Starfall

http://www.starfall.com/

Starfall is a website that we use quite frequently with our Smartboard as well as individually with students on the classroom computers. Starfall's activities range from simple letter exploration activities to beginning reading activities with word families to reading activities. They also have a collection of theme and seasonal activities that the students enjoy. It is a nice website if you are looking for differentiated activities within one website. It does not work well with switch access and we have found it most effective during whole group activities.

In the classroom, we primarily use the letter exploration and calendar section. The letter exploration section helps teach the students how to activate the Smartboard (touch, touch and drag, etc.) and it gives them the ability to make their own choices. The calendar activity allows for errorless learning and it assists the student by providing verbal and visual prompts for them to activate the correct answer. It gives all the students an opportunity to participate in the classroom activities and the students enjoy those successes.

If you check out Starfall or are a current user, leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Melanie