this app is good for kids who need help with:

Self-Awareness

Understanding our own actions, thoughts and feelings.

All users are prompted with a series of questions upon signing in. They must answer each question about their learning with either a check for yes or an x for no. The prompts are: "articulate your thoughts clearly," "improve focus while reading," "improve your writing abilities,and "process written information faster." Users can choose to answer truthfully, which could result in practicing multiple skill sets in the Elevate generated quizzes. However, users can also choose to focus their energy on improving one particular area. Once users sign in via email or Facebook, the daily quizzes begin. Not only must users think about what they need to improve, they can also track their progress under the "Performance" tab, to ensure they are becoming better thinkers -- an otherwise difficult variable to measure.

Focus

Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.

One of the introductory prompts directly relates to the focus thinking skill. Users are asked if they would like to improve focus during activities. Those who wish to better this skill should obviously check the box. This means that many of the quizzes will require users to demonstrate focus. For example, the reading comprehension activity presents users with a series of words that appear then disappear from the screen fairly quickly. Users have to read all the words (which form a sentence or two) and answer a question based on what they read -- much like the SAT's. Users must concentrate on each word, and focus their energy on zeroing in on the main idea.

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our mind while working.

The app features a training regimen made specifically for boosting memory skills. The app describes the program as helping users "retrieve words from memory faster, eliminating tip-of-the-tongue moments." In it, users are given clues which they use to determine the word the quiz is looking for, and spell it out using the provided letters. The reading program also tests users Working Memory skills, as they must quickly read text as it flashes across the screen and then answer true or false questions about what they just read.

Reading

All of the in-game activities involve some type of reading. But because users give their ages when they sign in to Elevate, the reading level of the activities usually reflect they age of the user. It helps users develop focus and critical thinking skill during the reading process. Users must demonstrate thorough reading comprehension skills in order to answer the questions accurately.

Writing

Users who wish to improve their writing skills should indicate so when answering the introductory questions. One activity in particular is extremely beneficial. The quiz deals with redundancy, where users must remove each unnecessary word in the generated sentences. Some are double negatives and some are two words that mean almost the same thing. Even though the sentences may seem expressive, it's more importance to be concise, especially when learning how to right. The name of the quiz is appropriately titled, "brevity."