Hey friends!
The app review today is from my friends at Smarty Ears. They never disappoint with their apps, and this one is no exception. Smarty Ears provided me with a copy of the app to review, but the opinions below are all mine.
So who has tons of kids on her caseload working on verbs? This girl. Of all the apps I use, this one gets used the most. I LOVE how you can target regular and irregular verbs and all verb tenses in one easy-to-use app.
Getting Started:
After you add and select your players (which can be imported from TRC like all Smarty Ears apps), you can choose whether you want to practice using flashcards or find the verb receptively.
Selecting the Targets:
Once you choose whether you want to practice with flashcards or find the picture receptively, you can select which verbs you want to include, or deselect the verbs you want to leave out. (This is great for modifying for different ages and abilities)
When you’re playing with the flash cards, a picture appears showing an action. By clicking on the buttons on the left, you can choose whether you want the verb presented in a word, phrase, or sentence. In addition, you can choose which tense you want the verb presented in (present tense, present progressive, or past tense). Once you choose, you can click on the picture and hear it spoken. The buttons on the bottom right of the screen allow you, or your student if they are keeping their own data), to keep data with correct/incorrect/and almost correct (or assistance required).
Here’s an example of a past tense irregular verb at the word level. In the “settings” section on the app, you can choose to turn the written word/phrase/sentence under the picture on or off.
Visual & Auditory Reinforcement:
As the student gets correct responses, stars appear on the top of the screen. This is both a great visual and auditory reinforcement!
For every 10 stars, a sticker card is given to the student. These can all be seen in the Report center of the app.
If “Find It” is chosen instead of flash cards, this screen appears. Here, you can choose which tense you would like to work with, as well as whether you want words, phrases, or sentences. In addition, you can choose all three if you like, which is an option I love for my older students!
Depending on what you chose, a word, phrase, or sentence will be presented. The student has four pictures to choose from.
Scaffolding:
If the incorrect picture is chosen, the incorrect response disappears
until only the correct choice is left.
until only the correct choice is left.
The students earn stars for reinforcement in this activity as well.
After 10 stars, they earn another sticker card.
After 10 stars, they earn another sticker card.
Progress Monitoring & Data:
After you’re finished playing, you can check out the student’s progress in the Report Center. Here, you can choose to see the Sticker Page, see Progress Cards, or Generate Certificates.
The Sticker Page shows students which sticker cards they have earned and which ones they can still achieve if they continue to work hard.
The Progress Card gives you a breakdown of the data from each session. It tells you what was played, how long it was played, the number of trials (cards reviewed), and the accuracy.
To print a certificate, you can choose the mastery criteria for each student. You can differentiate between regular and irregular verbs, different tenses, and whether or not the student demonstrates understanding or demonstrates production.
Here’s an example of a certificate. My students LOVE “awards” day!
Homework Practice:
Finally, if you’re looking for additional practice in the form of a worksheet, the Homework section is where you’ll find it! You can print all kinds of worksheets for the students to do in therapy or at home for homework!
Here’s an example of a worksheet for past-tense verbs!
In Summary:
All in all, I LOVE this app and use it daily. I love that it can be modified for different ages and ability levels, can be used receptively OR expressively, has great real-life pictures, has awesome reinforcement, has built-in data collection, and has homework options as well!
iPractice Verbs sells for $9.99 in the itunes store, and it is well worth the investment. You can find it here:
Do you use iPractice Verbs with your kids? How else do you practice verbs in therapy?
