SUBJECT AREA:    Spoken and Written Language

PUBLISHER:   New Readers Press
                           Department F98
                           Syracuse, NY  13210-0888
                           (800)448-8878
                           FAX:  (315)422-5561
                           http://www.newreaderspress.com

COST:     $55.00
COMPUTER:    WIN/ CD-ROM
USE:     Literacy
              ESL
              Family Literacy

GRADE LEVEL: 0-4

SPECIFIC SKILLS:  Letter sound recognition, beginning and ending consonant sounds, vocabulary development and word recognition through repetition, automatic speech recognition (record and compare speech), conversation practice, pronunciation and comprehension skills,  picture glossary

DESCRIPTION: SmartStart! English provides a variety of interactive games which utilize the "multimedia language immersion" approach to learning a language instead of the traditional "lesson" approach.  Consequently, there is no management system or scoring of a student's progress.  This audio-based or listening/reading/speaking  approach encourages students to practice the language by playing any of the 21 games or progressing  through the 12 comic strip conversations.  Students choose their mode (listening, reading, or speaking), the subject category, and the skill level each time they logon to a game.  The subject categories include:  food, numbers, home and office, people and clothing, places and transportation, and daily activities.

EVALUATION SUMMARY:  SmartStart! English is an inexpensive software program that is fun for students to use while it provides a variety of modalities through which students can expand their language knowledge base.  We have used this program successfully in my adult education lab primarily with ESL students and with some beginning readers. I would also recommend its use in family literacy programs because the interactive game format appeals to students of all ages.  It is the only software program I have found that provides conversation and dialogue practice for our ESL students with a digital(human voice) audio component.  The automatic speech recognition feature actually "listens" to the student's voice, evaluates it, and then replies.  The record and playback option allows the ESL student to compare their voice to native speakers and improve their accent and pronunciation.  Instructors like the fact that in many games, students have to practice their listening comprehension skills.  Most students will need instruction in the beginning as to how each type of lesson or game operates. But after the initial instruction, our students continued to progress to the more difficult levels of language, vocabulary, phrases, and conversations without additional review.  Throughout the complete program, over 1,000 words and phrases are taught and reviewed.  Students can also learn valuable "survival skills" from this program.  For example, on one of the games the student must listen to oral directions and "drive" a virtual car to the correct location.  At the advanced level, the student has to follow ordinal directions instead of just turning right or left.  SmartStart! English is also available in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Hebrew.