A Closer Look at Preschool University

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In this article, we explore the quality of instruction within the Reading Magic: Learning to Read app. 

What is Reading Magic?

Reading Magic is a literacy app developed by Preschool University. This app is the first in a five-part series of educational apps, each designed to teach progressively more challenging phonics skills to kids.

 This review focuses on Reading Magic 1, specifically the reading of CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like ‘leg’ or ‘bed.’

Reading Magic is designed for children ages four and up. The expectation is that players already understand common letter-sound correspondences before interacting with this app. The app offers a free version, with an optional paid upgrade. Reading Magic instructional targets include three key skills: 

• Blending 
• Segmenting 
• Reading words

Is the Reading Magic App Easy to Use?

The following factors impact the usability of the Reading Magic app. 

Navigation

The Reading Magic app offers an easy-to-navigate interface. Young children can easily move between the three main practice areas in the app. While players can be added or deleted without the need for logins, switching between users may be a little tricky for young children and would likely require adult support. 

The app features an admin area for parents or educators to track lesson completion. However, accessing this area involves answering unnecessarily complicated skill-testing math questions. Simplifying this process could enhance the overall experience for families.

App Settings

The app includes customizable settings, which are simple to change in any place in the game. One setting option is to choose a specific color for the vowels. Notably, the color of the letters is not crucial for literacy learning and the goal should be to quickly move vowels and consonant graphemes to the same color. 

Additionally, the app features a “tile effect” that displays the letter within each tile. Parents and educators should always choose the tile effect that shows the letter. This kind of phonemic awareness training has been shown to be twice as effective when done alongside the visual letters. 

Instructions

The app provides comprehensive instructions that, while somewhat verbose, are easy to locate and offer valuable guidance for parents and educators on how to support their children’s learning. An instructional video clearly outlines blending techniques and various activities within the app, making it simple for users to understand and utilize the available features effectively.

Engagement in Reading Magic

The following aspects impact learner engagement with the app. 

Bells & Whistles

Engagement in the app is shaped by its intentional design choices, avoiding “bells and whistles” like excessive sound effects that could distract from phonics learning. This no-nonsense approach creates a clear learning environment, although it may slightly reduce overall engagement.

While the app serves as a focused practice tool rather than a traditional game, it does include a small song and a sun icon to celebrate when a child completes a “set.” This feature may appeal to younger users. Learners of all ages may appreciate the use of real images and photographs throughout the app.

Passive Participation

The first activity in Reading Magic doesn’t necessarily require active participation. The app models the sounds for three sequential letters and then states the word that is represented by blending those sounds. 

Although Reading Magic is designed to promote independent segmenting and reading skills, it’s easy for players to bypass this critical thinking process. Parent or educator involvement with the learner in Reading Magic is recommended to ensure the child is actively applying their skills. This collaborative approach can help children deepen their understanding and make the learning experience more interactive.

Literacy Learning With Reading Magic

The following factors influence the quality of literacy learning in the Reading Magic app. 

Sequential Learning

The app features a clear sequence for learning, yet it lacks transparency regarding the specific letter sounds included in each “set.” This may leave educators unclear about the overall phonics plan and progression within the app. 

Furthermore, the instructions in the app suggest that all blending and segmenting skills should be mastered before moving on to the reading section. However, this advice isn’t necessarily accurate. In fact, practicing segmenting skills can be beneficial for spelling and does not need to be mastered before a child learns to read words.

Phonemic Awareness

The app focuses on teaching phonemic awareness skills (blending and segmenting) which are important for decoding (word-reading) and encoding (spelling). The voices in the app provide accurate and clear letter sounds delivered by both male and female voices in American English. 

Reading Magic currently only represents final blending. Final blending is when each sound is stated with a pause in between. For example /b/ /e/ /d/ sounds would combine to make the word ‘bed.’ Incorporating continuous blending or connected phonation (blending sounds without pauses in between) would be helpful for many new readers as it is considered the easiest method for learning to blend. 

Is Reading Magic a Good Literacy App?

In short, Reading Magic 1 has some useful skill-building activities for new readers. It’s designed to help young learners master reading CVC words through blending. Its user-friendly interface facilitates easy start-up and navigation, although some features—like user switching and admin access—could be simplified. 

While the app prioritizes a clear learning environment by avoiding distractions, this simplified approach may sacrifice some engagement for younger users. Overall, the app provides valuable phonemic awareness training. However, incorporating continuous blending methods could enhance its effectiveness for emerging readers.

Reading Magic: Learning to Read – Overall Ratings

Quality of Literacy Instruction: 3 / 5

Usability: 3  / 5

Engagement:  3 / 5