WordStar

WHY IT EXISTS Reading is a sequence: recognising letters, knowing their sounds, recognising words, knowing what those words mean, then following the ideas that words and sentences build. Schools do well at the first three. It is the fourth, word meanings, where children from different backgrounds come apart. Meeting the kindergarten curriculum takes a working vocabulary of around three thousand words, and many children arrive with fewer than a thousand. WordStar is built to close that gap, so that real literacy gains are within reach of children whatever their circumstances. It was born from the interdisciplinary research of our founder, Dr. Steffen E. Palko, set out in his book Knowledge and Learning (TCU Press). This app is where that work starts. Phonics is the foundation, and word meanings are what the foundation is for. A child's vocabulary is the set of ideas they can think with, in every subject they will ever study, which is why getting these first steps right, child by child, matters long after the reading lesson ends. WHERE IT STARTS This app is the first step of that work, and it is for the early literacy specialist sitting beside the child. Pick a student, pick a phonics skill, and work through it together on this device or on a WordStar Mini in the child's hands. Every item in the run is on screen from the start, so you can see what is coming, what has been covered, and what you have said about each one. Have fun! YOU MAKE THE JUDGEMENT The system does not decide for you. A Mini reports what happened, including how many times it repeated an item, and stops there. You mark each skill Developed, Developing, Not yet or Not observed with one tap, and a second tap changes your mind. A child who hesitates, self-corrects and arrives has done something no device can see. WORKS WITH THE WORDSTAR MINI DEVICE A Mini in the room appears with its own six-digit code on its screen, so with eight on a table you always know which one you have. Start a run from here and it appears on the device. Tap any skill to put that letter in front of the child. The session keeps going if the link drops, and picks itself back up. NINE PHONICS SKILL AREAS Letter names, letter sounds and letter words, in lowercase or uppercase. Initial sounds. Sight words to read and to find. Rhyming pairs and rhyming production. Concepts of print, with a real book in a child's hands. BUILT FOR A REAL CLASSROOM All the feedback is recorded on the device first and sent to WordStar when there is a connection, so a session finishes whether or not the network does. Progress appears in the WordStar web app for organisation administrators, alongside the rest of the child's journey. Access is invitation-only, for staff at schools using WordStar. Ask your organisation administrator, or request access at wordstar.providenthq.com.