App Reviews: Star Speller - Helps Children to Improve Their Spelling Skills

Details

Star Speller is an interactive learning and games app that will help your child practice and improve their spelling skills. The game has 30 levels which contain 10 words each. These word groups are developed by ESL and elementary school teachers for Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade students. The lists are drawn from Dolch high frequency words, district lists, and a few “fun” words to keep them fresh. These word groups also increase in complexity with each level.

When you select a level, the app presents all words in that word group on the screen. The user can tap a word to hear the pronunciation of the word. When he/she is confident enough, he/she can proceed to the Reading Power or Spelling Power games which involve those words. In Reading Power, the narrator asks for a word and the user has to choose from the choices provided. In Spelling Power, the narrator pronounces a word which the user has to spell by touching the letters provided. Both of these games have time limits and have a star rating for the score.

Here’s how the scoring works:
- Less than 7 correct = half star
- 7 out of 10 correct = one star
- 8 or 9 out of 10 correct = two stars
- 10 out of 10 correct = three stars

What iHeartThisApp Liked

The app is a really effective spelling app because of the way it teaches and tests its users. Each level has both learning tools (flash cards and word list with audio) and game tools (reading power and spelling power) to test what they have learned.

The visuals, menu, buttons, are laid simply and intuitively so the user concentrates purely on the learning instead of figuring out how to use the app. It also provides voice over instructions every step of the way to further help its users. The narrator’s voice is clear and well-enunciated which is a big plus as it is a crucial part of the app.

There are several options to further adjust the game to a user’s level like adjusting game speed or turning off the audio instructions. The app tracks a player’s high scores which can also be reset anytime. There are also no ads, no social media content, and no in-app purchase that will distract from the objectives of the app. This is definitely a teacher developed app.

Overall

Star Speller is a very effective learning and game app that will help your kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders to improve their spelling. The app features teacher-developed content that will help children progress while at school or at home.