 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Middle School Vocabulary Prep
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
- Price: $1.99-$2.99
- Category: Education
Common Sense Media says
Colorful app offers solid practice; could be more engaging.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Middle School Vocabulary Prep is a tight and focused flashcard-like study aid. Learn mode gives parts of speech and concise definitions -- often one-word synonyms -- in large text. Quiz and test modes utilize some 300 middle-school words and report number correct out of total. Navigation is nearly flawless save the teeny Stop and Go Back buttons. Music and design provide an appealing presentation. Spare content sacrifices an important element: usage examples in context. There are no games or other engaging activities, and students have no way of customizing the experience or keeping track of long-term progress.
What kids can learn
Tweens and teens can learn parts of speech and concise definitions -- often one-word synonyms -- for a selection of 300 middle-school words. Learning may be distilled down to the basics, but the missing usage examples might make learning shallow. Middle School Vocabulary Prep offers kids solid practice but misses opportunities to engage and empower them.
Subjects
- Language & Readingreading, reading comprehension, vocabulary
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
- Arts
- Hobbies
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningapplying information, decision-making, memorization
- Creativity
- Self-Directionacademic development, self-assessment, work to achieve goals
- Emotional Development
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
In MIDDLE SCHOOL VOCABULARY PREP, tweens and teens choose the correct definition in the word-based quiz, and choose the correct word in the definition-based quiz. When kids answer correctly, they see a big "Correct"; when they answer incorrectly they get "The correct answer is" (followed by the correct answer). When ready, kids can take the "BIG Final Practice" test with 50 items. Kids can email their results to others.
Is it any good?
Middle School Vocabulary Prep achieves its simple and focused goal with bold style: Quiz kids on definitions for a small selection of middle-school level words. Unfortunately, it lacks appeal otherwise because there are no usage examples, no games, and no engaging activities. Kids have no way of customizing the experience, like adding more words, and there is no way to track long-term progress. Kids can get solid practice with the app, but it's not likely to keep them engaged for long.
What kids can learn
Tweens and teens can learn parts of speech and concise definitions -- often one-word synonyms -- for a selection of 300 middle-school words. Learning may be distilled down to the basics, but the missing usage examples might make learning shallow. Middle School Vocabulary Prep offers kids solid practice but misses opportunities to engage and empower them.
Subjects
- Language & Reading: reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, decision-making, memorization
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction: academic development, self-assessment, work to achieve goals
- Emotional Development:
- Communication:
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Kids will learn through repeated cycles of learning, quizzing, and testing. Feedback is immediate in quiz mode, which is really important for any memorizing exercise. Unfortunately, kids will have a hard time truly remembering and understanding the words due to the lack of usage examples or engaging activities. Without exciting experiences or associations memorization is, at its core, dull. Kids have no way of tracking long-term progress.
How parents can help
- Help your child develop acronyms, acrostics, or songs to remember words.
- For artistic or visual learners, associate words with images.
- For kinesthetic (active) learners, associate words with actions.
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| Category: | Education |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire |
| Price: | $1.99-$2.99 |
| Size: | 15.00 MB |
| Publisher: | Peekaboo Studios |
| Version: | varies |
| Release date: | September 30, 2012 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 4.3 or later; Android 2.2 and up |
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