Community reviews for Pines to Vines - The Forest Biome

The ability to differentiate to meet student needs within this app are spectacular! Each student can customize their own learning experience using features that allow them to set text size, the option to have text and questions read aloud, and dictate test essay answers. Plus they can choose from 5 different reading levels as needed to learn about the content! This last one was both exciting but a little confusing to me since the app reading levels are advertised in iTunes to range from first to eighth grade in difficulty, yet the level selection is listed as 1-5. I did a little tapping and found a detailed manual provided in the "Media" section of the app, which included a table that outlined how the five levels correlated to both Lexile Scores and grade levels. This manual was VERY helpful! All of the tools that are typically available in an e-book app are available in this app as well, including the ability to bookmark, highlight, define, and take notes. Images, maps, and videos enhance the appropriate text, keeping students engaged and accommodating various styles of learning. Each chapter concludes with an online test, which again can be customized to a specific reading level. Questions are not only multiple choice and true/false, but also include labeling as well as short essay responses, with more essay questions at the higher reading levels. Upon conclusion, scored tests are submitted as a pdf file to the teacher via an email address that is entered in settings. The app will also sync with a Dropbox account to provide students with a scored copy of the test, which was the only way I saw for students to review their own tests. I can understand why this app has won so many awards. The ability to differentiate for students along with it's multi-media content that is aligned to Common Core Standards makes it worth every penny of the price. As a technology specialist who works closely with teachers, my only concern with its use in a classroom is the lack of teacher lesson plans and activities. For the entire text, only three lesson plans are available as teacher resources and not many more activities. To a teacher who is using the app in lieu of a textbook to teach the curriculum in a 1:1 environment, I believe that this is a critical missing piece but something that could be easily remedied by the developers. I'll certainly keep my eye on the provided online resources to see if additional lesson plans and activities are added for this amazing app!