Jules in MI Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I talked to some "seasoned" hs'ing moms who said they don't like Spelling Power because it is too teacher intensive and time consuming. I'm really bummed because I bought it at our local hs'ing conference this summer and already opened the shrink wrap just this week!! Dang, it cost $60! I bought it to use with my 3rd grader this fall...he has always been somewhat of a "natural" speller, he doesn't struggle with spelling at all, and never needed phonics to learn to read...he taught himself when he was 4 yo. What do you think??? Should I have chosen something like Sequential Spelling? or Phonetic Zoo?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 You mean the big orange book? I don't find it teacher intensive at all. Oh sure, to read it all through before starting, to get the idea of the program, sure, that takes a bit. But then that's it. Teaching/using it throughout the year takes hardly any of my time at all. We've been using it 3 yr now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieinCO Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I agree with Tara - the reading/prep work is a bit cumbersome but day to day time is not "mom intensive". If you can borrow the quick start video/dvd then it really is pretty simple. Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh, I wouldn't call it "teacher intensive" at all! Yes, it requires five minutes or so of your day for you to call out spelling words, so I guess it takes more time than just handing your kid a workbook to do on his own, but five minutes of grab-the-book-and-go seems pretty low maintenance to me. I would skip all the (unnecessarily long) stuff at the beginning of the book and go straight or the Quick Start info. Also be aware that with a "natural speller", you may not *need* to have your son do all the steps she recommends for studying misspelled words. I found with my natural speller that having him copy out the correct spelling of the word a couple of times was generally plenty of "study" for him. I just went through the word lists and made a little pencil mark next to the ones he misspelled. Then, the next time we were doing a spelling list, I'd ask him the previously misspelled word and make a check next to the original mark (assuming he got it right). I'm sure the steps are very helpful for kids who need more time to really internalize the words -- but for kids who tend to be natural spellers anyway, it's overkill. I think Spelling Power is great for natural spellers because it *is* so quick-and-dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules in MI Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 I have watched the intro and am now in the process of reading through the beginning of the manual before continuing w/ the video, per her instructions. Mine also came with a CD-Rom disk that has all kinds of forms I"ll need that are in the book too. Thanks, I was worried I bought something too complicated and time consuming. It seemed the best choice, since Phonetic Zoo was a lot of $$$, and Spelling Workout seemed to tedious for a natural speller. My only other thought was sequential spelling, but I needed to make a choice! Thanks again ladies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I don't know why I posted this twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 But the author would beat me silly if she knew how I use it. I do the word lists as instructed, but then I either have my kids study their misspelled words, or just have them write the words out a few times. I also let them put all their misspelled words into one sentence on the study sheet as long as it makes sense. They never do the reinforcement activities. Oh, the shame! But it seems to work for us. If one of my younger kids struggles more with spelling, I'll probably have them do the activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 psst letting you all in on a little secret... I don't have my kids do all the activities either. Ditto the others, write the misspelled words a few times, form a sentence, call it good ;) I only require more if they run into trouble, missing the word 2 or more times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I didn't do it the way it suggested either. How teacher intense it is depends on: How good a speller the kid is to begin with. Obviously the harder it is, the more time it takes. How many kids you are doing it with. Yes, 15 - 20 minutes is no big deal for ONE kid. I have FIVE that get spelling. That's a lot of time for one subject like spelling, imho. Math, writing, history - yep no problem, but I just don't think spelling should take that much time. I like Natural Speller better for the kids who need some more concentrated spelling effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I have watched the intro and am now in the process of reading through the beginning of the manual before continuing w/ the video, per her instructions. Mine also came with a CD-Rom disk that has all kinds of forms I"ll need that are in the book too. Thanks, I was worried I bought something too complicated and time consuming. It seemed the best choice, since Phonetic Zoo was a lot of $$$, and Spelling Workout seemed to tedious for a natural speller. My only other thought was sequential spelling, but I needed to make a choice! Just don't feel trapped into doing *everything* she suggests. The program was written with *struggling* spellers in mind and offers tons and tons of reinforcement. If you have a child who doesn't need all that, then just skip it and use the word lists. And the expense works out once you figure that Spelling Power will cover you for spelling for a number of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I talked to some "seasoned" hs'ing moms who said they don't like Spelling Power because it is too teacher intensive and time consuming. I'm really bummed because I bought it at our local hs'ing conference this summer and already opened the shrink wrap just this week!! Dang, it cost $60! I bought it to use with my 3rd grader this fall...he has always been somewhat of a "natural" speller, he doesn't struggle with spelling at all, and never needed phonics to learn to read...he taught himself when he was 4 yo. What do you think??? Should I have chosen something like Sequential Spelling? or Phonetic Zoo?? Oh pish-posh. No, I don't think you made a mistake at all. Spelling Power is *perfect* for a natural speller. SS or PZ aren't necessary for a natural speller. BTW, we're starting our 12th year of homeschooling in September. Does that make me seasoned? If so, relax. I say you did just fine. BTW, I don't find SP teacher intensive *at all*. If 5 minutes a day is teacher intensive, we're all in trouble!!!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 :iagree: Begin with the Quick Start section (watch the video if you have it). Then just spend your summer reading time browsing through some of the other sections, to get the gist of what the author is aiming at. Most of this material is her research on spelling, you can basically skim it! I purchased SP to use with my nephew in a tutoring situation, only once per week, so it is adaptable and can be used as the teacher/tutor sees fit. Someday, Lord willing, I will attempt to use this program in a literacy program, possibly in a prison setting -- I think it's a great way to build spelling skills. FWIW, the section in the back on using a dictionary is worth the price of the book (at least to my nephew it has been). Every teacher should read through that section and keep it in mind, especially as students approach 5th/6th grade and beyond. We did have to "tweak" some of SP's "rules" -- I just typed up my own in Word and printed them out (without all of the examples for every rule, it was too confusing for Mark). The lists are worth the price of the book, too. Anyway, we have been happy with it, and it should take us all the way through high school for spelling. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I heard/read that Spelling Power only takes 15 minutes a day -- and that's the student in later years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori in MS Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Remember that $60 is for one book that will be used for all children 3rd grade to 12th grade. I think that is a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim in ks Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I agree w/ a lot of what has already been said, We've used Spelling Power for over 10 years! And we customized it to our family, using the quick start guide! We use the activity cards about half the time, if I think the student needs the phonic rule reinforced! so as you can see, I definitely have gotten my money's worth! kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I like it for good spellers because you don't waste your or their time learning words they already know how to spell. So in that sense, it is time saving. You do have to call out the words to your child. So in that sense its not something you can just hand them like a workbook. But, it also keeps you very in tune with where they are at with spelling. We don't use it much any more, but its possible to just use it for a part of the year or when you feel spelling needs a brush up. My son was not ready to write the words with Spelling Power until he was about 10 year olds. So we did it orally for a long time, and then with Scrabble tiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Looking at all of the above posters, you don't need my opinion too - BUT, I'll give it to you anyway :tongue_smilie:. We also use this book and are in our 5th year. We don't use it exactly as written either, we basically just use the word lists. Misspelled words get written 3 times each and once in a sentence. Then they are added to the next day's list. That's it. I'll continue to use it as long as we hs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Will someone tell me a bit more about Spelling Power? Is it similar to Spell to Write and Read? How is it not teacher intensive? Do you dictate new words to the child?? What is a day or week like? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Will someone tell me a bit more about Spelling Power? Is it similar to Spell to Write and Read? How is it not teacher intensive? Do you dictate new words to the child?? What is a day or week like? Thanks! It's not like SWR. Basically, you test your child into the appropriate level, regardless of their "grade". Then you work through a series of spelling lists grouped by rule. You read the word aloud to your child (and read the word in a sentence, if you like), they spell it, and if it's right, you move on. If it's wrong, you provide the correct spelling immediately. There are various ways to decide how many you'll do... By total number of words they attempt, by total number they misspell, for a set period of time regardless of how many words that is, till they finish the "group"... When you're finished, they go on to study their misspelled words according to a SP formula. The formula is very hands-on and tries to get kids to analyze the way words are spelled, picture them visually, trace them on a textured surface, etc. But, as many of us have mentioned, if you have a child who doesn't *need* all that to learn a new spelling, you can pare it down or simply have them write the word correctly. Missed words are then spelled again the following day. There are other activities you *may* use to work on spelling, if your child needs / enjoys that. Or you can skip it. It's really an extremely adaptable program -- suitable to use (in different ways) with strong or poor spellers. What I *don't* like about it is the absurdly complex and verbose "how to use this book" section. (Rolling my eyes...) It's not *nearly* as difficult or time-consuming (or even paradigm-altering) as the author makes it sound. It's "not time consuming" in that all the parent has to do is read the current spelling list aloud to the student. It should take between 5 and 15 minutes total depending on how many words you're doing and how quickly your child writes. Our time (even in the upper levels) was always closer to 5 minutes than 15, however. The student studies the missed words on his or her own -- so unless you have a child who needs constant help refocusing, that 5-15 minutes is all the teacher uses. There is no prep work necessary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 But the author would beat me silly if she knew how I use it. I do the word lists as instructed, but then I either have my kids study their misspelled words, or just have them write the words out a few times. I also let them put all their misspelled words into one sentence on the study sheet as long as it makes sense. They never do the reinforcement activities. Oh, the shame! But it seems to work for us. If one of my younger kids struggles more with spelling, I'll probably have them do the activities. We (in the past) used it the same way. It is actually less time consuming than other programs when you do not do the activities. Holly (PS-But you are right. It is an expensive list of spelling words!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
called2hs Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 What does everyone use for the last part of the spelling lesson; the spelling instruction part? I also bought the activity card but have not figured out how to use them:confused: I also have a "natural speller" so she ends up missing 0-2 words at the most and then our lesson is pretty much over after taking the steps for misspelled words. Should I be using word list for the activities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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