colleenebeans Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I was just given this book and tried to read thru it super fast to get an idea of the program. I cant possibly read anymore as have stopped retaining info at this point...LOL. Is anyone using this and do you like it? Thanks, Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I was just given this book and tried to read thru it super fast to get an idea of the program. I cant possibly read anymore as have stopped retaining info at this point...LOL. Is anyone using this and do you like it? Thanks, Colleen We do. We've been using it for years. I have my dd do Spelling Power on her own as independent work. She likes it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Dd is fourteen; we've been using it since she was around nine. We're nearly at the end now, but it has been a good fit for her. She began with severe dysgraphia and was pretty well unable to spell anything but the simplest three-letter words despite a very high reading ability; now her spelling is at or above grade level. And it hasn't been drudgery or time-consuming at all. The hardest part is getting through that manual! Do take the time to do that, though. Just the lists of words in themselves aren't anything special, particularly for younger kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I was just given this book and tried to read thru it super fast to get an idea of the program. I cant possibly read anymore as have stopped retaining info at this point...LOL. Is anyone using this and do you like it? My edition from several years ago had a short section (4 pages?) on how to get started very quickly; your book might have that too. It was helpful. I like the different ways it reinforces correct spelling, visual, tactile, etc. The spelling "rules" and exceptions, imo, are very poor. I think most of their so-called exceptions can be easily explained. My dd's retention using SP was not so great, and we moved on to a different program. It works for some kids, doesn't work for others. Edited January 10, 2011 by Kristine out of lurking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I used it/still use it with all my kids. My kids range from horrible speller to natural speller so I have used Spelling Power in different ways with each. When oldest two were little they benefitted from all the different ways of learning to spell incorrect words. They enjoyed picking an activity from the cards to do each day. My youngest rarely spells a word incorrectly and once she sees her mistake, doesn't need reinforcement so for her I go through a list a day plus any incorrect words from the previous day and no extra activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We use it and it works well. We do a list a day and whatever words they miss, I put into a list on Spelling City and they practice it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We cut the spine and took out the list of words. Tossed the rest of the book after we read it. I put the hole punched word lists in my 3-ring binder. There is a website where you can get the printable pages free or you can buy the cd. It is an easy 15-20 minutes a day - or however you use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My kids hated every other spelling program. They don't mind spelling power at all. Quick, easy, and they seem to retain it well. 5KidsRUs - what is this fabulous printables site? Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 MSNative - Here you go: highland.hitcho.com.au Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We've used SP for more than 10 years. Pros: - Quick to use, once we figured out we didn't need the extra activities (some like them). - The word lists are convenient. - The word lists are comprehensive, and include the words I feel are most important. - The review is usually spot-on, and the words in the review lists are most often the ones my dc miss. - The practice books are convenient. - It's cheaper overall for us, because one book has lasted through seven dc. Cons: - The instructions are wordy and convoluted (as is typical for anything by this author). I agree that you should read the Quick Start info and ditch the rest. - The rules are ok, but not perfect. I'd love to see a SP-like program that uses the Spalding rules. - The practice books have too much extra stuff in them for our use because we do our spelling orally (to prepare for spelling bees). - I do not like the line spacing in the new practice books. It is too close together for my dc. Spelling takes me about 10 minutes a day with each dc. I would rather have a computer program to drill my children, but so far I've been too lazy to put them into something like Spelling Made Simple. I really like SMS - you might want to check that out, too. HTH, GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3and3 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We are using SP this year with my 9yo dd and will start using it with 8 yo dd next year. I was very confused after trying to read the whole book as well. It was a bit overwhelming. So I came up with my own schedule. Day 1 Pretest and review previous wks spelling rules Day 2 10 step study for misspelled words and review rules Day 3 Sentences and review rules Day 4 I use either activity or make a wkst with spelling city and review rules Day 5 Test if she does not mis any words then she is done. If she misses any words I have her write them out 3 times each, but this has not happened yet. My dd needs alot of review because she is not a natural speller. I have a feeling my 2nd dd will not need as much reveiw though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleenebeans Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks everyone! Last night I was reading the "must read before you start" section. Which in turn is literally half the book. I just kept trucking through it until I read that it takes the average adult "12 uninterrupted hours" of reading time to get thorough the instruction section. WHAT? 12 hours of reading time to know how to use a spelling program..surely that cant be right. Well, Im sure its right as I spent like 3 hours last night and picked it back up this morning to realize that I didnt retain anything that I read last night...LOL. So, I just re-read the quick start guide which was like 25 pages and took notes. I did the first lesson this morning and it went well, he likes it ALOT better than the sequential spelling and actually enjoyed spelling today. Probably because he got to write words in shaving cream on the floor. :) The placement put him in section B so I just did group 1 in that section. He got 3 wrong. I am a little confused on what I am supposed to do from here. I know I retest him tomorrow on those misspelled words but do I add the next group of words to that or do I wait until we are totally done with the 3 misspelled words before I move on to the next group? :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyChelle Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 We use it and like it so far. We go through one list per day - takes about 10 minutes. She rarely misses more than 2 words after she reviews the rule for the day, so it goes very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We do. We've been using it for years. I have my dd do Spelling Power on her own as independent work. She likes it. :) How does your dd do this independently? Don't you give her a test daily? We've been using it for a couple years now and I agree it is quick and easy. OP - my book came with a quick start dvd that I believe explains how it all works (I never used it) I have the 4th Edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks everyone! The placement put him in section B so I just did group 1 in that section. He got 3 wrong. I am a little confused on what I am supposed to do from here. I know I retest him tomorrow on those misspelled words but do I add the next group of words to that or do I wait until we are totally done with the 3 misspelled words before I move on to the next group? :001_huh: Tomorrow give him those three words that he missed first (hopefully they will be right that time) and then keep going on the same list until he misses 3 words and continue on that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 How does your dd do this independently?Don't you give her a test daily? We've been using it for a couple years now and I agree it is quick and easy. OP - my book came with a quick start dvd that I believe explains how it all works (I never used it) I have the 4th Edition. We use this one. http://shop.rocksolidinc.com/spelling-power-student-book-h-8th-grade-p2411.aspx I have her do 3 pages a day. I don't have to test her. She learns it just from doing the exercises in the workbook. When I do test her she always aces it. Has for years so I don't test her anymore other than randomly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We use this one. http://shop.rocksolidinc.com/spelling-power-student-book-h-8th-grade-p2411.aspx I have her do 3 pages a day. I don't have to test her. She learns it just from doing the exercises in the workbook. When I do test her she always aces it. Has for years so I don't test her anymore other than randomly. So you buy these books every year, or did you just start that as she got older? One of the things I like about Spelling Power is that its nonconsumable and was a one time purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 So you buy these books every year, or did you just start that as she got older? One of the things I like about Spelling Power is that its nonconsumable and was a one time purchase. I buy one of those workbooks every year for her grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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