Word Joust for K-5
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: Free
- Category: Education
Common Sense Media says
Solid vocab with some medieval violence best for older kids.
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: Free
- Category: Education
Word Joust for K-5 gallery
What parents need to know
Ease of play
Violence & scariness
Sexy stuff
Language
Consumerism
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Privacy & safety
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Word Joust K-5 requires a Wi-Fi or data connection to play. Sensitive kids may be turned off by the medieval themes of jousting and scary-looking trolls or the realistic cartoon image in the hangman game of a man being hung part by part. The words included are from lists of most-used vocabulary in the elementary grades, but some of the games may be quite challenging (and frustrating) for younger players in kindergarten and the first and second grades.
What kids can learn
Subjects
Language & Reading
- speaking
- vocabulary
Skills
Thinking & Reasoning
- memorization
- solving puzzles
Self-Direction
- academic development
Engagement, Approach, Support
The quest theme draws kids in. Fun games keep them playing.
Encountering the words in different games helps solidify learning, but memorizing the same definition for each encounter does not give much depth or transfer knowledge.
Games are intuitive, so not much help is needed. Excellent data tracking for mastered words and words still being learned ("apprenticed"), as well as for times and scores.
User reviews
Parents say
Kids say
What's it about?
Kids become knaves in a medieval joust where they can either enter a quest and learn vocabulary from a list of 300 age-appropriate words or train by playing games with the words they've encountered in their quests. Games include Scramble (unscrambling mixed-up words); Troll Trickery (matching words to definitions); Labyrinth of Letters, a word search that is quite challenging; Cohorts of Swords (identifying the correct word as it crosses the screen); and Hangman. Kids move up from infantryman to archer and so on. Mastered words and "apprenticed" words (those introduced but not yet mastered in the games) can be reviewed in Stats and on the Global Leaderboard.
Is it any good?
QUALITY
WORD JOUST K-5 is a fun way for kids to practice word skills and develop their vocabularies. The mix of five games is varied enough for kids to practice different skills and use their brains in different ways. Kindergarten through fifth grade is a broad age range, though, and third through fifth grade may be more appropriate for the challenge level, given the fact that kids are playing against time. Younger readers may be too bogged down with just trying to read the moving words and may miss retaining the vocabulary. The words are compiled from lists of frequently used words in children's literature and American textbooks. There is no reason for kids to register their email addresses or share scores on the leaderboard, as their stats are saved within the app.
Families can talk about...
Read to your kids and encourage them to read. Reading is the best vocabulary-builder. Read our tips on How to Raise a Reader.
Some of the mini-games in Word Joust K-5 are classics, including the word search and hangman. Challenge your kid to a pen-and-paper duel with one of these.
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | Free |
| Pricing structure: | Free |
| Release date: | April 10, 2012 |
| Category: | Education |
| Topics: | Magic and fantasy |
| Size: | 11.00 MB |
| Publisher: | Root-One, Inc. |
| Version: | 1.5 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 4.0 or later |
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