How to use TargetTree

Practice

• Pick a sound and practice

  Tap any tile on the home screen to open that sound's word cards. Move through them with the arrows or a swipe, tap the speaker to hear a word read aloud, and use Highlight sound or Syllables to break a word down. Each card stays full-screen and out of the way during a live session.

• Filter to the words you want

  At the bottom of a sound's word list, narrow the cards by position (initial, medial, or final) and by syllable count. Set the defaults you reach for in Settings, and still adjust them per session right here.

• Play a game

  Tap Play on a sound's word list, choose a game like Balloon Pop or Rocket Launch, then pick a goal of 5, 10, 15, or 20 words. Each word the client says moves the game along until they hit the goal. More games unlock with Pro.

• Practice several sounds at once

  Tap Select on the home screen, choose the sounds you want, then tap Practice to run them all together as one set of word cards.

• Flip the picture cards

  On a sound's word list, tap the grid button in the top corner to swap the rows for a picture grid. When a seasonal card back is in season, a flip button appears next to it: tap it to turn every card face-down to the seasonal art, then tap any card to flip it over and reveal the picture.

Sessions and worksheets

• Start and finish a session

  Tap Start session at the top of the home screen (or on the Sessions page) and enter a short client code. Everything you practice, from word cards to games to accuracy, is recorded against that code. When you're done, tap Finish session to end it and open the report. You can reopen any session's report later from the Sessions menu.

• See how each session went

  As you run through a sound's word cards, tap Got it! or Almost! on each one. At the end, TargetTree shows the percentage of words the client got right, a breakdown by sound and position, and every word you practiced, for an instant accuracy score.

• Generate a worksheet

  Open a session's report (right after you finish, or later from the Sessions menu) and tap Generate worksheet. Pick the words with All or All missed, choose whether to include pictures, then open a print-friendly page, save a PDF, or email it home.

Live sessions

• Start a live session

  Run a session across two devices, so the client follows along on their own screen with a parent or another responsible adult beside them. From a sound's word list, tap Start live, then Start live session. TargetTree shows a short join code. Start a tracking session first and the live ratings are saved to a report, just like a regular session.

  Hosting is currently in testing with invited accounts only, so the Start live button may not appear for you yet. Joining with a code works for everyone.

• Join from the other device

  On the client's device, open Live from the menu (or the link you share with them), type the 6-character join code, and tap Join. Only one device can be connected at a time. Their screen then mirrors whatever you choose, full-screen and free of buttons.

• Guide the activity

  Switch between Flashcard, Game, and Pick the picture, show or hide the picture, and rate Got it! or Almost as you go. Start a timer that appears small at the top of their screen, and watch for their Need help tap. Tap End to finish.

Make it your own

• Set your defaults

  Open Settings to choose what each word card opens with: highlight the target sound, break into syllables, show the picture, and show pictures during games, plus the default position for each type of sound. You can still change any of these per word or per session.

• Favorite a sound

  Tap the target ring in the corner of any tile to pin that sound. Favorites jump to their own section at the top of the grid, so the sounds you work on most are always one tap away. Tap the ring again to unpin.

• Reorder the tiles

  Press and hold a tile (or click and drag on a computer), then move it to arrange each section however you like. A quick tap still opens the sound. The hold is what starts a drag, so you can still scroll normally on a touch screen.

• Sign in to save

  Your favorites and custom tile order are tied to your account, so they follow you to every device you sign in on. Signed-out visitors always see the default layout.

Get a clearer voice

Tap the speaker on any word card to hear it read aloud. TargetTree automatically uses the best voice your device has. The built-in default can sound robotic, so downloading a higher-quality voice (it's free) makes a big difference, and TargetTree picks up the new voice on its own.

• Chrome or Edge (computer)

  Chrome and Edge come with a natural online voice, and TargetTree uses it automatically whenever you're online, so there's usually nothing to set up. To add more system voices on Windows, open Settings > Time & language > Speech > Manage voices.

• Safari (Mac)

  Safari uses your Mac's system voices. Open System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content, click the System Voice menu and choose Manage Voices, then download an Enhanced or Premium English voice such as Evan (Enhanced).

• iPhone or iPad

  Open Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices > English, then download an Enhanced voice (tap the download icon next to it). This improves both the TargetTree app and Safari on the same device. You can also adjust the voice's timbre, pitch, and speaking rate in the same Spoken Content settings.