Apps for Reading Standards: Phonological Awareness (K–1)

For both grades, the core requirement is to demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Kindergarten
Recognize and produce rhyming words.
Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonent-vowel-consonent, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)
Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

Super Why ($3.99) A personal favorite; includes four skills in one app: rhyming, identification of letters, spelling words. Isolate and pronounce initial sounds.

Word Magic ($.99) is a phonetics app in which the child fills in the missing letter in simple one-syllable words.

Word Wizard ($2.99) offers a multitude of options to meet core standards- text to speech, alphabetic or qwerty keyboard. Can use upper and lower case letters, phonetically pronounces each letter as it is touched, 189 built-in spelling tests and the ability to create more. This app meets the core standards for both K-1. Vowels and consonents are color coded, spell checker.

abc pocketphonics ($2.99) teaches the basics of reading and writing.

First Grade
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.
Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).

abc spelling magic short vowel (Free) Teaches the sounds of the letters and how to build words.

abc-phonics word family ($1.99) Multisensory app: see the spelling, hear the audio, learn the word. Practice spelling the words by tracing the letters. 73 word families and over 630 vocabulary words.

Howie Finding Vowel lite (Free; full version $2.99) This is a vowel game to improve reading and writing skills. In the full version, children can learn more words (up to 1,110) and the setup option allows for a parent or teacher to control the level of word difficulty to match their child. CVC words are included in easy level, digraphs are in medium level and blends are in the difficult level.

Vicki Windman is a special education teacher at Clarkstown High School South.