kfeusse Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Building Spelling Skills is what it is called and I was wondering what people thought of it. If you have used it, how important is the Teacher's guide? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 anybody?? It got decent reviews on Amazon...but I don't always know if I should trust those or not. I would rather hear from you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshomework Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I have used it. It seemed very traditional school type work. I did not use a teachers guide I believe it's an all in one book or at least the one I am thinking of. I used the first grade book the words seemed simple at first but more on level towards the end of the book. My dd liked it but it seemed simple workbook style and it that is what your looking for it may work for you it is very independent work except for test day and comming up with a dictation sentence on day three. I would think it is similar to Spectrum and Spelling Workout style but I have not used them just seen samples online. Day one copy word list. Day two fill in word for visual memory. Day three you fill in the blank using word Day four you fill in the missing letter and combine rhyming words. Day five you have your test. IT is set up for 5 days a week we only do 4 so I would combine two days. I wanted something to include a little vocabulary and spelling in one so I switched to Rod &Staff. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 My youngest son has used it for the past 2 years and will continue with it next year. It is a typical spelling program as a pp indicated. He seems to retain most of the words and it has given him confidence in his spelling abilities. We also work it 4 days a week. I haven't seen separate student books. The book we use has the answers in the back and the pages are reproducible so it seems like a TM. It's the one that sells on Amazon for about $15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anoncalhan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 I would probably buy the student books...because if we liked it I would have more than one student using the older levels of books as they got older. What would I be missing if I just bought the student books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I would probably buy the student books...because if we liked it I would have more than one student using the older levels of books as they got older. What would I be missing if I just bought the student books? I'm not sure what you mean by the student books. This is one of the books that I have purchased. Is this what you are referring to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 you can buy books right from the company that are JUST the student pages...they are consumable and are only 7.99 each (sold separately) or you can buy them as a package of 5 for alittle bit less per book. Most of the evan Moor products are sold this way. We use the EM Daily geography and I buy ONLY the student books becasue I can figure out the answers without an answer key...and I didn't need the trasnparancies that were included in the TE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Okay. You had mentioned Amazon in a previous post so that's where I thought you were purchasing them. As far as what's in the TM then: "Teaching the Weekly Unit" - a two-page spread recommending a general approach to each day's lesson. Most likely, this is unnecessary for you. "Dictation Sentences" - Each week there are 2 sentences that incorporate several of the spelling words. Without the TM you would simply come up with your own sentences. "Student Spelling Dictionaries" - a template and instructions for how to create a personalized spelling dictionary for students. "Master Word List" "Answer Key" - I do use this but just to speed up checking my son's answers. You could easily check the worksheets without the answer key, it just takes a bit more time. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Okay. You had mentioned Amazon in a previous post so that's where I thought you were purchasing them. As far as what's in the TM then:"Teaching the Weekly Unit" - a two-page spread recommending a general approach to each day's lesson. Most likely, this is unnecessary for you. "Dictation Sentences" - Each week there are 2 sentences that incorporate several of the spelling words. Without the TM you would simply come up with your own sentences. "Student Spelling Dictionaries" - a template and instructions for how to create a personalized spelling dictionary for students. "Master Word List" "Answer Key" - I do use this but just to speed up checking my son's answers. You could easily check the worksheets without the answer key, it just takes a bit more time. Hope this helps. yes, this does help. THANK YOU very much! Do you think the lessons are age appropriate for the average student? My children aren't horrible spellers but they aren't natural spellers either. We have been using Soaring With Spelling and I guess it is ok...but I was looking for something different...but still workbooky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Gregg Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 We've used it for 3rd and 4th grade. Mostly because it was the curriculum that was used in my older DDs 1st and 2nd grade in public school and she liked the program and I thought it was pretty solid. It's just an all in one book with the answer key in the back. We did list on Day 1 and the Day2 sheet on the same day. Day 3 Day 4 and then we tested on Day1 of the following week any missed words we tack onto the following week. DD is a strong speller and if she misses a word it's usually just 1 or 2 words. I plan to use it with DD2 for 1st grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Do you think the lessons are age appropriate for the average student? My children aren't horrible spellers but they aren't natural spellers either. hmmmmmm. I have a horrible speller and a natural speller but my youngest falls somewhere in the middle :) . He was a late reader so he is working one grade level behind in spelling which means he is completing book 4 this year. I tossed book 3 and book 5 is in-route, so I can only give you what I have from book 4. Week 1 -- words with consonant blends; two-syllable words examples: bridge, switch, applaud, trouble Week 15 -- words with the /ur/ sound spelled er, ir, ur, ear, or, and ar examples: early, curly, shirt, another, sailor Week 29 -- words with the prefixes dis, un, re, and mis examples: unable, rewrite, disappear, uncomfortable Each week seems to have some easier words and some harder ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 thanks again for your answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 We have used it for 1st through 4th grades. One of my children is a pretty good speller and the other is not a natural speller (very auditory). I like it because it's very independent. I work with each child three times each week - calling out the spelling words on day 1, reading the dictation sentences on day 2 or 3, and calling out the words for the test at the end of the week. We also do a 4-day week, so we combine days 2 & 3. I buy the E-book each year directly from Evan Moor, then print it myself. This way, I can re-use the book for my 2nd child instead of purchasing a new book. We are planning to continue using it in the fall for 5th & 3rd grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.