More Great Common Core-Aligned Apps

As the Common Core State Standards Initiative continues to roll out across the U.S., Common Core-specific apps are popping up with more frequency. They still can be challenging to find, however, and the few available apps may not be of the highest quality.

To help with this challenge, we’ve followed up EducationWorld’s first article on CCSS-based apps for both Android and iOS by digging up more noteworthy iOS apps of interest to classroom teachers.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Murky Reef - English Language Arts for 1st Grade

Murky Reef is a series of thematic educational apps that encourages critical thinking through contextual game play. The series features six game-based activities that foster skills in reading, vocabulary, spelling and sentence structure. All of its content is aligned with Common Core Standards for English Language Arts in Grade 1.

This app boasts extensive content in all six games, which means users get fresh content with each game play. Additionally, Murky Reef supports four player profiles and provides a detailed report per profile to indicate abilities by game as well as by skill.

KoolBook K Math

KoolBook K Math is one in the series of iPad apps that provide innovative ideas to stimulate learning. The app is targeted at kindergarten and first-grade students, and its content is aligned with Common Core Standards.

The app comes with 25 worksheets covering the basic skills and features two modes: Kids’ and Review. Kids’ mode, for students, provides a variety of customizations so they can choose things like the color of “pencil” they’d like to use. In Review mode, teachers can reward student achievement with virtual stickers and email results to their inbox for further evaluation.

Word Wall HD

The engaging Word Wall app helps beginning readers practice reading and writing through numerous fun, digital activities. The app helps students learn to read and write through activities that use multiple learning modalities including spatial, visual, tactile, language-oriented, logical and rhythmic.

Whether by assembling a jigsaw puzzle together in Jigsaw Words or playing a memory match game in Hide a Word, Word Wall provides hours of fun and practice in early reading skills, engaging younger students to become successful and confident readers.

Mathomatix: Measurement

Mathomatix-Measurement introduces basic concepts of measurement via five fun activities. Set in a cute learning environment, Mathomatix-Measurement grabs younger students’ attention with bright and cheerful graphics.

Aimed at the early elementary market, the app’s activities teach about measurement of length, volume, weight and time. It’s a great tool for building students’ mathematical foundation.

Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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