. The game is not very challenging because if the child cannot find the match, he or she can keep trying until he or she eventually finds the words that sound similar. I enjoyed playing this game and I would definitely recommend it for children. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Color __** : The game contains red, blue, yellow, and orange within the game's border, on the vocabulary cards, and within the word list of matching words. The colors make the game more exciting for the child. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Repetition: __** The game is very repetitive, as in each step, the child has to select two cards to see if they have matching middle vowel sounds. The cards are similar in appearance as well, each containing a picture to accompany a vocabulary word. Also, if the child wants to play the game again, objects from the round the child previously played sometimes appear again, but are paired with different words that sound similar, thus showing the child that there are many words that contain similar sounds. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Talking Text __** : The directions for the game saying, "find the objects that have the same middle sound" can be heard aloud at any time by clicking on the speaker button in the game. Also, when flipping over the cards, the words on the cards are read aloud by the computer. Lastly, a voice orally reinforces the similar sounds between two matching words when the child pairs two correct cards together. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Visual Cues __** : The directions for the game remain on the screen while the child is playing to remind him or her of the objective of the game. Also, the speaker stays on the screen so that the child can listen to the directions at any time while he or she is playing the game. Another visual cue is the Done button which the child can press when he or she wants to stop playing the game or try to match a different set of objects. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Mistakes: __** If a child makes a mistake by not matching two cards containing words with similar sounds, the cards are flipped back over for the child to try again. There is no commentary accompanying the mistake, which allows the child not to focus on the mistake, but to instead focus on finding the matches. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Rating: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Highlighted Cues: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Navigation Routine: __** The only navigation key is the Done button, which allows the child to stop playing the game or to try matching a different set of objects if he or she wants to. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click back and back: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click and Drag: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click forward __** : N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Teacher __**__ **Rating** __ : 9

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Primary Site: __** http://www.abcya.com/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ URL: __** http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_spelling.htm

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Game:__** Spelling Practice with Dolce Sight Words <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Level:__** Pre-K to 3rd Grade <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Summary of the Website:__** This website is well organized, as it has categories of games divided based on grade level in order to match the intellectual capacity and interests of specific age groups. After picking a grade level, the child can choose a game to play that will meet the skills they currently have. All the games are centered around language arts, which allows children to develop and maintain their knowledge of vocabulary, sounds, and other language art skills. Because the website is colorful, children are more apt to be attracted to the games and other activities offered on the website. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Summary of the Game:__** The main game screen features a dragon and word bubbles containing grade levels, and word bubbles for nouns and all words. Therefore, the child can choose whether he or she wants to play the game based on his or her grade level or whether he or she wants to play the game using solely nouns or all words. After selecting a word bubble option, the child presses the green Go button to proceed with the game. The game asks the child to put letters in the right spaces to form the word which the dragon says. For example, if the dragon says "ask", the child must drag the letters a, s, and k into the right order by placing them in their appropriate spaces. The game does not let the child put the wrong letter in the wrong space, thus if the child tries to do so, the letter returns to the letter bank that is floating in the sky featured in the game. If the child gets the order of the letters and their spacing right, the dragon reads each letter aloud and then says the whole word again. In order to win the game, the child must correctly place all the letters for the word prompts. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Evaluation of the Game:__**This game is great for children because it teaches them how to say letters and combine letter sounds to form words. Also, this game allows children to work on their spelling skills. This game also does not reprimand the child playing for placing the letter in the wrong spot because it simply returns the letter to the word bank, showing the child that they need to choose another option in a subtle manner. The oral directions given at the beginning of the game are useful and clear. Also, the inclusion of a fun dragon character as the host of the game appeals to the child because the dragon is friendly and encouraging. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Color __** : In the game, the dragon is green and the background for the game is a blue sky with white clouds. Also, the dragon is standing on green grass and the spaces where the letters fit into are grey. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__Repetition:__** The game is very repetitive because after putting each letter in the right space in order to make the correct word, the child must complete the same task but with different letters and a different word prompt. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Talking Text __** : The dragon gives oral directions at the beginning of the game to tell the child what he or she has to do. Then, during the game, the dragon says the word which the child has to spell. Also, there is a hint button, which fills in the grey spaces for a few seconds with the right letters so that the child can see how he or she is supposed to put the letters in order. When the child hovers over the Hint button, the dragon's voice says "hint." When the child hovers over the Next Word button, the dragon's voice says "skip this word" if the child wants to do another word instead. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Visual Cues __** : There are three buttons which provide visual cues for the child while playing this game. If the child wants to hear the word that they have to spell again, he or she clicks on the red Repeat Word button. If the child wants a hint as to how to spell the word or where to place the letters, the child clicks on the yellow Hint button to see a hint. If the child wants to try to spell a different word, he or she clicks on the green Next Word button. Also, there is a bubble in the top left hand corner that says the grade level at which the child is playing and how many words the child has spelled correctly out of all the possible word prompts. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Mistakes: __** The child cannot make a mistake because if he or she tries to put a letter in the wrong space, the game will automatically send the letter back to the word bank in the sky. Also, if the child does not know how to set up the letters in the spaces, he or she can get a hint by clicking on the yellow Hint button so that he or she does not drag the letters to the wrong spaces. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Rating: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Highlighted Cues: __** The highlighted cues for this game are the Repeat Word, Hint, and Next Word buttons, as these bold colored buttons help to control the progression of the game. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Navigation Routine: __** There is a Next Word button, which allows the child to skip the word he or she is currently trying to spell in order to try to spell a different word. Also, there is a grey button with an "x" inside that allows the child to exit out of the game. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click back and back: __** N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click and Drag: __** The child has to click and drag the letter to the correct space in order to spell the word that the dragon says. In this way, the child learns about letter placement in a word. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Click forward __** : N/A <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Teacher __**__ **Rating** __ : 8