Sequential Spelling is now online

[SarahW]

http://www.sequentialspelling.online/home.php

 

Don't think this has been announced here yet. Sequential Spelling launched an online version of their program. The website has minimal information - their FB page has some more info.

 

I've never been lusting after SS, but because of the situation this school year, I'm considering this. Crazypants is a pattern-person, which largely shows up in math, but maybe it could also apply to spelling? But he's also someone who wants to know "why?" so I've tried to stick to rule-based spelling. But he's not exactly fond of LA, so maybe a get-it-done online program would appeal to him.

 

Has anyone signed up for this? Please share what it's like.

[Ms.Ivy]

Yay! Thanks for sharing. We use SS and I will have to look into the online thing and see if it will help make getting spelling done even easier.

[blondeviolin]

Wish I would have known before I bought book 2! I might have my oldest take the placement test to see where she should really be...

[HeWillSoar]

This looks interesting.  Did anyone see what the pricing is?  I am not seeing it. 

[Ms.Ivy]

This looks interesting.  Did anyone see what the pricing is?  I am not seeing it. 

 

$10 per kid per level.  If you take the placement test, you will get a general feel for how it works.  It is pretty much the same set up as the placement test, but it shows the correct answer if you type it wrong and you have to type it correctly.  I got it for one of my kids and it seems to work well.  It has a robot type voice that reads the words but it isn't bad.  I am a get-'er-done type of homeschool mom, so I give it a thumbs up.  I will still be keeping a couple of my other kids on a different level of SS together with me dictating the words, but at least the kid I got this online version for can accelerate without me having to spend the extra time on it.  

[Tenaj]

$10 per kid per level.  If you take the placement test, you will get a general feel for how it works.  It is pretty much the same set up as the placement test, but it shows the correct answer if you type it wrong and you have to type it correctly.  I got it for one of my kids and it seems to work well.  It has a robot type voice that reads the words but it isn't bad.  I am a get-'er-done type of homeschool mom, so I give it a thumbs up.  I will still be keeping a couple of my other kids on a different level of SS together with me dictating the words, but at least the kid I got this online version for can accelerate without me having to spend the extra time on it.  

 

When I went to the screen for purchasing, it seems to show that you can buy 5 "credits" for $19.99  Which is a great deal . . . it says that one credit equals one student for one level so $19.99 is for five students.  I thought that was a great price.

[Ariston]

Thank you!  I have looked high and low for an online spelling program that is more than just practice with lists of words!  I am really excited to check this out. 

[LAmom]

Do you think learning is the same doing it online vs writing it out, etc?  

[Ms.Ivy]

Do you think learning is the same doing it online vs writing it out, etc?

I don't think so, which is part of the reason why I am sticking with doing it offline with little chalkboards for my 2nd and 4th graders. But my 5th grader is ready to move on to typing. He struggles with spelling and has been doing it on paper for five years, so I think switching to online typing will help him at this point.

[Ariston]

I've just signed my 10 year old daughter up.   I'll let you know how it goes.  Nothing has really helped her spelling although to be fair we haven't stuck with any one thing for long.  This year she's doing a lot of her schooling online so at least this will get done.  Fingers crossed I'll see some improvement.

 

 

[Ariston]

I just wanted to come back and share our experience.  The online component does not actually provide any instruction or practice.  It is just a computer generated voice reading out words (and sentences for context.)  The student types in the word and is marked correct or prompted to fix it.   then on to the next word.  About 10-20 per day it seems.  That's it!  I was expecting a program that would actually teach the rules, etc.  I am not familiar with the SS books but I am guessing this is meant to be a replacement for the student workbooks only, although that was not made clear on the website!

 

It was a big disappointment to us, and I have requested a refund from the company.  Frankly even if we had the teachers guide I would not use the online part because of the computer generated voice.  It was not easy to understand.  There were a few times my daughter called me over to help her and I could not tell what the computer was saying either.  Plus, there are websites where you can enter your spelling list and have them dictate tests to you if that is all you're interested in.

 

I really wish I could find a good online program for my daughter!  It seems like the simplest of subjects to teach online...I don't know why I can't find one?

[dancingmama]

SS does not teach spelling rules. The concept is that words build off of each other and just learning the patterns teaches spelling. it appears to be exactly like the books, which works for some but not for others.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the voice. Between that and the fact I feel writing it out is better for brain connection, I'll stick with the paper guides.

[Ariston]

LOL. Well I guess that explains my confusion. I guess I should have looked into the program more before buying it So if you did it on paper you would literally just read out the words and then correct it once and move on? What about sight words? Do they cycle them back through for repetition?

 

Maybe we'll try it for another week. But I really wish they had hired someone to read the words. One of the words was 'chinned' which neither my daughter nor myself could understand. Another sentence said what both of us thought was "they scraped their shins" but turned out to be "chins.". She doesn't hate it, but is in a state of mild annoyance.

 

At least the price is right. Maybe I'll un-ask for my refund and try to stick it out.

[dancingmama]

Yes, sight words are repeated but the majority of the words are just building off each other. So you learn "act" and then spell a 19 other words with the word "act" in it, from simple to longer and/or more complicated words. Every so often there is a review and then you use that to go over the sections they had trouble with/redo those rows. There is a ton of info on their website about their approach. It was originally meant for kids with dyslexia.

[Bluegoat]

Do you think learning is the same doing it online vs writing it out, etc?  

 

This is what I am wondering too - I think there is some good evidence that typing on a screen doesn't tend to be as effective for learning.

 

Even on paper, the program is really as simple as possible, the only advantage I can see for online is that it could be done without the teacher pying close attention.

[Bluegoat]

I just wanted to come back and share our experience.  The online component does not actually provide any instruction or practice.  It is just a computer generated voice reading out words (and sentences for context.)  The student types in the word and is marked correct or prompted to fix it.   then on to the next word.  About 10-20 per day it seems.  That's it!  I was expecting a program that would actually teach the rules, etc.  I am not familiar with the SS books but I am guessing this is meant to be a replacement for the student workbooks only, although that was not made clear on the website!

 

It was a big disappointment to us, and I have requested a refund from the company.  Frankly even if we had the teachers guide I would not use the online part because of the computer generated voice.  It was not easy to understand.  There were a few times my daughter called me over to help her and I could not tell what the computer was saying either.  Plus, there are websites where you can enter your spelling list and have them dictate tests to you if that is all you're interested in.

 

I really wish I could find a good online program for my daughter!  It seems like the simplest of subjects to teach online...I don't know why I can't find one?

 

Well, what you describe is how the program works, not just for online students.  Teacher reads the words, student writes them, and if they are wrong they are prompted immediatly to correct it.  The next day they do the next list which will be in part made up with some of the same or related words, so it builds on itself.

 

It's not supposed to have kids memorize words and test, that is what it is actually trying to avoid. (Though there are tests, usually every 10 r 20 lessons IIRC.)

 

It's dead simple, and when we used it, quicker and much more effective than anything else we ever used.

[CDNTCR]

What a horrible program! Don't waste your money! I bought the electronic version for 13 students. All the program does is dictate a few words and the students have to type in what they hear to spell the words. The recordings and pronunciations are fuzzy. You can heat "z" for an "s" etc. There is not a list available to introduce the words to the kids. All there is available is crappy and sparse activities mindless and minimal worksheet questions (like go look in the dictionary and write out the definitions and NO it isn't the spelling list!). I contacted the sequentialspelling.com person and he emphatically said that they don't supply any book printouts of the lessons (spouting something about intellectual property). There is no support whatsoever and kids go into their lessons blind without any reinforcement. They ripped me off $100 + US. That's theft.