| C.D. Caterpillar Reviewed by: Debbie St.Germain Rating: **** Review Date: 4.24.00 Publisher: Inspired Logic MSRP: $16 |
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Electronic Books are becoming a mainstay in the publishing field, but Inspired Logic takes it one step further in developing C.D. Caterpillar, an educational learn to read program for kids aged 6 to 12. C.D. Caterpillar is designed to help beginning readers to strengthen their reading skills quickly. The software is based on the theory of Cognitive Experimental Learning, which means, learning by doing.
The first thing that you will notice when you start up C.D.Caterpillar is that there are no fancy graphics, animation or music. What you get
is a program that teaches your
child how to read with graphics that are simple and understated as not to distract
from the main goal of learning to read.C.D. Caterpillar offers classics like the Wind in the Willows along with original works. Stories go from simple to intermediate progress with your child's reading level. The complete text of each story is included; not a condensed version. The reader's screen lists the stories you can read on the left and the games are listed on chalkboards to the right of the screen.
What I think makes this reading tutorial a better teaching tool for children is the professionally recorded human voice. By clicking on a word, your child can hear the word spoken exactly as it should sound, each letter is clearly expressed. Having the ability to click on a word gives your child the opportunity to learn new words as they read, without having to skip past words they do not know. Each C.D Caterpillar contains over 30,000 words and over 3,000 words in the vocabulary learning games.
From the moment a child starts the program they are guided along on what to do. Buttons are simple and basic and everything is explained verbally. This gives your child the opportunity to learn by themselves without the assistance of a parent. All instructions are spoken aloud so new readers can follow along without having to read instructions. It is like having an electronic tutor, guiding your child every step of the way. Another feature is that the program remembers problem areas your child may encounter. When they play a game the words used are ones that the child had problems with. It will remember requests for help and emphasize those words later on.
After your child reads a story, they can play one of the games to enforce their
vocabulary. Button rally is the simplest of activities for your child. A word will
be spoken and the child has a choice of four buttons to match the spoken word. If
the child clicks on the wrong word; the computer tells them what that word they clicked
on is, and asks them once again, to click on the original word. Word Match is a step
up from Button Rally. It teaches the child to recognize words in actual paragraphs
of text.
Reading challenge takes advantage of speech recognition. A list of words is put up
and it is the child's goal to read each word. Each time they speak a word properly,
the next word is highlighted. If your child makes a mistake the word will be repeated,
so there is no pass or fail, but a chance to learn how to pronounce words properly.
Missing letter is the first step in teaching your child to spell. The word is put
up with one missing letter and spoken by the computer. If your child types in the
wrong letter, the computer will prompt them on what letter is needed. Typing in a
letter produces the same sound as a manual typewriter when a key hits the paper.
Spelling Bee takes reading a bit farther by teaching your child to actually spell
the words they have learned. A word is spoken and then your child gets the chance
to spell that word. As with the other games, a buzz signifies an incorrect answer.
In this game, if the wrong word is spelled then the computer moves on to the next
word. Later it comes back to the words the child has missed.
There are many great features that enhance C.D Caterpillar, bookmarks is one of those
features. If your child doesn't have time to finish a story, they can click on the
bookmark and come back later to finish the story. The Cd is also customizable; once
your child enters their name, the Cd will call them by name and it even has a special
greeting that activates on their birthday. There are no time limits on the games;
students can work at their own pace, without feeling the pressure of having to race
against a clock.
The C.D is not limited to one child either; home program can handle up to five children
and the Classroom Edition can handle up to 100 users. Once your child masters the
reading on one C.D, they have the opportunity to buy one of C.D Caterpillar's new
series that comes out each month; each one includes a classic novel, short stories,
and games.
One thing about the games that I felt could use some improvement was the scoring
system. After playing a game, I got 18,834 for 5 right answers. I think for younger
children using a 5 point system would be more in their grasp of understanding. There
seem to be more stories for the advanced reader and many words are not in the normal
vocabulary of young children. For this reason; a dictionary to explain new words
to children would have been a nice feature.
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