 | |
 Screenshot of a previous version of the website | |
Type of site | Children's website |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado, United States |
| Owner | Starfall Education Foundation |
| Key people | Stephen Schutz (Chairman) and Roger Wilson (President) |
| URL |
www |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | August 27, 2002 |
Starfall is a children's website that teaches basic English reading and writing skills as well as math skills. The main demographic is preschoolers through 5th graders. It helps children build literacy, math and social emotional skills using games and phonics. Methods used by the website are based on the research of G. Reid Lyon from the National Institutes of Health and Edward J. Kame'enui from the University of Oregon. Established in 2002,Starfall was initially free public service to teach children to read. Since then Starfall has expanded to include standards in language arts, mathematics and social emotional learning for preschool through fifth grade. Starfall’s unique free-exploration model intuitively guides each child to find activities that fit his or her learning level.
In 2014, Starfall was converted to a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Starfall does not use advertising to generate revenue. It is funded by membership fees, subscriptions, and donations.
Starfall was founded on August 27, 2002, [1] by Stephen Schutz, his wife Susan Polis Schutz, and their son, Jared Schutz Polis. [2] [3] Starfall arose from Blue Mountain Arts, a publishing house in Boulder, Colorado founded by Stephen Schutz. Starfall received this name because the founders believed that the name "evoked wonder and delight". [2] Stephen Schutz had trouble reading books when he was 9 years old, so he decided to help young readers by creating this website. [3]
In 2006, Starfall launched Pumarosa, which helps Spanish speakers learn English. [2]
In May 2007, Starfall had 987,000 visitors, which was a 300% increase from the previous year. [2] In 2011, TIME included Starfall on its list of "50 Websites That Make the Web Great". [4]
In December 2014, Starfall became a 501c3 nonprofit organization under the name Starfall Education Foundation.
In May 2016, Starfall launched its first Teacher Resource Page. In 2017, this became the Parent Teacher Center, a website with free resources for teachers and parents. This page has been updated multiple times since then. It houses thousands of free activities including worksheets, songs, and books, lesson plans, and curriculum.
In December 2017, Starfall’s classic Learn to Read apps go offline-ready for the World Literacy's Foundation's Sun Book Tablet Initiative.
In August 2019, Starfall expanded features for accessibility with an all-new fully accessible index, featuring keyboard-friendly activities, closed-captions, and visual descriptions.
In May 2020, as schools faced closure due to COVID-19, Starfall began sending courtesy home access codes to educators for distribution to students. Over 700,000 codes issued. By August 2020, Starfall released a new Group Access feature for all School, Classroom, and Teacher members to support remote learning for the 20-21 school year. This allowed students to access Starfall content from home, not just the classroom.
In December 2021 Starfall expanded into new territory, adding advanced activities and games for grades 4 and 5. The new learning hub launched with two sections: English and Math. Available initially on the Starfall.com website only, but now on the app as well.
In August 2023, Starfall enables MDM - Starfall makes it easy for organizations to deploy and authenticate the Starfall App on multiple devices with Mobile Device Management and managed app configurations.
Starfall has four reading levels to teach children how to read. The levels, in order from the most basic to the most advanced are: "learning ABCs", "early beginning reading", "intermediate beginning reading", and "advanced beginning reading". [5]
The first level teaches preschoolers about the ABCs. At this level, the website provides learners with all the letters of the alphabet in the upper case form and in the lower case form. When the learners see words appear on the screen, they hear the sounds of all the letters that compose a word. In the early beginning level, learners create words through the addition of consonants to different word family. The letters in every word are highlighted while they are read to the learner. [5]
In the intermediate beginning reading level, readers can bring the books they will read to life before they read them. The learner can read about eminent artists and magic tricks. In the advanced beginning reading level, children can read a variety of books, including nonfiction books, bird riddles, Chinese fables, and comics. [5] [6]
Brief Description of Programs:
Starfall.com and the Starfall App: The Starfall.com website and Starfall apps (iOS and Android) provide high quality, research-based educational content to help children between Pre-K and 5th grade have fun learning. When using the Starfall website or app, children can access nearly 1,000 educational games, songs, and books aimed to make reading, math, and social emotional skills fun to practice! Starfall content is developed in partnership with experienced educators using time-tested, research based instructional methods and feedback from pilot programs across the country. More than half of the content on the Starfall website and app is available for free. Starfall offers low-cost memberships and app subscriptions to access additional resources.
Parent Teacher Center: The Parent Teacher Center is a website ( teach.starfall.com) with thousands of free digital resources for teachers and parents including worksheets, digital books, songs, projectables, and even curriculum. The resources available on the Parent Teacher Center were developed in partnership with experienced educators using time-tested, research based instructional methods and feedback from pilot programs across the country.
Books, Workbooks, and Journals: Starfall writes and publishes many high quality educational print materials. These are made available for low-cost through the organization’s online store and Amazon.com. The most popular products include:
- Decodable Books for early readers (such as: Starfall Learn to Read Phonics Books and Starfall Short-Vowel Pals: 16 Decodable Books, and the “I’m Reading” set of 15 books)
- Backpack Bear’s Math Workbooks
- Listening and Writing Journals
- My Starfall Dictionary, a book where kids can record the new words they are learning
Starfall ABCs app (free) - a free app focused on teaching children to recognize the letters and sounds of the alphabet through fun songs and colorful animation. The app also includes motion songs appropriate for students in preschool or kindergarten. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall Learn to Read app (free) - a free app that focuses on teaching children how to read beginning with short vowel sounds, long vowel songs, and then phonics and chunking. Each section of the app includes engaging songs and interactive activities that help children learn through exploration. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall I’m Reading app (free) - a free app featuring a digital bookshelf with more than 40 animated children’s books, plays and comics that are read aloud. The collection includes folk tales, Greek myths, and Chinese Fables. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall It’s Fun to Read app (free) - a free app featuring interactive books, poetry, tongue twisters, riddles and reading games. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall Numbers app ($4.99) - a paid app that helps children learn to recognize number symbols and values by connecting them to real-world objects. Children then learn to apply these concepts with counting activities and songs. The app introduces numbers from 0 to 100. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall All About Me app ($1.99) - a paid app where children build their own character, bedroom and pet. Children learn essential vocabulary while making choices about everyday objects, body parts, dressing up, pets and household environments. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Snowman app ($0.99) - a paid app where children have fun making snowmen and practice counting to 10 by singing along with the charming “Ten Little Snowman” song. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Gingerbread app ($0.99) - a paid app where children learn about 2D and 3D shapes by decorating gingerbread cookies and then leading a favorite cookie through a maze by following shapes and shape patterns. The maze is different every time you play! This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Pumpkin app ($0.99) - a paid app where children choose a pumpkin and design a face. Children then weigh pumpkins in both kilograms and pounds and discover which is the lightest and which is the heaviest. Children can award a blue ribbon to their favorite pumpkin! This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Turkey app ($0.99) - a paid app where children learn to read by decorating the Silly Turkey and laughing out loud at its silly jokes. Children can visit their Silly Turkeys in the Turkey Yard, or create other farm animals and learn their names by solving summettical puzzles. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
- ^ "About Starfall". Starfall. 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
- ^ a b c d Olson, Stefanie (2007-07-09). "The ABCs of learning online". CNET Networks. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ a b Tsubata, Kate (2007-09-24). "Web site a tool to teach reading". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ McCracken, Harry (August 16, 2011). "Starfall". Time. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c Gudmunsen, Ginny (2005-08-22). "Free site has scoop on teaching kids to read". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ Swicker, Ashlie (February 14, 2019). "3 Read-Aloud Websites for Kids". Book Riot. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
|
| |
|
Screenshot of a previous version of the website | |
Type of site | Children's website |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado, United States |
| Owner | Starfall Education Foundation |
| Key people | Stephen Schutz (Chairman) and Roger Wilson (President) |
| URL |
www |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | August 27, 2002 |
Starfall is a children's website that teaches basic English reading and writing skills as well as math skills. The main demographic is preschoolers through 5th graders. It helps children build literacy, math and social emotional skills using games and phonics. Methods used by the website are based on the research of G. Reid Lyon from the National Institutes of Health and Edward J. Kame'enui from the University of Oregon. Established in 2002,Starfall was initially free public service to teach children to read. Since then Starfall has expanded to include standards in language arts, mathematics and social emotional learning for preschool through fifth grade. Starfall’s unique free-exploration model intuitively guides each child to find activities that fit his or her learning level.
In 2014, Starfall was converted to a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Starfall does not use advertising to generate revenue. It is funded by membership fees, subscriptions, and donations.
Starfall was founded on August 27, 2002, [1] by Stephen Schutz, his wife Susan Polis Schutz, and their son, Jared Schutz Polis. [2] [3] Starfall arose from Blue Mountain Arts, a publishing house in Boulder, Colorado founded by Stephen Schutz. Starfall received this name because the founders believed that the name "evoked wonder and delight". [2] Stephen Schutz had trouble reading books when he was 9 years old, so he decided to help young readers by creating this website. [3]
In 2006, Starfall launched Pumarosa, which helps Spanish speakers learn English. [2]
In May 2007, Starfall had 987,000 visitors, which was a 300% increase from the previous year. [2] In 2011, TIME included Starfall on its list of "50 Websites That Make the Web Great". [4]
In December 2014, Starfall became a 501c3 nonprofit organization under the name Starfall Education Foundation.
In May 2016, Starfall launched its first Teacher Resource Page. In 2017, this became the Parent Teacher Center, a website with free resources for teachers and parents. This page has been updated multiple times since then. It houses thousands of free activities including worksheets, songs, and books, lesson plans, and curriculum.
In December 2017, Starfall’s classic Learn to Read apps go offline-ready for the World Literacy's Foundation's Sun Book Tablet Initiative.
In August 2019, Starfall expanded features for accessibility with an all-new fully accessible index, featuring keyboard-friendly activities, closed-captions, and visual descriptions.
In May 2020, as schools faced closure due to COVID-19, Starfall began sending courtesy home access codes to educators for distribution to students. Over 700,000 codes issued. By August 2020, Starfall released a new Group Access feature for all School, Classroom, and Teacher members to support remote learning for the 20-21 school year. This allowed students to access Starfall content from home, not just the classroom.
In December 2021 Starfall expanded into new territory, adding advanced activities and games for grades 4 and 5. The new learning hub launched with two sections: English and Math. Available initially on the Starfall.com website only, but now on the app as well.
In August 2023, Starfall enables MDM - Starfall makes it easy for organizations to deploy and authenticate the Starfall App on multiple devices with Mobile Device Management and managed app configurations.
Starfall has four reading levels to teach children how to read. The levels, in order from the most basic to the most advanced are: "learning ABCs", "early beginning reading", "intermediate beginning reading", and "advanced beginning reading". [5]
The first level teaches preschoolers about the ABCs. At this level, the website provides learners with all the letters of the alphabet in the upper case form and in the lower case form. When the learners see words appear on the screen, they hear the sounds of all the letters that compose a word. In the early beginning level, learners create words through the addition of consonants to different word family. The letters in every word are highlighted while they are read to the learner. [5]
In the intermediate beginning reading level, readers can bring the books they will read to life before they read them. The learner can read about eminent artists and magic tricks. In the advanced beginning reading level, children can read a variety of books, including nonfiction books, bird riddles, Chinese fables, and comics. [5] [6]
Brief Description of Programs:
Starfall.com and the Starfall App: The Starfall.com website and Starfall apps (iOS and Android) provide high quality, research-based educational content to help children between Pre-K and 5th grade have fun learning. When using the Starfall website or app, children can access nearly 1,000 educational games, songs, and books aimed to make reading, math, and social emotional skills fun to practice! Starfall content is developed in partnership with experienced educators using time-tested, research based instructional methods and feedback from pilot programs across the country. More than half of the content on the Starfall website and app is available for free. Starfall offers low-cost memberships and app subscriptions to access additional resources.
Parent Teacher Center: The Parent Teacher Center is a website ( teach.starfall.com) with thousands of free digital resources for teachers and parents including worksheets, digital books, songs, projectables, and even curriculum. The resources available on the Parent Teacher Center were developed in partnership with experienced educators using time-tested, research based instructional methods and feedback from pilot programs across the country.
Books, Workbooks, and Journals: Starfall writes and publishes many high quality educational print materials. These are made available for low-cost through the organization’s online store and Amazon.com. The most popular products include:
- Decodable Books for early readers (such as: Starfall Learn to Read Phonics Books and Starfall Short-Vowel Pals: 16 Decodable Books, and the “I’m Reading” set of 15 books)
- Backpack Bear’s Math Workbooks
- Listening and Writing Journals
- My Starfall Dictionary, a book where kids can record the new words they are learning
Starfall ABCs app (free) - a free app focused on teaching children to recognize the letters and sounds of the alphabet through fun songs and colorful animation. The app also includes motion songs appropriate for students in preschool or kindergarten. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall Learn to Read app (free) - a free app that focuses on teaching children how to read beginning with short vowel sounds, long vowel songs, and then phonics and chunking. Each section of the app includes engaging songs and interactive activities that help children learn through exploration. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall I’m Reading app (free) - a free app featuring a digital bookshelf with more than 40 animated children’s books, plays and comics that are read aloud. The collection includes folk tales, Greek myths, and Chinese Fables. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall It’s Fun to Read app (free) - a free app featuring interactive books, poetry, tongue twisters, riddles and reading games. This content is available on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app for free as well.
Starfall Numbers app ($4.99) - a paid app that helps children learn to recognize number symbols and values by connecting them to real-world objects. Children then learn to apply these concepts with counting activities and songs. The app introduces numbers from 0 to 100. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall All About Me app ($1.99) - a paid app where children build their own character, bedroom and pet. Children learn essential vocabulary while making choices about everyday objects, body parts, dressing up, pets and household environments. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Snowman app ($0.99) - a paid app where children have fun making snowmen and practice counting to 10 by singing along with the charming “Ten Little Snowman” song. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Gingerbread app ($0.99) - a paid app where children learn about 2D and 3D shapes by decorating gingerbread cookies and then leading a favorite cookie through a maze by following shapes and shape patterns. The maze is different every time you play! This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Pumpkin app ($0.99) - a paid app where children choose a pumpkin and design a face. Children then weigh pumpkins in both kilograms and pounds and discover which is the lightest and which is the heaviest. Children can award a blue ribbon to their favorite pumpkin! This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
Starfall Turkey app ($0.99) - a paid app where children learn to read by decorating the Silly Turkey and laughing out loud at its silly jokes. Children can visit their Silly Turkeys in the Turkey Yard, or create other farm animals and learn their names by solving summettical puzzles. This content is also available with a membership or subscription on Starfall.com and the main Starfall app.
- ^ "About Starfall". Starfall. 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
- ^ a b c d Olson, Stefanie (2007-07-09). "The ABCs of learning online". CNET Networks. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ a b Tsubata, Kate (2007-09-24). "Web site a tool to teach reading". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ McCracken, Harry (August 16, 2011). "Starfall". Time. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c Gudmunsen, Ginny (2005-08-22). "Free site has scoop on teaching kids to read". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ Swicker, Ashlie (February 14, 2019). "3 Read-Aloud Websites for Kids". Book Riot. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved April 4, 2019.