TESOL CALL Interest Section

Software List

Deborah Healey, Editor

Elementary/Primary students -Alphabetical Listing

  [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

ABC 4 Kids Workshop

    Machine: Win

    vocabulary, literacy
    Publisher: Caltrox
    Approximate single-unit price: $20
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-3
    Special use: literacy, elementary
    Includes over 100 different pictures from A-Z, Voice- to-text speech engine for pronunciation and a self-testing module. Voice synthesizer teaches both pronunciation of the word and its correct spelling. Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista/7. Download a trial version from the website, then pay to activate the full product.

Academy of Reading

    Machine: Win, Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Autoskill International
    Purchase options: network - see publisher for details
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: preK-12
    Special use: Elementary, literacy, bilingual
    A phonics-based literacy product, this program uses graphics, sound, and animation to steer teacher and student through pre-testing, prescribed exercises, then post testing. Strong management component. Has screens for reading difficulties in oral, aural, motor, speed, response, and other areas. Special needs accommodated. No reading ability needed to begin but requires ESL teaching to accompany product. Version 5 and up designed for central deployment, with a web-based user interface. Windows XP/Vista; Mac OS X.

Achieve: Writing and Language Arts

    Machine: Win/Mac

    writing, reading, vocabulary
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    Approximate single-unit price: $12
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: 2-6
    Special use: Elementary
    Designed to meet a third through sixth grade language arts curriculum- grammar and spelling, parts of speech and sentence structure, lsynonyms and antonyms, build vocabulary. This incorporates Word Munchers, Schoolhouse Rock/Grammar Rock, Writing Trek. Designed for native speakers, but useful for ELLs. Windows XP; unknown Mac OS.

Arthur's Teacher Trouble

    Machine: Mac/Win

    listening, reading
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    Approximate single-unit price: $10
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: K-6
    Special use: Bilingual, elementary
    An interactive, animated story about an elementary schooler (Arthur the Aardvark) surprising even himself with what he accomplishes. The program has excellent graphics, sound effects, dialogues, and lots of surprises to maintain student interest. Text can be heard in English and Spanish. Requires CD-ROM drive. Best used in K-6 and family literacy settings.

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Bailey's Book House

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading, vocab
    Publisher: Riverdeep
    See also
    amazon.com
    Approximate single-unit price: $40
    Purchase options: teacher pack
    Level: For: K-6
    Special use: elementary
    Elementary; explore words, rhyming, letters, and stories. Windows 98/ME/2000/XP; not verified for Vista or Windows 7.

BeltSuccess

    Machine: Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Binary Logic
    Purchase options: contact publisher for details
    Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: K-6
    Special use: elementary
    Five-level series with 16-24 lessons. Major emphasis is on grammar and vocabulary development, with a variety of exercises that include reading, listening, and voice recording and comparison with the model. Extensive record-keeping and management that prints out reports and certificates. Schools subscribe for a period of time and pass the costs on to students. The package includes books and a dongle (hardware key). Students can work at home in the book, then enter their answers on the computer to check them. The company offers on-site teacher training.

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Core Reading and Vocabulary Development

    Machine: Mac/Win

    reading, vocabulary
    Publisher: Educational Activities Software
    Approximate single-unit price: $675
    Purchase options: lab, network
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: 3-6, Adult
    Special use: Elementary
    This program is a comprehensive approach to reading and language development. In the first phase, students see, hear, say, and record each word. The second phase is a reading of the lesson text, 2-3 sentences per screen. The same text is then presented in a timed reading exercise, one phrase at a time. Next the student completes reading comprehension exercises. Students can refer back to the text to find the answer, and on an incorrect response the computer highlights the sentence where the answer should have been found. For vocabulary practice, students complete words from sentences in the text and choose the correct spelling. Directions are spoken in English and Spanish. This is sold separately or as part of the ESL/Basic Literacy bundle.

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Earobics

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    Purchase options: Contact publisher
    Level: Literacy, beginning, intermediate For: K-6
    Special use: elementary
    Includes interactive software, guided instruction, student resources, teacher's guides, correlations and assessments, customized professional development, and school-to-home connections. Designed for reading and phonics work.

English Adventures

    Machine: Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Techno-Ware
    Approximate single-unit price: $500
    Purchase options: lab
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-3
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    DVD-based series of adventure stories, chants, songs, and texts that introduce children to the sounds of letters, letter combinations, and the creation of words from these sounds (phonics). Record and playback options, as well as record-keeping. Program runs from a server. Windows 95/98/2000/ME; not verified for Vista or Windows 7.

English for Kids Set

    Machine: Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: ESL Pro Systems
    See also
    World of Reading
    Learning Services
    Approximate single-unit price: $60
    Level: Beginning For: K-3
    Special use: elementary
    Six CD-set includes English For Kids (pronunciation). English Practice Combo (vocabulary, listening, grammar, spelling). My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary, and PDF-formatted Printing Workbook, Cursive Writing Workbook, and Creative Writing Workbook. Customized versions are available for speakers of French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, German, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, and Russian. See a review at http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/engkids00.htm.

ESL ReadingSmart

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Alloy Multimedia
    Purchase options: $750 for up to 25 users
    Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: K-6
    Special use: Elementary
    Reading skill practice with literature: myths and legends, biographies, poetry, and short stories from different regions and cultural traditions. Learners can link to related stories, articles, vocabulary and comprehension activities and relevant Web sites. Vocabulary support is provided through pop-up definitions while reading, as well as graphics and sound. Teachers can track learners' performance through online reports.

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Froggy Phonics

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Ingenuity Works
    Approximate single-unit price: $25
    Purchase options: lab, site
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: pre-K-3
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    This CD-ROM has three modes: Learn, where children click on words or letters to hear them spoken; Watch, where children match words and objects then watch a movie incorporating target sounds; and Play, where students have five activities that focus on reading, spelling, painting, matching, and pattern recognition.

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Jump Start Reading series

    Machine: Win

    reading
    Publisher: Knowledge Adventure
    See also
    Amazon
    mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $10
    Purchase options: lab, site, T version
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: pre-K-2
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    A series of programs, sold separately. Reading programs are for Pre-kindergarten to grade 3 (about 9 years old) and have a focus on phonics and vocabulary practice. Literacy titles include sound-spelling drills. Multimedia drills with game elements designed to promote literacy. Teacher editions include 2 copies of the software plus teacher materials. Windows 2000/XP; not listed as Vista-compatible.

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Kidspiration

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reference
    Publisher: Inspiration Software
    Approximate single-unit price: $70
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-5
    Special use: Elementary
    Designed for younger learners than Inspiration, this very visually helps learners build graphic organizers by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts and information. Younger learners develop early literacy skills, and more advanced students improve comprehension skills and better organize ideas for writing. The website offers a free trial: http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/kidspiration/index.cfm

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Let's Go Interactive

    Machine: Mac, Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: DynEd International
    See also
    Oxford Univ. Press
    Approximate single-unit price: $600
    Purchase options: Contact publisher for pricing
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: Pre-K -4
    Special use: Elementary; bilingual (Sp, Port., Jap.); literacy
    A six-level, 12 CD-ROM series designed for children ages 4-10 (pre-readers and early readers), adapted from the American English textbook series by Oxford University Press. Songs and music by Carolyn Graham. Animated cats provide guidance throughout. Each lesson builds on the previous ones. Each level contains 8 units with conversation, vocabulary, grammar, and phonics lessons plus songs and a game, following a grammatical syllabus. A teacher's book, other classroom aids, and some bilingual versions are also available. Pricing options include per-student-use cost. Contact the publisher for details.

Let's Go Read: An Island Adventure

    Machine: Win, Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Edmark Corporation/Riverdeep
    Approximate single-unit price: $45
    Purchase options: school version avail.
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: Pre-K - 1
    Special use: Elementary, literacy
    Reading skills in an adventure format. Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XP / NT / 95, Mac OS X. Designed for native speakers.

Lexica Reading

    Machine: Mac, Win

    reading
    Publisher: Lexia Learning
    Purchase options: Contact publisher for pricing.
    Level: Literacy, beginning, intermediate For: K-12, AE
    Special use: Elementary
    Three sepsarate programs: Lexia Early Reading for ages 3-5 phonemic awareness; Lexia Primary Reading for ages 5 to 8 basic reading skills; and Lexia Strategies for Older Students for ages 9 to adult reading skill practice. Has explicit practice in phonemic awareness and phonics; also works on vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Leveled activities brance in response to student performance. Includes student record-keeping system. Records are stored online, at Lexia's server. Optional web-based component for self-study. The whole series is also available as a fully online program.

Looking for Words

    Machine: Win

    vocabulary
    Publisher: Attainment Company
    Approximate single-unit price: $80
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-6
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    Combines community awareness, reasoning skills and vocabulary building. In "explore," students move to 24 locations, learning new words as they go. Users select any object and it identifies itself. In "list" option, students search home, school and community for specific words. "Picture print" creates student activities or illustrated booklets. Record-keeping. Sold by several vendors, including NAS (http://www.nas.ca/lfw.html) and http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Software.

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Millie's Math House

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Edmark Corporation/Riverdeep
    See also
    online/mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $20
    Purchase options: school version avail.
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: pre-K-3
    Special use: Elementary, literacy
    CD-ROM with interactive math activities. A Spanish version is also available. Windows XP: Mac OS X. Not verified on Vista.

Mindplay TEAM - FLRT

    Machine: Win

    reading
    Publisher: Mindplay
    Approximate single-unit price: $300
    Purchase options: contact publisher
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-6
    Special use: Literacy, elementary
    Reading speed and fluency-builder. Provides visual discrimination practice while learning to read sight words and high frequency words. The program measures and works on silent reading speed, reading fluency, retention, and comprehension with a library of over 700 content-rich stories. Reports on reading comprehension skills by class, student, and 18 specific skills including: main idea, context clues, inference, and author's purpose.

My Reading Coach

    Machine: Win

    reading
    Publisher: MindPlay
    Approximate single-unit price: $300
    Purchase options: contact publisher
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-6
    Special use: Literacy, elementary
    Phonics-based program. Includes an initial assessment of reading skills, then assigns lessons and monitors progress. Virtual teachers provide support and encouragement. Will support Macintosh clients using a Windows server or Windows standalone machines.

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Odyssey ELL Elementary

    Machine: Win, Mac

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Compass Learning Systems
    Purchase options: contact publisher
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-4
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    Comprehensive system that runs from a local server or over the Internet from the Compass Learning server. Includes extensive record-keeping and curriculum aligned with US government-required standardized testing (NCLB). The program includes a pre-reading progam and covers English structure and function, with opportunities for writing. Audio support is available in English and some languages.

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Picture Cue Dictionary

    Machine: Mac/Win

    vocabulary
    Publisher: Attainment Company
    Approximate single-unit price: $80
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: All
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    Vocabulary presentation program organized around four thematic units: shopping, meals, appearances, and home. Display mode presents the target words together with a corresponding picture and digitized pronunciation one by one. In Matching mode the students match the word to the picture--testing what they've learned. Teachers can modify the order and content of lessons for each student. Has IntelliKeys overlays for students with limited manual dexterity. CD-ROM.

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Q Kids CDs

    Machine: Win/Mac

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Q Group
    Purchase options: Contact publisher
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-6
    Special use: Elementary, literacy
    CD-ROMs, readers, audio and video cassettes are part of this comprehensive program for young learners of English. A variety of activities.These basic English CDs provide over 100 hours of learning and comprise two separate courses, one for pre-readers and one for readers: Winnie's World (pre-readers): An animated world of eight �houses' with different topics in each house; Freddy's Islands (readers): Children can �hop' from one island to another with different lessons on each island. Online version is also available.

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Reader Rabbit Learn to Read Phonics

    Machine: Win

    reading, vocabulary
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    See also
    online/mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $20
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-2
    Special use: Elementary, literacy
    This program is designed to make learning to recognize letters and words fun for younger children. It uses brightly-colored graphics with smiling animals to motivate sound-symbol practice. Several different types of exercises are included, mostly phonics-related. Students can choose which type of activity to do; a record-keeping function is included so that the teacher can see what the learner worked on and how s/he did. CD-ROM. Mac OS X and Windows 98/XP; not verified for Vista. Check the product specifications carefully to be sure you are getting the right one for your computer. Knowledge Adventure titles are now sold only through third-party vendors.

Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey 2

    Machine: Win

    reading, vocabulary
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    See also
    online/mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $20
    Level: Beginning, intermediate, teacher For: K-2
    Special use: Elementary
    Thirty stories; games that promote phonics, word recognition and comprehension. On CD-ROM. Mac OS X and Windows 95/98; not verified on Vista. Check the product specifications carefully to be sure you are getting the right one for your computer. Knowledge Adventure titles are now sold only through third-party vendors.

Reading Blaster series

    Machine: Mac/ Win

    reading
    Publisher: Knowledge Adventure
    Approximate single-unit price: $30
    Purchase options: lab, site, T version
    Level: For: pre-K-6
    Special use: literacy, elementary
    The Reading Blaster series has three programs: Ages 4-6, Ages 6-9, and Ages 9-12. Multimedia drills and games build reading skills. CD-ROM. Teacher editions include 2 copies of the software plus teacher materials. Check the product specifications carefully to be sure you are getting the right one for your computer. Knowledge Adventure titles are now sold only through third-party vendors. Different versions are available for Mac OS 9, OS X, Windows 95/98/XP and Vista.

Reading Street Fluency Coach

    Machine: Win, Mac

    reading, speaking
    Publisher: Pearson Education
    Approximate single-unit price: $290
    Purchase options: Grades sold separately
    Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: 2-6
    Special use: Elementary
    Uses voice recognition software to build fluency in reading. Students read selections into the microphone, and software tracks words correct per minute and provides corrective feedback. Students can listen to model fluent readings and practice reading on their own. Grades 2-6 sold separately.

Roxie's Reading Fish

    Machine: Win

    reading
    Publisher: LatticeWork Software
    Approximate single-unit price: $10
    Level: Beginning For: K-3
    Special use: elementary
    Animated game environment for children with basic, high-frequency words; text and audio. Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP. Shareware download from http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Games/Educational_Games/Roxie_s_Reading_Fish.html

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Spelling Blaster: Ages 6-9

    Machine: Mac/Win

    vocabulary
    Publisher: Knowledge Adventure
    See also
    Amazon.com
    other mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $30
    Purchase options: lab, site, T version
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: 3-6
    Special use: elementary
    Multimedia drill with game elements for spelling practice. Teacher editions include 2 copies of the software plus teacher materials. Mac OS 9 and below, Mac OS X, Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista,

Stanley's Sticker Stories

    Machine: Win/Mac

    writing
    Publisher: Edmark Corporation/Riverdeep
    Level: Beginning For: K-3
    Special use: elementary
    Create animated storybooks. Mac OS 9 (not OS X); Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP Pro; Vista/7 in Compatibility Mode.

Stickybear's Early Learning Activities

    Machine: Mac/Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Optimum Resource
    Approximate single-unit price: $60
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: Pre-K-6
    Special use: elementary, literacy
    Introduces young children to the English alphabet, counting, shapes, opposites and colors. Instructions for the six different activity options for each lesson objective can be in either English or Spanish. The lessons can be done either following computer prompts or in a more independent exploration mode. There are several other early learning titles available in the Stickybear series. Windows XP/Vista and Mac Classic/OS X on a hybrid CD.

Stickybear's Reading Room

    Machine: Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Optimum Resource
    See also
    online/mail order
    Approximate single-unit price: $60
    Purchase options: network, site
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: K-6
    Special use: Bilingual, elementary
    Teaches pre-reading and basic reading skills in both English and Spanish. Exercises include match the word, find the word, and build a sentence. Activities use colorful animation and digitized speech.

Storybook Weaver

    Machine: Mac, Win

    writing
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    See also
    Smart Kids Software
    Learning Services
    Amazon.com
    Approximate single-unit price: $15
    Level: Literacy, beginning, intermediate For: K-6
    Special use: literacy, bilingual, elementary
    A creative tool for kids to write and illustrate their own storybook. Students can choose from hundreds of images and scenery combinations, plus a variety of borders and type styles. They can also add sounds and music to their stories. Story Book Weaver Deluxe on CD offers more graphics and animation, spoken word narration, and both English and Spanish writing capabilities. The disk version is slightly less expensive. MECC titles are now sold by Learning Company School.

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Tell Me More Kids ESL

    Machine: Win

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Auralog
    Approximate single-unit price: $130
    Purchase options: age levels also separately
    Level: Beginning For: pre-K-6
    Special use: elementary
    Specialized English course for children based on speech recognition. Offers progressive learning adventures based on age and proficiency level, including more than 1,000 activities, karaoke and cartoons. Also available as an online course. Windows 95/NT4/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/7

Tortoise and the Hare

    Machine: Mac, Win

    listening, vocabulary, reading
    Publisher: Learning Company, The
    See also
    World of Reading
    Approximate single-unit price: $15
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: All
    Special use: bilingual, elementary
    Colorful and interactive storybook. Students can hear the story read in both English and Spanish. Each page is filled with surprises to entertain and motivate new readers. Requires a CD-ROM drive. If this program is used on an IBM or compatible, it requires an MPC-compliant machine.

Trudy's Time and Place House

    Machine: Win/Mac

    reading
    Publisher: Edmark Corporation/Riverdeep
    Approximate single-unit price: $10
    Purchase options: school version avail.
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: pre-K - 3
    Special use: Elementary, literacy
    Time and geography instruction with different activities. Designed for native speakers. CD-ROM. Runs on older platforms - Windows 95/98 and Mac OS 7-8. Not verified on later systems.

Twisted Tails

    Machine: Win

    reading
    Publisher: AHA! Software
    Approximate single-unit price: $10
    Level: Beginning, intermediate For: K-6
    Special use: elementary
    Popular fairy tales with an optional mad-libs style twist - the stories are not quite as they used to be. When the stories are 'twisted,' the computer slots randomly selected names, words and phrases into the framework of the traditional stories. You can even select the names of the hero/heroine in each story or let the computer pick for you. Words can be added to the computer's vocabulary. The freeware version includes a few stories, and the shareware version includes several more.

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Ultimate Writing and Creativity Center

    Machine: Mac/Win

    writing
    Publisher: Riverdeep
    Approximate single-unit price: $30
    Purchase options: network, site license
    Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced For: K-6
    Special use: Elementary
    Word-processor with graphics, sound, and animation add-ons. An interactive cartoon character prompts students through the prewriting process. Best for children, due to the nature of the graphics included. Comes on CD-ROM.

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WiggleWorks

    Machine: Mac

    comprehensive
    Publisher: Scholastic Software
    Purchase options: 1500 for books, CDs
    Level: Beginning For: K-2
    Special use: Bilingual, elementary
    Children learn reading, writing, speaking and listening skills with this set of materials, including books, other print material, and CD-ROMs. Titles include Pizza, Kites, Raindrops, What Lila Loves, The Ball Game, The Tree House, What's Inside, and several others.

Write On Plus

    Machine: Win/Mac

    writing
    Publisher: Sunburst Technology
    Approximate single-unit price: $50
    Purchase options: each level priced separately; lab, site
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-12
    Special use: Literacy, elementary
    Writing activities. Different CDs for K-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12. K-3 includes children's literature and literacy activities; 3-6 includes editing, sentence combining, punctuation activities; 6-9 has process writing and literature skills; 9-12 includes more advanced writing activities. Windows ME/2000/NT/XP; Mac OS 9.

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Zip Zoom English

    Machine: Mac, Win

    reading
    Publisher: Scholastic Software
    Purchase options: $3000 for 30-station license
    Level: Literacy, beginning For: K-3
    Special use: literacy, elementary
    CD-ROM that accompanies 10 books, workbooks audio CDs, teacher's guide, and other material. There is a strong focus on phonics and basic vocabulary-building. Extensive record-keeping. Windows 2000/XP; Mac OS X. See more information at http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/zipzoom/


https://eltexpert.com/softlist/elementary.html
Last updated 10 June 2010 by Deborah Healey, dhealey at uoregon dot edu
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