Montessori Crosswords for Kids 5.2

Montessori Crosswords is an educational app that utilizes the proven Montessori learning method to help children develop their reading, writing, and spelling skills. It offers a range of 320 word-image-audio-phonics combinations using a phonics-enabled movable alphabet.

• Editor's Choice Award (4.8 stars out of 5) - "It is an extremely powerful early reading experience." - Children's Technology Review
• "Best literacy app in my opinion" - Sue, National Board Certified Teacher
• Featured by Apple in "Apps for Learning to Read" & "Apps for Learning to Write"
• Commonsensemedia.org - "Montessori Crosswords is a great way for kids to develop literacy in an engaging way that feels like play."

The app has sold more than 280,000 units, with 65,000 units sold to schools.

Montessori Crosswords focuses on helping children understand two fundamental concepts:

1. Firstly, it enhances children's understanding that words are made up of sounds or phonemes. Children can touch the empty rectangles where letters must be dragged to complete the word and hear the corresponding sound.
2. Secondly, the app helps children memorize the phonics associated with letters by providing a phonics-enabled alphabet where kids can touch each letter and hear the corresponding phonic.

The app allows users to select words based on difficulty or sound categories:

• Level 1 displays three-letter words with no difficulty for beginners (CVC words).
• Levels 2, 3, and 4 offer more complex words, including long vowels sounds or blends. It also provides an option to automatically create multi-word crosswords in tens of thousands of different combinations.
• Alternatively, users can choose from 44 sound categories to focus on specific sounds.
• Additionally, custom word lists based on letter clusters can be created.

To make the learning experience enjoyable, the app incorporates sounds, animations, and interactive visual effects that are displayed after a word is completed.

Montessori Crosswords offers additional features such as:

• Digraph support: certain letter combinations (e.g., "oo," "th") are displayed as a whole unit.
• R-controlled vowels support: words like "car" and "horn" that contain R-controlled vowels are included.
• Option to display capital letters, lowercase letters, or cursive letters.
• Setting to show only the letters that are part of the word being spelled, which is helpful for beginners.
• Setting to force spelling from left to right.

The app allows for multiple user profiles and provides detailed activity reports for each user in the Reports section. It aligns with Common Core State Standards related to literacy skills and phonics instruction.

Reviews of Montessori Crosswords:

• Wired's GeekDad - "5 Favorite Apps for Elementary School iPads" - "An excellent tool for learning spelling and early literacy (...) It can build from simple to more complex words making it usable by students from prep through to grade 3 or 4."
• Teachers' Reviews:
• • Sue on Iear.org - "I just have to say I love Montessori Crosswords both as a parent (to 2, 7, and 8-year-olds) and as a K teacher. I like that the app is appropriate for the developmental levels of my students and all three of my kids."
  • Cindy - "This is one of my favorite educational apps. I highly recommend it for children who are learning to read and spell. The kids also love the interactive artwork."

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