There’s no magic solution for children struggling with literacy, but there are ways to get back on track.
Wordshark has specialised in helping children to read and spell for over 20 years.
In the early nineties, special needs teacher Ruth was concerned about her students and her own two dyslexic children. She needed a product to help them so decided to create one that would tick all the boxes:
Many features, such as the games format and word lists, make Wordshark ideal for students with dyslexia. Siblings, including confident spellers, will also benefit from using Wordshark.
Each game helps with a different way of learning to read or spell. Games cover word recognition, sentences, alphabet skills, phonics and more. There are also short reward games.
Simply toggle between two screens: the words screen and the games screen. You can use the ‘search’ box to find particular words, and use the settings for extra choices.
Children can work on the exact words that they need to learn. There’s also the option to add your own choice of words, and to personalise the program in many different ways.
The choice of games, words and options make Wordshark suitable for children in primary and early secondary school, plus you can create your own word lists for homework.
1) Pick a list of words or add your own words. 2) Use a mixture of games (not only the favourites!). 3) Play the games for 10-15 mins per day…little and often is what really works.
The range of activities in Wordshark is perfect for keeping learning fresh and exciting. Each game focuses on improving a specific reading or spelling skill. You can adapt it to the learning level and pace of your child, and extra options allow more personalisation. For example, you can change the background colour to make it easier to read the words. You can slow down or speed up games, or choose your own words, pictures or sprite!
Learn more about how to use Wordshark 5… Product Tour
Wordshark Online is a new web-based service for schools that children will also be able to access, free of charge, at home. Wordshark Online is suitable for devices such as iPads and most tablets as well as PCs and Mac computers.
Ask your school or tutor if they have this online edition of Wordshark. If they do, ask if your child can be given login details to start accessing Wordshark!
They can read all about Wordshark Online by clicking here and can request a free trial. Or, if you’d like to try out Wordshark yourself, you can sign up to a trial via a tutor plan