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Review of The New Gnu from Crick Software, February 2005

The New Gnu

For MS Windows and Mac OS
Requires Clicker 5 or Clicker 4.

Reviewed by Gerry Kennedy – IT Computer Consultant and Trainer in Education

The Gamba Gnu Series

Clicker software forms the basis of this new series of Clicker Books. Gamba the Gnu is the main character and there are three books, including The New Gnu, The Gnu’s Holiday and The Lost Forest. They all require a copy of either Clicker 4 or Clicker 5 installed on your MS Windows or MAC OS computer. Gamba is the latest addition to the Clicker Books characters and is a gnu that lives in Africa with his animal friends. It has been created, written and colourfully illustrated by children’s author, Peter Williamson. There is a single licence and a very reasonably priced site licence available. The site licence version comes with 5 printed books.

All of the books contain:

• An onscreen version of the Gnu book
  
• An easier ‘Read it Yourself’ version which is fully voiced
  
• Some supporting activities based on Clicker Grids on a packaged CD ROM
  
• A fully illustrated book template so that users can create their own version or interpretation of the story on disk

The New Gnu

Gamba has a new baby sister, Layla and introduces her to what a new Gnu should do. How appropriate he is and what he shows her will appeal to children’s sense of fun. Layla and Gamba meet various African animals and get up to all sorts of adventures.

The book and computer based version both have 24 colour pages with a large, clear font. The advantage of the onscreen book is that students can have it read by the narrator, as well as clicking on icons for each character to voice their part. Users of all reading abilities can participate and listen to the story, or read it themselves. Individual words can also be read back one at a time if required.

Having read the book, children can then write their own account of the story or make up a new version. A blank template allows them to type their own text and story line. The illustrations are the same as is the order and number of pages. A speak icon (a picture of an ear as in the Clicker book) will voice the entire text on a page. You can click on any word as well if you wish. The default voice selected by the user who is currently logged on, will voice the text. (In the Clicker book, actors’ voices are used for the Narrator and characters’ voices). Most importantly, each page and grid offers speech support. It can be an extremely valuable addition to the learning process where learners are developing their vocabulary, or where English is a second language. One of the real strengths of this software is that all the grids can be printed to hard copy, so that they can be used away from the computer. This is important in situations where only one or two computers are available for a class or series of lessons. It also encourages participation and reading away from the computer.

On Screen Resources

The onscreen materials have been included to extend the reading and writing experience. Designed to be used in a variety of different ways, they motivate and support students. Used as whole group interactive activities in a classroom provides for enrichment and extension work. When used by individuals they assist in giving students engaging activities that cater to their individual needs. In a special needs setting or classroom, students may require adult intervention, direction or support. Interactive whiteboards and overhead projectors also provide additional ways in which to engage reluctant writers or small to large groups.

The Book

As described above, this is the on-screen version of The New Gnu book.

Read it Yourself

This is an easier version of the story told in twelve pages. It highlights the main points of the story. This activity caters to early readers and allows them to read independently. It also has a more simplified version of speech support.

The Activities include:

• Matching
  There are two parts to the Matching activity. Pictures from the book are displayed in menus. Children look at the detail of a picture and match objects found within it. Having read the book, the context should be apparent.

  Matching1 encourages children to study the detail in a picture. It caters beautifully to group work. It also caters to where a student is working with a teacher aide, teacher, parent or adult.

  The student chooses a picture of a scene on the start screen (of six pictures). Each picture links to a page that contains the chosen picture along with pictures of six objects. The activity entails finding the objects that appear within the chosen picture. There is speech feedback when you choose an object. In addition, with the correct selection, the student is given visual confirmation.

  Matching 2 offers picture matching using a Clicker sending grid. Clicker Writer appears above the grid. Students can work with the pictures, match them and write entries about them as well if they so desire. All grids and writing can be saved and/or printed. This provides a record of the activity for the student and also may be useful for teachers in the assessment or evaluation of the lesson or session.

• Words
  High frequency words and words important to the text are used in this section. All of the words are selected from the story and are carefully selected and targeted. This enables the students to develop their knowledge of the words in context. The activities offer exploration and practice of both reading and spelling of the targeted words. The Reading section encourages children to learn to read high frequency words on sight.

  Spelling encourages students to visualize words so that they can recall the spelling by memorizing the order of letters. The activity will help children to see relevant words as ‘wholes’ and to develop automatic spelling. The set offers differentiated levels, so that children can work at a level appropriate to ability.

  The target words are displayed on a full screen grid. In each set, the student must click on the chosen word. This will link to a grid where the student can write the word. The child can work on the first grid, which offers the relevant letters only, or the second grid that offers the whole alphabet from which to select. The student can refer to a model as a prompt and to check the spelling. By simply clicking on the ‘look’ button the student can see the target word and on the ‘listen’ button can hear it.
  

  • In Spelling 1 the target words focus on CVC letter patterns.
    
  • In Spelling 2 the target words focus on initial and end consonant cluster patterns.
    
  • In Spelling 3 the target words focus on regular long vowel phoneme patterns.
    
  • In Spelling 4 the target words focus on further vowel phoneme patterns, including ‘ou’, ‘ir’, ‘oo’, ‘ere’, ‘oi’.
• Sentences
  Word order and punctuation in sentences is practiced in this activity. There are two levels of sentence building grids, Sentences1 and Sentences 2, offering opportunities for progression. They have been designed to support students in constructing simple sentences using words and punctuation and to encourage them to consider the important features of sentences. This includes starting each sentence with a capital letter and ending with suitable punctuation, as well as recognising that a sentence must make sense and be complete on its own.

  The Punctuation set creates an opportunity to recognise the need for and use of ‘end punctuation’. This activity offers a punctuation exercise on a full screen, making it ideal for group work, as well as writing grids for follow up recording and individual work. To assist students, full auditory and visual clues are offered throughout the sets.
  

  • In Sentences 1 each grid contains the words and punctuation to build a single sentence. The complete sentence is displayed in the grid to act as a model and can also be listened to.
    
  • In Sentences 2 each grid contains the words and punctuation to build a single sentence. A model is displayed in a linked grid accessed by using the ‘look’ button and the sentence is spoken when the ‘listen’ button is clicked.
  
  
  
  
  
  • In each Punctuation grid, there is a sentence from the story without end punctuation. There is a choice of full stop, question mark or exclamation mark to end the sentence.
• Comprehension
  Opportunities to show understanding of the story by responding to direct questions and by re-telling the main events is the intent of the Comprehension activities. The activities are differentiated, allowing students to respond at an appropriate level.

  The Questions grids are designed to encourage children to demonstrate their knowledge of specific events from the story, and of meaning that is derived from the text as a whole. There are two levels offered, some requiring a specific answer, whilst others are open to individual interpretation and response.
  

  • Questions 1 features questions based on events from the story, which require a specific response, i.e. a correct answer.
    
  • In the Questions 2 set, it is designed to encourage and support a more open and individual response to questions about the story.

  The Re-tell grids enable students to re-tell the story using pictures and words. There are two levels offered allowing for differentiation and progression. These activities work well with, and are based on, the Read it Yourself book.
  In Re-tell 1 there are eight pictures and writing grids offering a high level of support.

• Composition
  These activities enable students to produce their own piece of descriptive writing using a picture stimulus. There are two levels of writing to allow for differentiation and progression. All the writing grids contain links to keyboard and wordlist grids, enabling all students to add their own words and ideas.
  
  • Writing 1 enables the children to write a simple description about one of the settings in the picture, using structured grids.
    
  • Writing 2 enables the children to write a more complex description about one of the settings using starters and word banks.

All of the activities included in each of the books, are designed to offer students the opportunity to reinforce and develop their reading and writing skills using vocabulary and content from the stories.

The Clicker Books are not only readers. They comprise all of the above activities that provide a range of different experiences for students, especially those struggling with reading, comprehension and use of punctuation. They assist teachers and parents in promoting reading and writing and model leading practice. Reading for meaning and context is so important for early learners. The Gamba series introduces a number of elements that are critical in a literacy program. The wonderful stories and delightful colour illustrations will cater to most students. It is one of a number of story books now used on computers. The added advantage of working with Clicker 5 and Clicker 4 will appeal to those schools already using Crick Software products. It adds value to Clicker and compliments the inherent powerful features of using onscreen grid supports.

About Clicker

Clicker caters to writers of any age as it comes with its own user-friendly talking word processor (called Clicker Writer). The picture and voice supported Writer allows users to type with pictures, symbols (such as PCS), photographs, and digital camera images, as well as with words. Clicker grids, displayed beneath Clicker Writer, provide users with instant access to either letters, numbers, punctuation and symbols, whole or part words, phrases, sentences, pictures and sounds. It enhances and helps in developing skills and understandings in the writing experience. Users are able to create their own grids, use sample grids or ones downloaded free from the Internet, and design and create their own talking presentations and/or visual projects. Users can use a mouse, joystick, QWERTY keyboard, external keyboard, trackball, touch window or one or two switches.

Switch Access: The Gamba Gnu series also includes The Gnu’s Holiday and The Lost Forest. For students and users with physical disabilities and who use one or two switches, it is good to know that Clicker 5 and Clicker 4 both have switch access built in to the program (it is a option used upon installation). Single or multiple users (e.g. a group or class) are able to ‘log on’ to the program, with files and directories automatically created to store and save word lists and grids made by, or for them. Therefore, if you set switch settings for a user upon logon, that user has the appropriate access ready for immediate use.

Other additional resources include Daisy, Archie the Find Out and About series as well as the freely available Learning Grids. These packages all work with Clicker versions and are downloadable from www.learninggrids.com.