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Features
Kidspiration® builds literacy, numeracy and thinking skills across the curriculum.
Young readers and writers use visual tools combining pictures, text, numbers and spoken words to develop vocabulary, word recognition, comprehension, reasoning and problem solving skills.
Develop strong thinking skills
Pupils use Kidspiration's visual tools to express thoughts and explore ideas and concepts.
Enhanced 3,000+ symbols in Kidspiration's Symbol Library provide visual support for concepts taught in primary English, History, Citizenship and Science, making Kidspiration a valuable cross-curricular tool. Pupils can also import symbols from other sources.
New Symbol Search helps pupils search and find just the right symbols to express their thoughts and ideas.
Symbol Maker sparks creativity and anchors meaning. Pupils use familiar paint tools to create and personalize their own symbols to use in their graphic organizers.
* The Link tool connects ideas and shows relationships.
* Hyperlinks enrich Kidspiration activities and projects. Pupils and teachers can hyperlink to web pages from symbols, notes and links.
* Kidspiration's SuperGrouper® supports pupils as they sort, group and classify objects and ideas. A favourite for pupils and teachers alike, SuperGrouper® containers are used to synthesize and analyze ideas.
Strengthen literacy skills
With Kidspiration, pupils combine pictures, text and audio to develop comprehension, organize ideas and create stories.
* Integrated Picture and Writing Views connect pupils' visual thoughts with written expression in a single click. In Picture View, pupils develop thought webs and other graphic organizers. In Writing View, they expand their ideas into written expression. As they visualize, plan and organize, pupils build essential skills and confidence in literacy.
* Kidspiration pairs symbols and words to build and strengthen literacy. Emerging readers and early learners use Kidspiration symbols and graphic organizers to communicate stories they've heard and ideas they develop. Older pupils use symbols to explain more complex ideas, show relationships and demonstrate understanding.
* Visual continuity between Picture View and Writing View links images with written expression. When pupils click from Picture View to Writing View, they see symbols from their graphic organisers, reinforcing the connection between words and their meaning.
* Kidspiration Word Guide supports vocabulary and reading comprehension with easy access to nearly 13,000 words. It includes sight vocabulary from the Fry's Instant Word List, Dolch Word List, NSL High frequency words and aligns with TESL vocabulary to support ELL and ESL pupils. Each entry includes definitions, recorded speech for pronunciation, synonyms and antonyms, parts of speech and sample sentences. Word Guide pairs 1,400 words with images to enhance word recognition and comprehension.
* Audio support includes longer recording time to encourage pupils to express and document their ideas. Teachers enjoy greater flexibility when recording instructions and comments. For ESL and ELL learners, teachers can record instructions in native languages to enhance pupil understanding. With the Listen tool pupils can hear any text read aloud, strengthening word recognition and comprehension.
* Ready-made literacy activities support phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, word recognition and comprehension as they build pupils' writing and literacy skills.
* One-click transfer to word processors lets pupils easily export their work to applications such as Microsoft® Word, Scholastic Keys® and Appleworks® to expand upon projects and assignments.
Build conceptual understanding in maths
Pupils build number sense and spatial reasoning and understand the meaning behind the four basic operations while communicating their thinking with words, numbers and maths symbols.
Visual Maths Tools
Kidspiration's five visual maths tools focus on the core conceptual foundations of counting, place value, computation and geometric thinking. They combine the hands-on learning power of manipulatives with all the added benefits of computer interactivity, helping pupils grasp essential numeracy concepts.
Kidspiration Colour Tiles™
Pupils use Kidspiration Colour Tiles to count and compare, explore properties of number and operations and develop computation strategies. With Kidspiration Colour Tiles, pupils learn to solve area and perimeter problems and model number patterns and the four basic operations.
Kidspiration Pattern Blocks™
Pupils use Kidspiration Pattern Blocks to investigate the properties and attributes of shapes through composition and decomposition. They produce patterns and tessellations, explore similarity and congruence, experiment with symmetry and represent fractions.
Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks™
Pupils use Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks to understand place value and strengthen number sense. With Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks, they count, compare, group, partition and create equivalent representations of whole numbers and decimals. Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks also introduce pupils to procedures for operations on multi-digit numbers.
Kidspiration Fraction Tiles™
Pupils use Kidspiration Fraction Tiles to compare and order fractions and to understand equivalent fractions. They find common denominators, translate between improper fractions and mixed numbers and model basic operations with fractions.
Kidspiration Fraction Boxes™
Pupils use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to represent fractions visually to build a strong conceptual foundation for future work with fractions. Pupils compare, order, simplify and find equivalent fractions. They use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to model basic operations with like and unlike denominators. Kidspiration Fraction Boxes also introduce pupils to improper fractions, mixed numbers and representing word problems.
The right features and functions make Kidspiration maths tools easy to use
* Kidspiration Maths SuperGrouper™ helps pupils count, sort and show operations visually. Teachers and pupils label Maths SuperGroupers as a conceptual building block for word problems.
* Maths Text Boxes document maths operations using words, numbers and structured frames. The Maths Text Box supports writing fractions, division problems and vertical maths notations.
* Step Workspace shows progression of work with a sequential work area to document steps while problem-solving.
* Cross-Out Stamp gives pupils a visual indicator to use when they mark, take away or remove items.
* Multiple pages in a document streamline workspace management.
Educator-developed resources support curriculum integration
Kidspiration includes curriculum content, teacher tools and standards-aligned lesson plans in English, Maths, Science, History and Citizenship developed specifically for primary pupils, along with 125+ activity templates.
Easy navigation and simple operations support every primary learner
Sophisticated technology makes Kidspiration's capabilities easy and barrier-free for primary learners. Kidspiration's visual workspace invites pupils to explore, think and create naturally, intuitively and independently.
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