First Phrases HD

Features
Price $24.99
Age Range Early Childhood & Lower Primary
App Type Learning App
Version Reviewed 1.8
Android Available?
Lite Version Available?
Help Provided?

Bloom's Thinking Process
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

Adaptability
Includes recorded voice
Add own voice
Includes text
Includes images

Review Comments
First Phrases gives children practise saying simple sentences. The child tells the cute characters what to do. There are pictures of each part of the sentence "turn off---the---TV". The child taps on the screen to hear the words spoken. Then the character performs the sentence. The child records their own sentence and watches the animation again with their voice playing. First Phrases includes six characters and over 450 possible animations. There are three levels: Easy play (the child touches the screen anywhere) Normal play (the child touches each part of the phrase) Challenge play (the child drags the word in the correct order) The verbs are "close, cut, drink, drive, drop, eat, kick, open, play, pop, pour, pull, push, ride, roll, throw, wash". The verb preposition phrases are "go on, jump off, jump on, jump over, put away, put on, sleep on, step over, take off, take out, turn off, turn on"

Review Comments

First Phrases gives children practise saying simple sentences.

The child tells the cute characters what to do. There are pictures of each part of the sentence "turn off---the---TV". The child taps on the screen to hear the words spoken. Then the character performs the sentence. The child records their own sentence and watches the animation again with their voice playing.

First Phrases includes six characters and over 450 possible animations.

There are three levels:

Easy play (the child touches the screen anywhere)
Normal play (the child touches each part of the phrase)
Challenge play (the child drags the word in the correct order)

The verbs are "close, cut, drink, drive, drop, eat, kick, open, play, pop, pour, pull, push, ride, roll, throw, wash".

The verb preposition phrases are "go on, jump off, jump on, jump over, put away, put on, sleep on, step over, take off, take out, turn off, turn on"

Use	Rank (*)
Sentences		Ranked 4th of 13
Early Sentences		Ranked 1st of 8

(*) 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.

Early Sentences
Early sentences combine two words "birdie go" or "up daddy" or are simple sentences with nouns and verbs e.g. "I go home now"

Domain	Score	Details
Learning Connection	4	First phrases is a unique way for children to add their own voice to an animation. This provides a fun way to practise saying simple sentences.
Authenticity	3	The child applies their knowledge of sentences to create a unique sentence.
Feedback	1	Feedback would need to be provided by the adult.
Differentiation	4	The adult can choose the verb forms and verb+prepositional phrases to include in each session. Text can be turned on or off.
User Friendliness	4	Children could use this app independently. However, they would need to be with an adult if feedback is to be provided. The images are clear and easy to see on a white background. The child navigates by tapping the forward and back green arrows. The child enjoys choosing a character (cat, bear, mouse, boy, girl, dog).
Motivation	4	My students love listening to their own voice when the characters perform the sentences.

From the App Store

Developer Hamaguchi Learning & Development, LLC
App Store Rating (from 3 reviews)
Current Version Rating (from 3 reviews)
Current Version 1.9

Developer's Description
From SmartAppsforKids.com: "In my opinion, the full version is a must-have for parents of children working on increasing expressive vocabulary, as well as the therapists and teachers who support their learning. First phrases is creative, utilizes the iPad’s features in effective ways, and is engaging for young children. Highly recommended." This interactive, beautifully illustrated and animated app for the iPAD is perfect for the toddler or speech-delayed child who is learning how to put two or three words together or any child who is learning basic English phrases. It provides many opportunities to both hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive) 72 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, blow the bubble, ride the bike, throw the ball, sleep on the bed, put away the toys, and more. Check out your YouTube video for a demonstration of this app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXw4WPlrmwg With 6 different characters performing them, there are 456 possible animations so your child will never be bored! There are 17 simple verbs such as drink, eat, wash, and 12 verb + preposition forms such as jump on, take off or turn on. Each verb form is paired with various nouns to make a logical phrase. It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. In addition, it includes user settings for up to 15 children, making it an excellent choice for professional use by a speech-language pathologist or special needs classroom at a fraction of the cost of traditional educational software, with no additional “professional” version fees. How you play: Tell the cute animals what to do! By touching the illustrated parts of the phrases in order (verb+ object forms: “eat the carrot”) the child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. The user has the option to repeat this action once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input. The child then watches the animal of their choice (bear, mouse or cat) perform the command to help associate the words with their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell the animal what to do! Touch the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the animal follow your direction. Use the optional visual support to help your child remember what to say! This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, girl or boy voice models, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object). A perfect speech therapy app for children with special needs! PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads. Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way. This app does include an in-app purchase. Here is a link to our privacy policy: http://www.hamaguchiapps.com/privacy-policy.html Developed by noted speech-language pathologist and author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP. To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com Questions or need Tech Support? Email us at info@hamaguchiapps.com

Developer's Description

From SmartAppsforKids.com: "In my opinion, the full version is a must-have for parents of children working on increasing expressive vocabulary, as well as the therapists and teachers who support their learning. First phrases is creative, utilizes the iPad’s features in effective ways, and is engaging for young children. Highly recommended."

This interactive, beautifully illustrated and animated app for the iPAD is perfect for the toddler or speech-delayed child who is learning how to put two or three words together or any child who is learning basic English phrases. It provides many opportunities to both hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive) 72 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, blow the bubble, ride the bike, throw the ball, sleep on the bed, put away the toys, and more. Check out your YouTube video for a demonstration of this app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXw4WPlrmwg

With 6 different characters performing them, there are 456 possible animations so your child will never be bored!

There are 17 simple verbs such as drink, eat, wash, and 12 verb + preposition forms such as jump on, take off or turn on. Each verb form is paired with various nouns to make a logical phrase. It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. In addition, it includes user settings for up to 15 children, making it an excellent choice for professional use by a speech-language pathologist or special needs classroom at a fraction of the cost of traditional educational software, with no additional “professional” version fees.

How you play: Tell the cute animals what to do! By touching the illustrated parts of the phrases in order (verb+ object forms: “eat the carrot”) the child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. The user has the option to repeat this action once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input.

The child then watches the animal of their choice (bear, mouse or cat) perform the command to help associate the words with their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell the animal what to do! Touch the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the animal follow your direction. Use the optional visual support to help your child remember what to say!

This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, girl or boy voice models, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object).

A perfect speech therapy app for children with special needs!

PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads. Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way. This app does include an in-app purchase. Here is a link to our privacy policy: http://www.hamaguchiapps.com/privacy-policy.html

Developed by noted speech-language pathologist and author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP.

To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com

Questions or need Tech Support? Email us at info@hamaguchiapps.com

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.