App

Rainbow Sentences

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Rainbow Sentences app also includes:

Learners who struggle with grammar, foundational reading skills, and sentence composition can learn how to write proper sentences using an app that relies on research-based practice. It uses a color-coded formula that had been proven to work with children with ADHD, learning disabilities, and dyslexia. Children will learn about subjects, predicates, verbs, and prepositions in no time.

 

1st - 8th Special Education & Programs 1 Collection 207 Views 107 Downloads
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App Overview

Help your students construct sentences by employing a color-coded method that can easily extend into use in the classroom. They are presented with an image and several jumbled words that they need to use to make a sentence about the image. They drag and drop the words onto the color-coded lines and then hit Play to hear the sentence repeated back. If it’s not right, they get to try again or view the lesson that describes what goes first and why.

How to Operate the App:

  • There are several ways you can start using this app:
    • You can watch the full tutorial
    • Adjust the settings and play
    • Just tap Play
  • The tutorial walks through the entire process and explains everything you need to know prior to having a student use the device

  • Settings allows you to adjust:
    • Audio Instructions
    • Correct Answer Reinforcement
    • Record Correct Answer
    • Complexity Level
    • Line Color Coding
    • Word Color Coding
    • Color Themes
    • Word Grouping
  • Once you have set the app the way you want it, practice can begin

Sentence Building:

  • Tap Play (located at the bottom of the screen)
  • The audio will prompt the child to drag the words to make a sentence
  • The child drags the words to the lines and taps Play
  • The sentence is read back to him, if it is correct, he is praised
  • User is then prompted to record the sentence in his/her own voice (this feature can be turned off)
  • They can save all of their own recorded sentences along with text and image
  • For each correct answer, the child receives a puzzle piece
  • When the child collects all of the puzzle pieces, the puzzle animates
  • Tapping Next Sentence allows users to move on to the next challenge
  • There are three levels of difficulty, with 55 practice sentences in each
  • If they answer incorrectly, the audio reads the full incorrect sentence and says, “That’s not quite right.”
  • They are prompted to try again, if they make a mistake a second time, a lesson helps them along

The Lesson:

  • Two color-coded squares appear
  • The audio explains that the sentence has two parts
  • An image of a girl appears in the blue square. Under it reads: The girl.
  • The audio explains that when writing a sentence, one first need to know who the sentence is about
  • In the red square, an image of the girl skating pops up with the words, is skating
  • The audio explains that you need to know what the girl is doing
  • The colors used in the lesson correspond to the colors used in the sentence maker

 

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Instructional Ideas
  • This tool would be great to use at an independent work station or as a rotation station activity
  • It would be doubly reinforcing if, when teaching sentence structure and grammar, you were to use the same color coding to help reinforce the subject, predicate, verb, and preposition
  • Send the app or mobile device home as extra practice. Explain to parents that they can help reinforce proper sentence writing by highlighting simple reading books with the same colors used in the app. At some point, children can begin to highlight sentences, identifying the subject, predicate, and so on.

 

Classroom Considerations

The app is geared toward younger students, which limits it’s accessibility for older struggling learners. This type of tool would be useful for older learners with severe learning disabilities or dyslexia if the content wasn’t so juvenile.

 

Pros
  • Over 150 sentences to construct
  • Sound use of color coding to help struggling learners
  • Great use of reinforcements
  • Embedded lessons actually teach the child how to write a sentence
  • Scaffolding can be modified as the child increases in competence
  • Handy introductory video and set-up instructions included

 

Cons
  • The app never refers to the parts of the sentence as subject, predicate, verb, or prepositions
  • It does not promote an academic vocabulary