Dear Educators:

The Starfall website and printed materials have been used as supplemental teaching tools since we began our free public service in 2002.

In May 2009 we expanded our program to include a complete Kindergarten Reading and Language Arts Curriculum and new companion website more.starfall.com. Our curriculum follows the scientific, research-based methods recommended by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and focuses on five important areas: 1) phonic awareness; 2) systematic phonics; 3) vocabulary; 4) fluency; 5) comprehension. By carefully observing the way children learn in class as well as on the computer we’ve discovered this sixth area of focus often overlooked: 6) Motivation!

We strive to create an atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm. Our Kindergarten Reading and Language Arts Curriculum provides opportunities for child-directed learning as well as specially designed lesson plans to meet the needs of English language learners and struggling readers alongside their peers.

We integrate Science and Social Studies to spark the interest and imagination of young children in real world topics. For example, during the second semester children study the taxonomy of vertebrates and invertebrates as they learn about medial vowel sounds. Children love it! We include controlled-vocabulary non-fiction books that children are able to read themselves. We also integrate social studies into the curriculum. For example children read about the life of an aboriginal child in Australia in "At the Beach." Children also learn about people who have influenced the world including John Muir, Ruby Bridges, and Cesar Chavez.

June of 2009 saw the opening of our new "sister" website more.starfall.com, supported by members who pay a modest fee to join. Licenses for this educational website are available at low cost to schools. The website covers important kindergarten skills such as colors and numbers and employs positive reinforcement through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic interaction that has become the Starfall trademark.

Download the Introduction to Teacher’s Guide for the Materials List, Scope and Sequence Summary, Standards and Benchmarks, and English Language Development. Our standards and benchmarks satisfy the current kindergarten learning standards for most states, including Florida (2008), Georgia (2008), Texas (2008), California (1997), North Carolina (2004).

Check out our Starfall Kindergarten Curriculum where you can find all the materials you need for the full program. Browse the Starfall store for our books and other supplemental teaching tools.

You are invited to read our sample lesson plans.

Sincerely,
The Starfall Team