Title:  Curious George Learns Phonics

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Interactive

Platform:  Windows 3.1 or higher
                Macintosh 7.1 or higher

Content Area:  Phonetics

Range of Grade Levels:  Kindergarten and First Grade

Content Description:  The content of Curious George Learns Phonics is aimed specifically at teaching students, ages four to six, phonics.  Through learning letter names, sounds in language, and letter-sound associations, students begin building the skills needed to become independent readers and writers.  Through engaging in Curious George games and activities, students will develop several basic reading skills including:
· identifying rhymes
· identifying alliteratives
· blending sounds
· segmenting words into individual sounds
· substituting sounds to make new words
· identifying consonant sounds
· using consonant sounds in words
· identifying vowel sounds
· using vowel sounds in words
· decoding words using phonics skills in story activities
Interactive players are encouraged to explore, at their own pace, a series of six games and activities, including Astonishing Animal Acrobats, a rhyming, alliteration, and blending game, Phonics Fun House, a word construction activity, Peanut Pickup, a consonant sound recognition game, Comedy Clowns, an activity testing initial and final consonant sounds, Sammy the Musical Seal, a vowel sound recognition game, and finally Story Theater, an activity focusing on sounding out words and reading words.  This software would be best used by individuals or pairs of students during a minimum of thirty minutes.  Students using the software would not be expected to advance through all six games in thirty minutes, but rather focus on one or two games that are consist with concepts being studied in the classroom.  Following brief teacher directions, students should have little difficulty navigating independently through the games.  The software is flexible in that students can easily move back and forth among activities, as well as stop the program at any time. Players would need to understand how to use the mouse and keyboard to engage in phonics games.  Overall, Curious George Learns Phonics is a useful, interactive tool for enhancing the phonics curriculum.

Instructional Type:  Game
                              Drill and Practice
                              Tutorial
                              Tool

Strengths and Weaknesses:  The software is valuable in that it exposes students to multiple phonics concepts in a creative, interactive manner.  The games are fun and engaging, while allowing students to strengthen and practice phonetic knowledge.  The software offers ten printable storybooks, which enable students to continue practicing phonics concepts outside of the school setting.  In addition, the software offers hints that help students correct wrong responses, thus ensuring that players receive assistance, if needed, and feel successful in playing the games.  Students receive a diploma or certificate at the end of the session, which highlights the games played as well as the percentage of questions answered correctly.  Therefore, students receive positive feedback at the game’s conclusion.  Curious George Learns Phonics did have a few weaknesses.  For example, Phonics Fun House and Peanut Pickup are two games for which the directions are somewhat difficult to follow.  Phonics Fun House is an activity that offers players a letter choice for word construction.  However, the letters are so quickly flashed on the screen that players may have difficulty choosing a letter before it vanishes.  The game requires quick reflexes and a double click of the mouse.  In addition, Peanut Pickup is the only game in which keyboard arrows are used to play, and the audible instructions do not make this feature explicit.  Teachers need to offer detailed, more in-depth directions if students are to play Phonics Fun House and Peanut Pickup.

How would using this software add to a lesson or classroom?
I believe that Curious George Learns Phonics would be a great tool for supplementing the reading curriculum.  The interactive features, with music, graphics, and games, would be sure to capture the attention and curiosity of young learners.  After whole group phonics instruction, I would encourage students to work in pairs with the software to practice application of new knowledge.  In addition, during center or free time, students would be encouraged to experiment further with the software.

Would you use this software with your students?  Why or why not?
I would definitely use this software in my classroom because it allows students to engage in phonics learning in a way that is self-directed and entertaining.  Curious George Learns Phonics prompts students to recognize letters, learn consonant and vowel sounds, and practice reading aloud.  I find the software valuable because it builds and strengthens skills needed for learning to read.

Rating:  Curious George Learns Phonics is an excellent program in which students acquire basic reading skills as they participate in fun games.  Appealing music, graphics, and activities make learning phonics exciting for students.  Students are encouraged to apply knowledge of letter names and sounds, beginning and ending consonant sounds, and vowel sounds as they practice reading words and short stories.  Essential reading skills are presented in the context of a play environment that is stimulating to young students; therefore, I rate Curious George Learns Phonics as a nine.

User Comments:  I found a review of Curious George Learns Phonics by Anne Erickson on Http://www.serendipity-web.com/category/
us/B00004UB6E.html.  Erickson comments, “This activity shines because it works on so many different levels:  kids learn how words behave in context, strengthen reading comprehension skills, and are entertained by some great stories that surpass the generic dross that occasionally gets banged out by software developers.”  Overall, Erickson concluded that the program was a valuable one that allowed kids to master “letter sounds, word parts, and reading comprehension with clowns, musical seals, and acrobatic elephants.”

Links:  I found an additional review of Curious George Learns Phonics at Http://www.sunburst-store.com/cgi-bin/sunburst.storefront.  The link identified appropriate grade levels, specified the publisher, and offered a brief description of the software.  The review highlighted the six games available on the software and made reference to the basic skills that Curious George Learns Phonics teaches students.  Finally, the link commented on uses of the software as classroom enrichment and reinforcement activities, which offer students self-paced learning experiences.  Further information on this link is attached to my review.

Three Additional Software Reviews:
1. Reading Blaster, reviewed by Belle Wong (parent) and Hayley (6).  The review was found at Http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~wwwpcse/rblast7.html.  Based on the review, I would be interested in trying the software.  Reading Blaster includes five activities focused on beginning and ending consonant sounds, sorting and sequencing words, creating words, and reading comprehension.  Players can create word search puzzles, listen to stories, and write messages to characters in the software.  Overall, Reading Blaster seems to be a valuable program, which teaches basic skills to emerging readers in a playful environment.

2. A Bug in the Program, reviewed by Jackie and Kristina Wheeler.  The review was found at Http://worldvillage.com, and again I would be interested in trying this software.  A Bug in the Program is a science based program that allows players to explore five bug habitats.  The software offers video clips, photographs, and detailed descriptions of different types of bugs.  Students can play memory games, construct puzzles, perform experiments, and answer trivia questions to learn about bugs and bug habitats. Overall, A Bug in the Program seems to be an excellent resource for teaching students about concepts related to science.

3. Franklin’s Reading World, reviewed by Ellen Adams.  The review was found at Http://www.worldvillage.com, and I found the description of the software to be less appealing that the previous two I read.  The software focuses on spelling and sentence construction, which are introduced through a series of eight games.  The review commented that some of the games “tested the manual dexterity of players,” which I thought may be frustrating for students attempting to play the games.  In addition, the review stated that “perhaps the most frustrating part of Franklin’s Reading World was navigation.”  Thus, the software seemed to be poorly organized and inflexible.  Overall, the review, although highlighting several positive features, made the software seem difficult to use.