iPractice Verbs

Features
Price $17.99
Age Range Early Childhood & Lower Primary
App Type Learning App
Version Reviewed 3.0
Android Available?
Lite Version Available?
Help Provided?

Bloom's Thinking Process
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

Adaptability
Includes pictures
Includes recorded voice
Includes text

Review Comments
We all know that every sentence must have a verb. This app recognises the importance of learning verbs alone but also in phrases and sentences. Flashcards: There are 120 verbs in total. The verb can be shown as present (look), present progressive (looking) or past tense (looked). The verb can be shown as a single word, a phrase or a sentence. The app shows the picture with voice and text. The verb in highlighted in the text. The student isn't required to complete a task in this section. However, flashcards could easily be used for practising verbal imitation to work on expressive language skills. Find it: The adult chooses present, present progressive or past tense or a mixture of all three. This is the receptive or comprehension mode. Again this can be set at word, phrase or sentence level. The student sees a choice of 4 verb pictures which are also said and the written form is shown at the top. The student needs to choose the correct verb. This app would be a useful tool for teaching verb concepts. The pictures are clear and the large variety of verbs means that it could be used by a large age range of students. There is a video tutorial on the Smarty Ears website.

Review Comments

We all know that every sentence must have a verb. This app recognises the importance of learning verbs alone but also in phrases and sentences.

Flashcards: There are 120 verbs in total. The verb can be shown as present (look), present progressive (looking) or past tense (looked). The verb can be shown as a single word, a phrase or a sentence. The app shows the picture with voice and text. The verb in highlighted in the text. The student isn't required to complete a task in this section. However, flashcards could easily be used for practising verbal imitation to work on expressive language skills.

Find it: The adult chooses present, present progressive or past tense or a mixture of all three. This is the receptive or comprehension mode. Again this can be set at word, phrase or sentence level. The student sees a choice of 4 verb pictures which are also said and the written form is shown at the top. The student needs to choose the correct verb.

This app would be a useful tool for teaching verb concepts. The pictures are clear and the large variety of verbs means that it could be used by a large age range of students.

There is a video tutorial on the Smarty Ears website.

Use	Rank (*)
Sentences		Ranked 11th of 13
Vocabulary		Ranked 18th of 31

(*) This app has been ranked according to its' effectiveness to achieve the learning goals and strategies listed. Some apps may rank highly for achieving a specific use and lower for other uses. Some students will learn and engage with one app more than others, because of the individual nature of us all.

Learning App
Learning apps are designed for a specific purpose. The authors claim to teach a goal, skill or concept.

Bloom's Thinking Process
Bloom's Taxonomy is classification system used to explain the behaviours important in learning. Apps range from simple memory tasks such as flashcards apps through to creative apps which ask students to create an original story or video.

Bloom's Creating
The student creates new ideas, products or ways of viewing things. Activities include making, animating, designing, constructing, planning, producing and inventing.

Bloom's Evaluating
The student justifies a decision or course of action. Activities include counting to check, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting and judging.

Bloom's Analysing
The student breaks the information into parts to explore understandings and relationships. Activities include explaining, ordering, inferring, comparing and organising.

Bloom's Applying
The student uses the information in a new situation. Activities include implementing, carrying out, using, illustrating, classifying and categorising.

Bloom's Understanding
The student comprehends the new information. Activities include describing, predicting showing understanding use a multiple choice.

Bloom's Remembering
The student recalls information they know. Activities include matching, 'fill in the blank', making a choice, answering using a multiple choice, naming a group.

Learning Connection
How well does the app teach the targeted skill or concept? This is the area where we refer to current research and pedagogy to evaluate the efficacy of the app.

Authenticity
Authenticity looks at the manner in which skills are learnt. Authentic apps use real life or genuine activities. Students learn in context rather than in a contrived or rote fashion (such as flashcards).

Feedback
Feedback needs to be specific and result in improved performance. Feedback should be supportive and encouraging rather than negative. Data should be available to support decision making.

Differentiation
Differentiation is the ability to customise the app to suit the student. The ability to record you voice, customise text, add pictures and alter settings enables individualisation of the app.

User Friendliness
User friendliness is a measure of how well a student can use the app independently. Some apps are simply intuitive to use. Others include audio or visual prompts which support the student.

Motivation
All apps are engaging the first time they are played. However, students with diverse learning needs may need to return to the app many times. Motivating apps offer rewards,games or incentives.

Sentences
There are rules which govern how words are put together to form a sentence. The student practises saying a whole sentence with correct grammar and vocabulary.

Vocabulary
These are apps which teach students everyday vocabulary. They include words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Domain	Score	Details
Learning Connection	3	Verbs are a useful language learning goal. A few more examples of pictures per verb would be useful for generalisation. As verbs usually involve movement, it is difficult for some children to grasp the concept from a still picture. Similarly, it is hard to demonstrate a past tense verb using a static picture.
Authenticity	2	The student shows their understanding of the sentence by choosing the sentence from a choice of four.
Feedback	3	Verbal praise is given in the "Find it" game. If the child chooses incorrectly, less choices are offered and they are encouraged verbally to try again. It would be great if data was available in future versions.
Differentiation	2	You can choose the verbs to practise. You can choose the verb tense and level (word, phrase, sentence).
User Friendliness	4	The student could use the "Find it" game independently. It is fun that the child can flick through the pictures by shaking the device.
Motivation	2	The first time the child uses this app, it is lots of fun. I would like to see some additional rewards of motivators to keep the child coming back to this app on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the duck voice is rather annoying.

From the App Store

Developer Smarty Ears, LLC
App Store Rating (from 1 reviews)
Current Version Rating (from 1 reviews)
Current Version 6.0

Developer's Description
iPractice Verbs was featured at Macworld.com Magazine in 2011. *iPractice Verbs was amongst the top 200 Educational iPad apps on iTunes in September, 2011. iPractice Verbs is an app developed to help children learn and practice basic English verbs in a variety of levels (word, phrase, sentence) and tense forms (present, present progressive & past tense). iPractice Verbs was designed by a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist to serve as a tool for children with language delays and as a tool for children and adults learning English as a second language. iPractice Verbs is very intuitive to use and it is compatible with the Therapy Report Center ( A FREE caseload management application). iPractice Verbs allows for multiplayer activities and it contains two activities: Flashcard & Find it. This app contains over 158 regular & irregular verbs in the present, present progressive, and past tense with corresponding high quality images and audio (totaling to over 1000 stimuli). Practicing verbs and verb tenses has never been so easy or intuitive. iPractice Verbs also allows for practice at different levels: word, phrase, and sentence levels with the flexibility to select which verbs are to be practiced. There are two modes on iPractice verbs: “Flashcards” and “Find it”. The primary purpose of “Flashcards” is to practice learning the verbs at the word, phrase or sentence level. “Find it” on the other hand, is a multiple choice game for selecting corresponding images. When playing practice Verbs on Find it mode, children must select the correct corresponding image in order to advance to the next word/phrase/sentence. If the incorrect image is selected the choices are narrowed and the student is encouraged to “try again”; this way we maximize student success and learning. The "find it" activity was designed to help students practice the techniques of listening in a variety of situations (e.g., focusing attention, reflecting, interpreting, analyzing, responding to messages). iPractice Verbs also includes two features that will keep students motivated: a built-in reward system that give student cards as they practice and a certificate of mastery. Practicing verbs is a standard for children from Kindergarten through third grade (Texas State Standard). iPractice Verbs contains verbs at the word, phrase and sentence levels and it can be used with children to gain/increase of "grammar when speaking such as using subject-verb agreement, complete sentences, and correct tense" (Texas State Standard). Practicing verbs and using correct verb tense is a state standard for all grade levels in Virginia (Language Arts SOLS K.2, 1.2, 2.1, 3.2, 3,11, 4.8, 5.9, 6.7, 7.9, 8.8, 9.7, 10.8, and 11.8). Using a developmentally appropriate vocabulary including verbs and verb tenses is a North Dakota Standard of Learning for Kindergarten through fifth grade (Language Arts: K.4.1, 1.6.2, 2.6.2, 3.6.3, 4.6.3, 5.6.3). Using correct grammar in writing is a North Dakota Standard of Learning for sixth through ninth grade (Language Arts: 6.3.10, 7.3.9, 8.3.11, 9.6.2, 9.3.10). Features: 1.Contains regular and irregular verbs 2.158 verbs at the word, phrase & sentence level 3.It includes present, present progressive & past tense options 4.Voice recording available 5.Built-in audio for all verbs 6.Compatible with the Therapy Report Center 7.Multi-player 8.Track correct & incorrect responses 9.Players are advanced manually to give user flexibility 10.Generate certificates 11.Built-in homework sheets 12.Print, email or export results 13.Built-in reward system with prizes 14.Backup and restore data via iTunes file sharing

Developer's Description

*iPractice Verbs was featured at Macworld.com Magazine in 2011.
**iPractice Verbs was amongst the top 200 Educational iPad apps on iTunes in September, 2011.

iPractice Verbs is an app developed to help children learn and practice basic English verbs in a variety of levels (word, phrase, sentence) and tense forms (present, present progressive & past tense). iPractice Verbs was designed by a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist to serve as a tool for children with language delays and as a tool for children and adults learning English as a second language. iPractice Verbs is very intuitive to use and it is compatible with the Therapy Report Center ( A FREE caseload management application).

iPractice Verbs allows for multiplayer activities and it contains two activities: Flashcard & Find it. This app contains over 158 regular & irregular verbs in the present, present progressive, and past tense with corresponding high quality images and audio (totaling to over 1000 stimuli). Practicing verbs and verb tenses has never been so easy or intuitive.

iPractice Verbs also allows for practice at different levels: word, phrase, and sentence levels with the flexibility to select which verbs are to be practiced. There are two modes on iPractice verbs: “Flashcards” and “Find it”.

The primary purpose of “Flashcards” is to practice learning the verbs at the word, phrase or sentence level.

“Find it” on the other hand, is a multiple choice game for selecting corresponding images. When playing practice Verbs on Find it mode, children must select the correct corresponding image in order to advance to the next word/phrase/sentence. If the incorrect image is selected the choices are narrowed and the student is encouraged to “try again”; this way we maximize student success and learning. The "find it" activity was designed to help students practice the techniques of listening in a variety of situations (e.g., focusing attention, reflecting, interpreting, analyzing, responding to messages).

iPractice Verbs also includes two features that will keep students motivated: a built-in reward system that give student cards as they practice and a certificate of mastery.

Practicing verbs is a standard for children from Kindergarten through third grade (Texas State Standard). iPractice Verbs contains verbs at the word, phrase and sentence levels and it can be used with children to gain/increase of "grammar when speaking such as using subject-verb agreement, complete sentences, and correct tense" (Texas State Standard). Practicing verbs and using correct verb tense is a state standard for all grade levels in Virginia (Language Arts SOLS K.2, 1.2, 2.1, 3.2, 3,11, 4.8, 5.9, 6.7, 7.9, 8.8, 9.7, 10.8, and 11.8). Using a developmentally appropriate vocabulary including verbs and verb tenses is a North Dakota Standard of Learning for Kindergarten through fifth grade (Language Arts: K.4.1, 1.6.2, 2.6.2, 3.6.3, 4.6.3, 5.6.3). Using correct grammar in writing is a North Dakota Standard of Learning for sixth through ninth grade (Language Arts: 6.3.10, 7.3.9, 8.3.11, 9.6.2, 9.3.10).

Features:
1.Contains regular and irregular verbs
2.158 verbs at the word, phrase & sentence level
3.It includes present, present progressive & past tense options
4.Voice recording available
5.Built-in audio for all verbs
6.Compatible with the Therapy Report Center
7.Multi-player
8.Track correct & incorrect responses
9.Players are advanced manually to give user flexibility
10.Generate certificates
11.Built-in homework sheets
12.Print, email or export results
13.Built-in reward system with prizes
14.Backup and restore data via iTunes file sharing

Disclaimer: The evaluations and rankings information provided here are based solely on the opinion of the author and are for informational purposes only. Families should seek professional advice before making decisions regarding interventions for their child.