The Blue Sparrow was conceived with the belief that English poetry should be easy and fun to learn. It is a free app available on AppStore. The poems featured in this app are prepared for primary school pupils, secondary school learners, and, in fact, anyone with a desire to read or learn poetry at any time. English literary knowledge is not something remote and abstract; poems can be read and experienced with a swipe and a tap of the fingertips.
In the app, the Blue Sparrow and Theo will take the learner on a journey to explore both older and contemporary poetry. Its core features include real-life demonstrations of poetry reading, audio English and Chinese explanations, visual and audio vocabulary and grammar explanations, and listening and speaking exercises for mastering English intonation patterns. Some of the renowned poets featured in the app include William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Robert Louis Stevenson, A. A. Milne and Eleanor Farjeon.
The Blue Sparrow was co-developed by a team at Hong Kong Baptist University, in-service English teachers and beNovelty Limited. The project is funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living under the Innovation and Technology Bureau. More information can be found on www.poetryreading.org.