Grade Level (s): Prekindergarten - Grade 1

 Reviewed by: Kristen Spada

Dr. Seuss’s ABC is an interactive "Living Book" that reinforces early literacy skills and language development for prereaders and beginning readers. These skills are taught within the zany, familiar world of Dr. Seuss where language and animation stretch the users' imaginations and tickle their funny bones. Izzy and Icabod, two lively and adorable characters, are the program navigators through this nonsensical alphabet world. They introduce four program options that allow users to experience or interact with the text of the Dr. Seuss’s alphabet book. In "Read to Me" mode, the story is read out loud. The user simply follows the highlighted text as it is being read. In the "Let me Play" mode, Izzy and Icabod invite the user to come and play on each alphabet page. Children simply click on any character, letter, or word to discover additional words beginning with the same letter and animation to enhance the stories. In the "Option Mode," the user selects a specific letter from an alphabet chart and instantly arrives on its page in the text. The interactive features in this mode are identical to features in the "Let me Play" mode. The last option is the selection of the standard ABC song. Izzy and Icabod sing while each alphabet letter enlarges. Dr. Seuss’s ABC, A Living Book, spotlights over 400 vocabulary words and reinforces such skills as letter recognition, phonemic awareness (sound-symbol correlation), rhyme, reading order (left to right), alliteration, and creativity. The school edition of the software is accompanied by an enormous amount of teacher resources. These are designed to help teachers integrate the program into their curriculum. The teacher resources package includes lesson plans, activities, thematic units, black line masters, and an annotated bibliography.

 Accuracy of Content

Dr. Seuss’s ABC is a well-designed program for the targeted age group. I have observed firsthand the ease in which my students navigate through this program. The content and skills are designed to fit the needs of beginning readers and accurately correlate with the curriculum in early childhood education. The software reinforces phonemic awareness, letter recognition, beginning sounds, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary development and voice to print correspondence. These skills are taught daily in the lower grades of elementary school. Intermediate readers can also benefit from the content of this software. Poetic skills such as rhyming, alliteration, rhythm, vocabulary and creativity enhance the reading and writing development in intermediate readers. Older children are often highly motivated to learn through warm and familiar childhood stories and authors. The software is highly entertaining and whimsical but never loses sight of its purpose, to enhance and reinforce language skills.

Dr. Seuss’s ABC is easy to install and use. I did encounter some technical problems while navigating in the "Read to Me" mode. There are no icons or links in this mode to assist the user. Users would experience difficulty in navigating and transitioning without knowing the software’s command keys found in the manual. Children are accustomed to clicking on an icon or link and would find command keys foreign and confusing. The other three options in this software have links and icons that are visually prominent and easy to use. The main menu, facilitated by Izzy and Icabod, is also straightforward and is easy to understand. The quality of the graphics, sound, and animation are outstanding. It truly is a ‘living book" where characters dance, jump and sing.

Dr. Seuss’s ABC makes good use of the computer. It incorporates multi-media technology to go beyond traditional books on tape. Students at different reading levels follow the highlighted text learning skills such as: left to right reading, beginning sounds, matching print to sound, vocabulary and comprehension. Animation and zany stories that come alive serve as a delightful motivator to reinforce these skills. The software does contain limitations. The "Read to Me," "Play with Me," and "Option" modes' features and formats are similar and in many cases identical to each other. The user, amused by the software’s animation, will tire of its predictable format. Diverse formats that would allow for active participation would engage students and help them assess their own learning. Dr. Seuss’s ABC is not conducive to assessment. Interactive games and problems off the computer are needed to assess the literary skills being reinforced. The program contains no ethnic or gender biases and should appeal to a wide range of students.

In Dr. Seuss’s ABC students assume the role of the navigator. Students can guide themselves through different modes and features that reinforce their particular learning needs. The user's control, however, is constrained by the prescribed and limited format of the software. Students are not empowered to create a product nor given an opportunity to exhibit what they have learned. Dr. Seuss’s ABC is best suited to individual use. This would allow for individual practice, reinforcement and independence at the computer. Children in charge of navigating decisions will be in control of their learning and thinking processes. This increases confidence in literacy and computer skills.

The role of the teacher is that of an orchestrator. Teacher should demonstrate the program to the whole class using a projection system. Students can all experience and enjoy the animation, skills, and their classmates' reactions. During class time, teachers should allow each student time to explore and absorb the concepts taught in this software. After the children have had a chance to experience this program, the teacher can integrate the software into the language arts and math curricula using the materials and suggestions given in the resource package. They can also create their own materials and lessons incorporating this software. This teacher extension would allow for monitoring student assessment. The program does not allow the teacher to modify or change it in any way.

This program is an excellent supplement to enhance various teaching units during the school year. Teachers can give a whole group lesson demonstrating the entire program or use just specific pages of the text to reinforce skills and concepts being taught in class. Students would benefit during alphabet units in Prekindergarten and Kindergarten or at the beginning of first-grade reading instruction, which emphasizes letter recognition, beginning sounds, and matching voice to print. The program is perfect for individual practice or with a partner to work on a teacher-created extension project.

This program is a good supplement for beginning reading programs in early childhood education. It enhances and reinforces literacy skills and language development in a fun and lively forum. Dr. Seuss’s ABC encourages students to think creatively about our world of language. The animation and graphics are superb and visually motivating. However, the formats in the program are limiting and repetitive. The students are passive participants that learn from watching not doing. The teacher resource materials are informative and very helpful. It is a major step in assisting teachers in how to integrate the software into their curriculum.

Overall Rating (based on a scale of 1 to 10) 7

I gave this program a 7 because of its limited format. The software needs more student interaction and internal assessment features. This would promote social, reading and computer skills. The software does accomplish its goals of reinforcing early literacy concepts for prereaders and beginning readers. The multi-media technology in educational software in this program is among the best I have ever seen. Through this incredible use of technology children will be motivated to learn language skills in Dr. Seuss’s world.