OgStar Reading

What we love about OgStar Reading

We love that 106 lessons guide children through a pedagogically sound curriculum. The app is based on scientific research and is designed to develop phonological awareness, encoding and decoding which ultimately supports children in their reading and writing skills.

What skills does it improve?

Throughout the lessons, children are instructed in a systematic manner, using a multisensory approach. They begin with letter sounds, learning to mimic through forming their mouth shape correctly and repeating parts of a word. This is soon extended to letters and irregular words before children begin to read and write.

What age is it appropriate for?

The app is suitable for children aged 3 to 14 and should be used to support early readers or children who struggle with aspects of reading. Since the app adapts to the child’s level, a complete novice can begin at lesson one; while a child who has already grasped the basics of reading can start at a later point in the lesson sequence. Younger children, in particular, may do well to only complete the yellow, blue, and green steps in each lesson.

Is OgStar Reading easy to use?

OgStar Reading is very easy to use. Upon opening this app, parents or teachers need to register an account and password before adding students individually. Counter-intuitively, from the teacher/parent area, it is necessary to click “sign out” to return to student section. From here, the name, age and pattern must be entered for each child. This allows the app to determine what level of learning to start at; younger children generally begin at level one, while older children will need to take a test to determine the most appropriate starting point for them. Once in the student section, the spoken help feature introduces the app and layout to the child.

How will students benefit?

From the outset, students are enticed by the appealing graphics and interaction that the app facilitates – this interaction is central to the product. From the first lesson, children are encouraged to break sounds into their component parts: for example, say “meet” then say “meet” without the “m” sound. This is continued throughout the lessons with children encouraged to make sounds and listen to themselves, focus on mouth shape, begin to form letters, read, write, etc. At each point, the child is consistently interacting and actively learning. At the same time, there is a constant dialogue from the app to the child which guides them through the lessons step by step. At the end of a lesson, children are rewarded with a congratulatory certificate and coins which they can use to collect items in the “My Stuff” area.

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers may find that small group interventions are more suited to the app design rather than whole class teaching. This is because managing multiple students is trickier within one app and cannot be done from a different device.

How will parents benefit?

The instructive nature of the app will not only allow children to learn the requisite skills, it will also allow parents to understand how children are taught these skills, enabling them to practice, repeat and reinforce their child’s learning. The app also allows children to develop independence by encouraging them to work through lessons on their own.

What OgStar Reading can improve on?

Forming letters can be a little inconsistent and takes practice, while waiting for the speaker to say “tap next button to move on” becomes repetitive (try tapping the screen twice to skip directions). Similarly, the level of feedback can sometimes be inconsistent. For example, although letter formation practice is fantastic as it prevents the child from moving to the next skill until they have formed their letters correctly, this level of feedback is not seen in other skills, such as pronunciation, and instead relies on the child reflecting and improving on their own. Therefore, when initially teaching the child how to use the app, parental support should be encouraged.

Is OgStar Reading safe to use?

OgStar Reading is safe to use.

Overall rating of the app

Overall, this is an amazing app which truly engages children and allows them to interact in a positive manner with the device being used. This app is suitable for both parents and tutors with small numbers. It can also be used in the classroom as a learning station or for follow up support. Worthy of its 5-star rating!

You can download OgStar Reading on your iOS devices from the Apple App Store.