Wordshark 4 

Contact

White Space Ltd
1 Lochaline Street
London W6 9SJ

Tel: 020 8748 5927
Fax: 020 8748 2120

Website: www.wordshark.co.uk

Program evaluation 

Simon says:

This version of Word Shark (v.4.03) continues and develops the magnificent standards set by earlier versions. 

Words are now organised into six alternative structured courses: 

• the three stages of the book Alpha to Omega. This follows the structure of the book by Beve Hornsby and Frula Shear, written to support those with dyslexia.
  
• letters and sounds (supporting the English Government latest phonics scheme)
  
• literacy hour (English Government earlier framework)
  
• a short course to support different phonics schemes 
  
• secondary subject lists (3000 extra words and sentences in 13 curriculum subjects including words in context)
  
• general course for older students / adults which makes no reference to a student's age.

The voice used to speak the words is clear and certainly causes far fewer problems of the "what did it say?" Additionally, of course, the user can record and add their own words.

A course based around the Government's latest phonics initiative brings Wordshark right up-to-date whilst allowing users to choose whether to follow this course or not.

As before the program is easy to use by both new and experienced users. Help is very easy to access, both on-screen when selecting and playing games, and via email from the authors. Expect a fairly rapid reply.

Wordshark can be used in a wide range of situations. This ability is further enhanced by the range of customisation that is possible. This is done by an administrator - a user who has access to the customisation routines. This ability to tailor the program to the needs of the learner, in some detail, is one of the many great strengths of Word Shark.

Records are kept of a student's progress through the course, allowing teachers / parents to view games completed and errors made. Given the increasing emphasis on accountability in the teaching profession, then this is now an essential feature of any software. But, aside from the imposed need to be accountable, of more value is that these records help assess the student formatively: they may be used as assessment for learning.

It can be used straight from the box - but to get the best out of the range of features available it is worth spending a little time with the 100 A4 page handbook (and excellent on-line help). This covers use of the program in a wide variety of situations, as well as hard copy of the word lists. This helps users who are uncertain how to use the program with their own students. So, for example, the handbook contains customization ideas for using the program with any of these groups:-

• Able spellers / those needing more pace
• Younger children
• Young able spellers
• Lower ability groups
• Secondary school use
• Adult poor readers
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Attention difficulties
• Visual stress (including Mears Irlen Syndrome / Scotopic sensitivity)
• Hearing impairment
• Ethical considerations (So for example "gambling" reward games may be excluded, as may games including "bombs")

The 55 games cover the skills and concepts of reading and spelling in a fun yet structured and educationally sound way. 

I have used the program on a network with secondary students who received some form or other of literacy support, but many other students, who visited our support suite at lunchtime, used the program simply because it's fun. Students who may be difficult to motivate in other ways, usually learn easily using Word Shark. This is really refreshing and rewarding to see.

So overall impression? Well, a program which students like; which helps both knowledgeable teachers and parents, and less confident others, diagnose and remediate difficulties; and which provides easy record-keeping and accountability trails, has to be a must-have. 

Program Details

White Space say:

Wordshark is a major teaching resource used widely in schools.

• It combines the excitement of computer games with the serious task of learning to read and spell. It offers over 55 games which use sound, graphics and text to teach and reinforce word recognition and spelling.
  
  

• The program includes phonics, onset and rime, homophones, spelling rules, common letter patterns, visual and auditory patterns, prefixes, suffixes, roots, word division, high frequency words, use of words in context, alphabet and dictionary skills and more.
  

• The games and the selection of words have been specially targeted to assist those with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), but are equally good for all learners.
  

• The variety of games, concepts and words make Wordshark suitable for use in both primary and secondary schools as well as at home.

NEW in Wordshark 4, February 2008:

“Letters and Sounds” detailed phonics course supporting the English Government initiative. ALSO:

Many new games - Sassoon Font - More Reward Games - Extra teacher/admin functions including the ability for several staff to set different work for an individual child or group

Network version now compatible with Apple Mac.