Showreel
Jellyphonics
Requirements:
The client required a self-paced online game covering all aspects of phonics and phonemic awareness. The game should be fun and engaging, and supervising parents should be able to engage with their child and monitor their child’s progress and understanding.
Solution
Highwood designed and developed a comprehensive phonics game called Jellyphonics. An intrepid group of jelly aliens want to travel to Earth. To do so, they need to get fuel for their spaceship, which they can only obtain by learning the rules of phonics in English from the names of letters to the sound of digraphs and diphthongs. The game includes instructional video, parent-child activity videos, and a management system.
rtunes
Requirements
The client required 12 catchy song videos that help students understand a variety of English language learning topics through song and dance. The song videos should be followed by online games and parent-child activities that reinforce the themes taught.
Solution
Highwood designed and developed a song video learning program called rTunes, featuring live child actors singing and dancing in fanciful, graphic-rich environments. Each song video is followed by engaging games and parent-child videos. A management system allows parents to track student progress.
PreK
Requirements
The client required a number of interactive and engaging lessons for PreK students across the following 12 themes: letters, numbers, colors, animals, body parts, action verbs, jobs, weather, shapes, patterns, musical instruments, and holidays. The lessons needed to retain the focus and interest of very young students (aged 4 to 6) with limited English.
Solution
Highwood designed and developed 73 lessons across the 12 themes, with each theme led by one of five animated avatars. Lessons are audio-driven and graphic-rich, with child-friendly animation and more than 30 interactivity types. Lessons include numerous exploration and practice activities.
S1 Reading
Requirements
The client required a reading program for Grade 1 students (ages 6 to 8) with beginners to intermediate level English. The program should present reading passages in a variety of genres, with each passage serving as a centerpoint for teaching advanced phonics, sight words, and early reading comprehension skills. The program required 9 units.
Solution
Highwood designed and developed 27 passages and 106 activities across 9 units, with each activity led by one of six animated avatars.
Testimonials
Rtunes
Singing the words and phrases helps my child remember the words better. – RISE mother
When my students dance and move to the rhythm of the song in the video, they use TPR (total physical response). TPR makes them do movements to words, so the movement works as a memory device. – RISE Stage K teacher, Daheng Learning Center, Beijing
(Translated from Chinese) My child can’t say to me the words that she has learned in class, but she can sing along to an entire song video. She seems to learn better through singing and dancing. – RISE parent
Many of my very young students are shy. They find it hard to stand in front of the class and speak in English. But when I play the song videos as whole-class instruction, these shy students have no problem singing and dancing with the others. The videos help the shy students gain confidence to speak English. – RISE PreRISE teacher, Xingjiefan Learning Center, Beijing
Repeating the phrases makes my child pronounce words correctly. – RISE parent
(Translated from Chinese) As a mother I don’t know how to support my son in learning English, because my English is not good. But the parent videos are very helpful for me. They explain what I need to do and how I can help my son. – RISE mother
(Translated from Chinese) My son finds it hard to sit still. But he will sit at the computer for 45 minutes and play the rTunes games without moving. He repeats the words and enjoys playing the games again and again until he gets all of the questions correct. – RISE father
Rise Up
The video instruction on reading and writing is extremely comprehensive at both levels. The video presenter (Mr. S) talks about many different genres or reading and writing. He explains clearly the different strategies and skills needed for reading and writing well. – RISE UP teacher, Beijing
I wish I had something like this when I was in school. The product goes through all parts of how to read and write properly for school. – RISE father
In writing the best I have learned is how to structure my writing: paragraphs, essays, and stories. When I write essays for school, now my man points and details are very clear. – RISE UP student, Xingjiefan Learning Center, Beijing