Starfall (website)
Encyclopedia
Starfall is a free website
that teaches children how to read and write in English.
Designed for first grade
, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten
, kindergarten
, and second grade
. Founded in 2003, the website teaches children how to read by using games and phonics. In May 2007, Starfall had 987,000 visitors, which was a 300 percent increase from the May of the previous year. Methods used by the website are based on the research of G. Reid Lyon from the National Institutes of Health
and Edward J. Kame'enui from the University of Oregon
.
The website is free. Starfall does not use advertising
to generate revenue. Instead, the cost of running it is covered by money from Blue Mountain Arts, as well as the money made from its workbook printouts
.
, and their son, Jared Schutz Polis. Starfall is the namesake
of Blue Mountain Arts, a publishing house in Boulder, Colorado
that was founded by Stephen Schutz. Starfall received this name because the founders believed that the name "evoked wonder and delight". Stephen Schultz had trouble reading books when he was nine years old, so he decided to help young readers by creating this website.
In 2006, Starfall launched Pumarosa, which helps Spanish speakers learn English.
The first level teaches preschoolers about the ABCs. At this level, the website provides learners with all the letters of the alphabet
in the upper case form and in the lower case form. When the learners see words appear on the screen, they hear the sounds of all the letters that compose a word. In the early beginning level, learners create words through the addition of consonant
s to different word family. The letters in every word are highlighted
while they are read to the learner.
In the intermediate beginning reading level, readers can bring the books they will read to life before they read them. The learner can read about eminent artists and magic tricks. In the advanced beginning reading level, children can read a variety of books, including nonfiction books, Chinese fables, and comics.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that teaches children how to read and write in English.
Designed for first grade
First grade
First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...
, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
, kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, and second grade
Second grade
In the United States, second grade is a year of primary education. Second grade is the second school year after kindergarten. Students are traditionally 7–8 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....
. Founded in 2003, the website teaches children how to read by using games and phonics. In May 2007, Starfall had 987,000 visitors, which was a 300 percent increase from the May of the previous year. Methods used by the website are based on the research of G. Reid Lyon from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
and Edward J. Kame'enui from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
.
The website is free. Starfall does not use advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
to generate revenue. Instead, the cost of running it is covered by money from Blue Mountain Arts, as well as the money made from its workbook printouts
Hard copy
In information handling, a hard copy is a permanent reproduction, or copy, in the form of a physical object, of any media suitable for direct use by a person , of displayed or transmitted data...
.
History
Starfall was founded in 2003 by Stephen Schutz, his wife Susan Polis SchutzSusan Polis Schutz
Susan Polis Schutz is an American poet and producer of greeting cards and the mother of U.S. Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado....
, and their son, Jared Schutz Polis. Starfall is the namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of Blue Mountain Arts, a publishing house in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
that was founded by Stephen Schutz. Starfall received this name because the founders believed that the name "evoked wonder and delight". Stephen Schultz had trouble reading books when he was nine years old, so he decided to help young readers by creating this website.
In 2006, Starfall launched Pumarosa, which helps Spanish speakers learn English.
Four reading levels
Starfall has four reading levels to teach children how to read. The levels, in order from the most basic to the most advanced are: "learning ABCs", "early beginning reading", "intermediate beginning reading", and "advanced beginning reading".The first level teaches preschoolers about the ABCs. At this level, the website provides learners with all the letters of the alphabet
English alphabet
The modern English alphabet is a Latin alphabet consisting of 26 letters and 2 ligatures – the same letters that are found in the Basic modern Latin alphabet:...
in the upper case form and in the lower case form. When the learners see words appear on the screen, they hear the sounds of all the letters that compose a word. In the early beginning level, learners create words through the addition of consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s to different word family. The letters in every word are highlighted
Syntax highlighting
Syntax highlighting is a feature of some text editors that display text—especially source code—in different colors and fonts according to the category of terms. This feature eases writing in a structured language such as a programming language or a markup language as both structures and...
while they are read to the learner.
In the intermediate beginning reading level, readers can bring the books they will read to life before they read them. The learner can read about eminent artists and magic tricks. In the advanced beginning reading level, children can read a variety of books, including nonfiction books, Chinese fables, and comics.