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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.
Machine: Mac, Win t util
Publisher: Renaissance Learning
Purchase options: Enterprise-level; contact publisther
Level: Beginning, intermediate, advanced, teacher For: All, Teacher
Enterprise-level reading management software that includes student recordkeeping and computerized quizzes for reading-range-specific books. A Spanish/English version is also available, with 100 computerized quizzes for reading-range-specific Spanish language books and 100 computerized quizzes for the same books in English language. Students receive feedback in the language they select: either Spanish or English. Dual tracking lets educators separate or combine reporting on reading practice in either language. Accelerated Reader for Spanish English can be added to an initial Accelerated Reader Starter Kit purchase for an additional cost. The elementary level (grades 1-3) quizzes are for titles such as Goodnight Moon, Amelia Bedelia, Charlotte's Web, Clifford series books by Norman Bridwell and Magic School Bus series books by Joanna Cole. The Middle Grades Starter Kit (Grades 4-9) includes quizzes for James and the Giant Peach, Stuart Little, The Courage of Sarah Noble, The Great Gatsby, and titles from Betsy Byars, Laura Ingalls Wilder, S.E. Hutton, and Scott O'Dell. Requires a Windows server; clients are browser-based and can be Windows or Macintosh.
Machine: Win pronunciation
Publisher: Accent Master
Approximate single-unit price: $130
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: Adult, HE
This software uses animated graphics and video to demonstrate how to pronounce discrete sounds. Learners record and compare their waveforms to a model in words and phrases. The wavforms are resized to match each other. Games offer practice in using the different sounds in words and sentences. Thousands of audio recordings are included.
Machine: Win, Mac reading
Publisher: Mindplay
See also online/mail order
Approximate single-unit price: $50
Purchase options: network, lab pack, site license
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-3
Special use: bilingual
Students practice critical reading skills, including organizing information gained from texts and drawing conclusions. Also available in French and Spanish. Now part of One-Pick Pack (English only) or Language Pack (Spanish or French), which includes Ace Detective, Ace Explorer, Ace Inquirer, Ace Reporter, Easy Street, Race the Clock Language Arts, Word Hound, and some math titles. Pay a separate fee to install each the One-Pick Pack titles.
Machine: Win, Mac reading
Publisher: Mindplay
Approximate single-unit price: $50
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-3
Learners take on the role of a talk show host and read statements from guests, explore telephone leads, and research information in the library to determine if the guest's statement is a fact or an opinion. Stories can be created and added.
Machine: Win reading
Publisher: StepWare
Approximate single-unit price: $120
Purchase options: network, site
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-3
Speed reading software. Trial version has a 30-day limit. A variety of settings makes this a sophisticated program. Includes reading/comprehension tests broken out by grade levels. Regular and Pro versions are available for registered users. Windows 95/98/NT/Vista and Mac OS X. Shareware.
Machine: Win, Mac reading, writing
Publisher: Mindplay
See also Learning Services, World of Reading
Approximate single-unit price: $50
Purchase options: network, lab pack, site license
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-2
Special use: Bilingual, elementary
Students read 'teletype' messages and conduct 'phone interviews' to find answers to Who, What, When, Where and Why questions. Once their stories are complete they select the best headline for the story. Now part of One-Pick Pack (English only) or Language Pack (Spanish or French), which includes Ace Detective, Ace Explorer, Ace Inquirer, Ace Reporter, Easy Street, Race the Clock Language Arts, Word Hound, and some math titles. Pay a separate fee to install each the One-Pick Pack titles.
Machine: Win/Mac writing, reading, vocabulary
Publisher: Learning Company, The
Approximate single-unit price: $25
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.
Machine: Win listening
Publisher: Sky Software House
See also Wida
Approximate single-unit price: $115
Level: Intermediate For: All but K-6
Realistic listening passages in everyday situations. Four types of tasks are provided: listening for information, listen and respond, listening and notetaking, general listening with an interview, a talk, or a story.
Machine: Win, Mac listening
Publisher: DynEd International
Purchase options: contact publisher
Level: Advanced For: All but K-8
Listening course for advanced ESL/EFL students that uses authentic lectures from Stanford University professors to develop high-level listening and note-taking skills for academic or professional environments. Listening strategy notes give students detailed suggestions about how to approach various aspects of listening and note taking, both in general and in reference to specific exercises. Record-keeping is included. Windows 98/NT/2000/XP; Mac OS 9, X.
Machine: Win, Mac test prep
Publisher: Encomium Publications
Approximate single-unit price: $100
Purchase options: lab, site
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: Adult, HE
Special use: business
Practice for the TOEIC, a test often used to asses readiness for work in business in English speaking countries. CD-ROM. An online version is also available by subscription. Contact the publisher or see the website for details. The online version is likely to be better supported than the CD-ROM.
Machine: Win vocabulary
Publisher: Protea Textware
See also Wida
Approximate single-unit price: $80
Purchase options: home version (cheaper); lab, site
Level: Literacy, beginning For: Adult
Special use: literacy
For beginning level students with zero or near zero English literacy levels. Teaches and tests the names of letters, upper/lower case matching, alphabetical order, etc. Select American, Canadian, British or Australian models. Students can record words and sentences. Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista.
Machine: Mac/Win reading, discussion
Publisher: Learning Company, The
See also
mail order
Approximate single-unit price: $6
Purchase options: lab pack, site license
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All but K-4
Amazon Trail is a simulation of a trip up the Amazon River (and through time). The goal is to search for a medicinal plant that can save the ancient Incas from malaria. As students travel up the Amazon River they explore the rain forest, visit historical people and landmarks, trade with the people of the region, navigate and fish for food. The program comes with teacher's manuals and student worksheets that facilitate cooperative learning-based lessons and communicative language development. Windows 95/Me/2000/98/NT; Macintosh. Hybrid CD-ROM.
Machine: Win reference
Publisher: Learning Company, The
Approximate single-unit price: $50
Level: Advanced, teacher For: All but K-6
Variety of search features and access to word definitions from any Windows program. More than 200,000 definitions with newly coined and popularized words. Access to information on the dictionary such as a guide to using the dictionary and a pronunciation guide. Spoken pronunciations with more than 90,000 spoken word links. It comes with a thesaurus and a 'cultural literacy' dictionary and can be used as a spell checker for any text.
Machine: Win pronunciation
Publisher: SpeechCom
Approximate single-unit price: $150
Purchase options: $75 for home version; site lic.
Level: Intermediate, advanced For: All
The program offers video clips of lip and tongue position to help with pronunciation practice of sounds from isolated phonemes to words, phrases, and sentences. Linking, stress, and intonation exercises are also included. A directory based on the student's first language (out of 30 choices) helps students focus on sounds most likely to be problematic for them. Students can listen or listen, record, and compare themselves to the model. The Professional version of the program includes IPA and is authorable, so teachers can add their own material. While the program is designed for self-access, students will probably need some guidance in assessing their progress when working independently.
Machine: Mac/Win listening, reading
Publisher: Learning Company, The
Approximate single-unit price: $15
Purchase options: lab, network, site, teacher's ed.
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. Sold online/mail order only. Check product requirements carefully to be sure the version you are buying matches your equipment.
Machine: Win authoring
Publisher: Clarity Language Consultants
Approximate single-unit price: $75
Purchase options: Contact publisher
Level: Teacher For: Teacher
This CD-ROM-based program lets teachers create several different activity types--multiple choice, free practice, gap fill/cloze, drag and drop, proofreading, and target spotting--with hints, a feedback function that responds to students' errors, an introductory text option, and on-line help. Vocabulary can be added with sound. The program uses a simple type and click system to make it easy to author. Exercises can be linked. Context-sensitive help is available on each screen. Request a free copy of Author Plus Lite at www.authorplus.com/freecd/. Win 98/NT/2000/ME/XP; not verified on Vista.
Machine: Win authoring
Publisher: Wida Software
Approximate single-unit price: $700
Purchase options: UK£475 for the suite; £75 indiv titles
Level: Teacher For: T
This is an update on Wida's established authoring range incorporating Storyboard, Gapmaster, Testmaster, Matchmaster, Choicemaster, Pinpoint and Vocab into a single program for Windows. Users can buy the titles separately or the suite as a whole. Authors can enhance text activities with graphics, sound, video and rich text. Students can use the notepad to give a comment on the activities and teachers can call up and respond to these messages. Programs can share common glossaries. 'Convert' facility automatically converts files previously authored with Version 2.0. Windows 95/98; not verified on XP or Vista.
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Last updated 05/15/2009 by Deborah Healey.