Title: Jump-start: Kindergarten
Reading
Overall Rating:
A-
Source: Knowledge Adventure
Playing Time: 1 hour
Date: 1996
Cost: $ 19.99 https://secure.adventure.co
m/store/#jumpstart
Number of Players: one
Special Equipment/Facilities
Needed:
NA
Subject Area: Reading (phonics,
word building, and writing)
Objectives: To develop basic
reading skills, such as phonics, word recognition, and rhyming, in kindergarten
school age children.
Brief Description: Children travel
to different place, i.e. a city, the Arctic, Mexico, where they find objects
beginning with certain letter and sounds, complete rhyming sentences, and
play games where they have to match lettered objects with the letter a
character asks for.
Entry Capabilities Required: The
player would have to know their letters and the sounds they make.
Player would also have to know how to use a mouse.
Rating: (1-5) 5 good 1 bad
and why?
Relevance to objectives: 5- The
software contains many unique and interesting games and activities that
help to develop and practice reading skills. Players can review the
Alphabet at any time, and travel to six different areas where they play
game and activities such as letter recognition, beginning sounds, and vowels.
Provides practice of relevant skills:
5- The games allow for excellent practice for the developing and/or practice
of reading skills. One of the nice things about this software
is it contains a lot of repetition. This is very important for children
of this age level because the can predict what to expect next. They
feel comfortable with what the are doing and therefore want to continue
to learn more.
Likely to arouse/maintain interest:
5- This software will defiantly arouse the interest of the player.
The animation is amazing and the games are fun.
Likely to be comprehended clearly:
3.5-4- Comprehension of the software is okay, but could be improved.
I found that sometimes it was hard to understand what was being ask, because
I could not hear the characters. Children are not always going to
be able to use this in a nice quite setting (e.g. their classroom).
Another thing, in many of the games the player has to match a picture with
a certain beginning sound. Pictures can be confusing to a child.
For example, a picture of a hat may be cap to a child. If the game
requires them to match the "h" sound they would then get it wrong.
A way to clarify this would be to have the name of the object said when
the arrow touches it, but is not clicked on. This way the object
is made clear and the player can then choose if it is appropriate or not.
Technical quality (durable, attractive):
5- The color is very bright and attractive and the animation is very
active.
This software is defiantly eye catching and fun.
Game: Winning dependent on player actions (rather
than chance): 3- The score of the games
can defiantly be based on chance.
Simulation: Validity of game model (realistic,
accurate depiction): 5- The games
are very valid and very appropriate. They are very realistic and
incorporate many activities such as athletics and party festivals.
Evidence of effectiveness (e.g. field-test
results):
NA
Clear directions for play: 4- For
the most part, the directions are clear. As mention before, sometimes
it is hard to hear the character, but the player can always click on the
character to hear the directions again.
Effectiveness of debriefing:
5- The debriefing is excellent. Everything is broken down so each
area has its own score (e.g. rhyming, vowels, word matching, etc.)
Strong Points:
This software is very fun to play. The games and activities are very
interesting and relevant to the subject matter. The colors and animation
are very eye catching. Children with laugh while they are learning
when using this software.
Weak Points:
When using this software it is sometimes hard to understand exactly what
is being asked because it is hard to hear. In the games, matching
the pictures can confuse the child if they are not exactly sure what it
is, which will result in making them frustrated and not want to go on.
Reviewer: Jill Haggett
Position: Undergraduate student
(elementary education and psychology)
Date: 18 September 1998
Computer System Reviewed on: Macintosh
PowerPC 6500/250, 32mb ram.