As there have been a number of questions on Twitter regarding the Pupil edition of the sentences App we have decided to detail EXACTLY what the App will and won’t do so that you can make an informed decision regarding the £1.49 purchase.
We have responded to constructive suggestions made on Twitter and expanded the App from our original single user edition (This would have been useful in schools in 1:1 situations but of limited use otherwise) so that up to ten pupils can log on.
We hope this information makes clear how the App could be used in any school setting.
What the app offers
Pupils will learn about each of the 25 Exciting Sentence Types (from Alan Peat’s Writing Exciting Sentences) including descriptions and examples.
- They can create and save their own examples of each sentence type directly in the app.
- They can also document (in app) examples of the sentence types they have discovered while reading.
- Additionally, pupils can record notes and ideas for each sentence type.
- The app allows them to share all of their examples and notes via Dropbox, or print them directly from the app.
- A grammar glossary is included that deliberately relates to the sentence types helping pupils to understand the technical terms for the grammar rules they see and use. They can also save notes within this section of the app.
- All of this will help them to, over time, build up a record of the exciting sentences and grammar that they understand and can use in their own writing.
Working in a group?
- The app has been designed to allow collaborative work between pupils working in a group of up to ten.
- Each pupil within the group has their own area of the app where they can create their own example and notes for each sentence type.
- Each group member’s examples and notes are then added to a group “page” called ‘Our Sentence Types’ (as opposed to the ‘My Sentence Types’ section for individuals) which means anyone in the group, or the teacher, can quickly glance over all of the group members’ work in one place – great for collaborative work and peer editing! This can also be printed or shared via Dropbox.
- The app also caters for a single pupil working independently.
What the App doesn’t do!
Whilst pupils’ work can be printed or shared by Dropbox, it’s worth pointing out that pupil created content cannot be shared between copies of the app on different iPads. Once an individual or group has started creating and saving their examples and notes on one iPad, they will need to use this SAME iPad again to continue adding more of their own content.
Teacher control
Teachers have access to a settings page, allowing them to remove individual pupils from a group, or to clear all data from the app for future use by a new group or individual. This will be password protected.
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