Monday, October 22, 2012

samson’s classroom (a TOS review)

 

 

 

Samson’s Classroom is an affordable ($30 yearly base price point) online reading and spelling enhancement program.  Click here to see the full pricing scale. 

 

 

There are three focuses:  Sight Words, Spelling and Reading with Samson.

 

 

Samson is a super cute and smarty pants pooch who wants to help your learner master essential skills in the three areas mentioned above.

 

 

Sight Words with Samson 2

 

 

Sight Words with Samson uses repetition and engaging online learning games to guide the student to mastery of  224 sight words.

 

 

This may seem like a random side note…but you know how some computer games have choppy computer-ish voices?  I thought Samson’s voice was SO nice and pleasant!

 

 

Another great thing about this program is how customizable it is for your child’s needs.  For instance, we quickly learned that my daughter had mastered the first couple levels of sight words.  I love that Samson’s allows me to quickly choose a different level and adjust to her needs.  This helps prevent any “that’s for babies” frustration moments!  Always a good thing!

 

 

Reading with Samson

 

 

Reading with Samson is a great reading comprehension tool!

 

 

It’s an online timed version of similar workbooks you can find.  Your child reads a short story and then answers questions related to what they’ve read.  My daughter wasn’t a huge fan of this section primarily because the feeling of being rushed was a little too intense for her current reading ability.  However, I’m over the moon for this tool!  And think it would be great for children who are closer to a 3rd-4th Grade reading level!

 

 

By far our favorite section was…

 

 

Spelling with Samson

 

 

From the teacher’s perspective, it’s easy peasy to create and activate spelling lists. 

 

 

1-Samson's Classroom (Reading Software) - Mozilla Firefox 10222012 10514 PM

 

 

I just used the spelling words from our current curriculum and wah-lah.  She was ready to play!

 

 

The student can choose from several different learning games.  We tried a couple but found that we gravitated towards our favorite karate chopping game!  Spelling is one of our least favorite subjects.  I found that Samson’s made it fun for her…which meant less stress for me!  Whoo hoo!  Also, I do think her spelling may have improved a bit too since we’ve been using Samson’s.

 

 

 1-Samson's Classroom - Mozilla Firefox 10222012 114959 AM

 

 

Really, the only con I have about this product is that it did seem to be a little glitchy.  Sometimes we had issues with the game not responding to her keyboarding.  Or the voice duplicating.  Also, the tracking of her progress doesn’t match up with what we actually did.  It could have been related to our PC which has been running poorly lately.  But it is my understanding that the developer is aware that there are glitches and is working hard to resolve them.

 

 

Bottom line, I really REALLY like Samson’s Classroom!  It’s affordable which always gets two thumbs up from me.  There are free additional resources.  I LOVE the reading comprehension focus!  And I think it would be a terrific reading/spelling enhancement addition to any curriculum!  Want to see for yourself?  Try a free demo and I bet you’ll agree.  Samson’s Classroom is a great option!

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**This is my little space to disclaim that I was treated to a Samson’s Classroom subscription in exchange for my honest review shared on my blog.  All opinions expressed are my honest own.  I hope that you enjoyed and found my review at least a smidge helpful.  Because my voice is just one, I highly encourage you to read what my fellow TOS Crew friends thought about this product.**

2 comments:

  1. Samson's classroom is a good idea to help our kids learn reading in a more interesting way! :) dropping by from TOS Review Crew!

    ReplyDelete