Spelling Workout of Spelling Power....

[michaeljenn]

Which do you perfer and why?

 

I like Spelling Workout for the exercises it gives... I feel like it helps the student, or at least I think it does. My son thinks it is just busy work.

 

I like Spelling Power because you don't waste time learning words you already know. However, there are no vocabulary within it like Spelling Workout. I suppose we could pull out the handy dandy dictionary and look it up the old fashion way when they don't know the word:tongue_smilie::lol:

 

Sooo, what say you??? What is your preference?

[Lynn in WI]

We've used both--started with Spelling Workout, switched to Spelling Power and then went back to SW.

 

We returned for the reasons you mention: the vocabulary, proofreading and playing with words that it provides.

 

I think it's just personal preference and what you want out of your spelling program. My boys don't mind the busy work--it's actually like a little vacation in their otherwise non-workbooky (is that a word?) day.

[linders]

Right now we use SWO for the reasons you gave, vocabulary and exercises like proofreading. I know that if I just put a little time in, I could create the same activities on my own with Spelling Power, but my DS7 really likes it, it is easy, etc. I also skip the exercises that are just recopying the words...we do an oral "pre-test" each time and he misses 1 or 2 at most, then none after a couple of days. And based on his written work, he's retaining his spelling, whether from this or just being a natural speller.

 

I truly think both programs are good, we just haven't had to worry about it yet!

[michaeljenn]

Thanks for the replies!!

 

Anyone else?

[Kay in Cal]

I looked at both and we chose SWO. I like it because it gives some exercises, has vocabulary (particularly at higher levels), and it's soooo easy to implement.

 

However, we do a pre-test, and only do the "busy work" based on how ds does. We always read the text and go over the rules, then do an oral pre-test. If he gets all the words right, we call it a day, and move on to the next chapter the next day. But he has to do exercises based on the number of words he misses... if he misses one word, he can choose one exercise, misses two he does two, up to "do them all". It seems to work well. I think practicing with words you can spell naturally is indeed busy work. This way, the amount of work is directly tied to his performance, which seems fair.

[Donna]

I started homeschooling 7 years ago with SWO but ds went through it too quickly, hated having to learn words he already knew, and the vocabulary and other exercises were just ridiculous because he knew the meanings for all the words he was trying to spell since his spelling level was below his reading comprehension level which was very accelerated for his age. I hated having to buy a new workbook for every level.

 

I have been using Spelling Power for the past 5 years and just started using it with my 3rd child. I love that I have spent money on one thing I can use for all 3 kids for all their homeschooling spelling needs. I add in words they spell incorrectly in their writings and do separate vocabulary program with words on their reading level (their reading levels are higher than their spelling levels at this point). My kids love being able to pretest and only needing to study 1-3 words a day. The techniques work and their spelling improves every year.

[Colleen in SEVA]

We started with SWO but DS complained. Then we switched to SP (a better fit for him, really) but he has requested SWO again. So we are doing both. :)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I tried to like SWO. I tried three different times, with two different kids, at two different levels (A and B). I always ended up ditching it. I couldn't see any rhyme or reason to the groupings of the words. They weren't grouped by sound, or spelling, (though I think this changes at higher levels). All the busy work, while fun for dd, bored ds to tears and didn't seem to help their spelling. I quit using it during a busy season, and found that their spelling was improving all on it's own, without using any spelling program at all.

 

I looked at Spelling Power, and was interested in it, but it was just so big and cumbersome. Next to it on the shelf, I saw Natural Speller. It works on some of the same principles: pretesting, only studying words you don't know, using multiple intelligence techniques to study the word, moving through the lists at your own speed. I like that it also has supplemental activities like adding prefixes and suffixes to words, dividing into syllables, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, and dictionary use. The book is thin. The words are grouped by grade (1st through 8th), and then into little groups of like spelling. The book is non-consumable. All our work is done on a white board or notebook paper.

 

My dd, who is a visual learner, and avid reader, and a natural speller, went through all the words in the book by the end of sixth grade. She also learned to use a dictionary readily. I'm switching her to vocabulary (no spelling) starting next year, in 7th grade. Ds, at the end of 4th grade, was just finishing the 3rd grade words. I'll add more activities (suffixes, dictionary, etc) next year. I like that they can each work from the same, non-consumable book, at their own pace.

[KarenNC]

Spelling Power. My daughter is a natural speller and has a very advanced vocabulary, so SWO looked to be too much busywork for her. I, too, like that I have had to purchase only one book for all of her spelling (I got it for $15 used) going forward.

 

There are tons of ideas for activities in the back of the SP book if one wants to do further activities with the spelling lists. Paula's Archives has some good info on using SP http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/SPmenu.htm

[Robin Hood]

Which do you perfer and why?

 

I like Spelling Workout for the exercises it gives... I feel like it helps the student, or at least I think it does. My son thinks it is just busy work.

 

That is what I like about SW....the other stuff it teaches. What I don't like about it is the mixed up way it teaches phonics....ie: yesterday's was about the digraph ie with the little memory poem. Then it proceeds to include words like amplifies which is a y changed to i and add es word; died which is just a different tense; and pies which is just plural. There were 20 different mixed ie and ei words that the student was supposed to extract and catagorize into their proper sounds and spellings. That just seems like it puts too much work into spelling. That's my gripe with SO. Other stuff I like so I stick with it.

 

I like Spelling Power because you don't waste time learning words you already know. However, there are no vocabulary within it like Spelling Workout. I suppose we could pull out the handy dandy dictionary and look it up the old fashion way when they don't know the word:tongue_smilie::lol:

 

I am not sure about SP but was thinking about it when a user said that an awful lot of parental preparation was involved. I rather do other things, so I was easily disuaded from it.

 

Sooo, what say you??? What is your preference?

 

I am going to look into sequential spelling this summer. I saw a friend's workbook and that is just up my alley. I would miss the other stuff and am hoping that grammar will get into teaching the what the other SW exersizes teach.

[Amy loves Bud]

I started homeschooling 7 years ago with SWO but ds went through it too quickly, hated having to learn words he already knew, and the vocabulary and other exercises were just ridiculous because he knew the meanings for all the words he was trying to spell since his spelling level was below his reading comprehension level which was very accelerated for his age. I hated having to buy a new workbook for every level.

 

I have been using Spelling Power for the past 5 years and just started using it with my 3rd child. I love that I have spent money on one thing I can use for all 3 kids for all their homeschooling spelling needs. I add in words they spell incorrectly in their writings and do separate vocabulary program with words on their reading level (their reading levels are higher than their spelling levels at this point). My kids love being able to pretest and only needing to study 1-3 words a day. The techniques work and their spelling improves every year.

 

 

I agree with this. If you want to reinforce the spelling words, SP has lots of suggested activities in the back of the book, as well as activity cards you can purchase separately if the activities in the book aren't enough. My son's spelling has improved tremendously with SP.

[JudoMom]

I like Spelling Power better, but right now we're using SWO. My boys do SWO almost 100% independent (I only give them the test). I kept skipping Spelling Power due to time constraints (I know, it's only a few minutes of my time per boy, but the reality is I was skipping it).

 

After I give my boys their SWO test I have them do the Spelling Power sheet to practice any missed words and add the missed words onto the next SWO test.

 

I might try Spelling Power again after we finish our current SWO books.

[StephanieZ]

I prefer SWO because

1) it works for both my dc (SP didn't)

2) it is painless and tearfree (SP wasn't)

3) it takes very little mom-time (unlike SP).