MirandaL_99
- Reviewed on Thursday, January 21, 2010
- Grades Used: 2nd and 3rd
- Dates used: 2009
I couldn't understand how to use it. I read and re-read the instructions, I even called the company and she told me what to do, which is what I'd already done. I guess it would be a good guide just to use the words, but I couldn't even figure out how to determine where to start my kids! It was very complicated, all those pages to read just to figure out how to use the curriculum!!
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4girlsmom
- Reviewed on Friday, November 13, 2009
- Grades Used: 3-7
- Dates used: 2005
We have loved Spelling Power. We have used it for 4 years now. I especially like that I don't have to buy a spelling book every year. Our daughters are excellent spellers and enjoy Spelling Power.
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ermallett
- Reviewed on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
- Grades Used: Orange Book
- Dates used: 2005-present
After wading through all the instructions, videos, etc. (and ignoring most of them!) I found Spelling Power to be just what we needed. My son gets very frustrated when he "misses" a lot of words and the idea that we just spell for 5 minutes was all he needed to stay focused. We do spend 5 minutes doing the "write/say/close your eyes and say/trace then write" and I believe it really works.
We don't use all the misc. forms and test sheets though. He has a 5 subject notebook that he uses. Each day he starts a new page (and we don't write the days rule out either... I just explain the concept to him and off we go). It's neat to look back through his spelling notebook and see how his penmanship has improved and also to see how much more complex his words are now.
All in all I'd say- I love Spelling Power but don't get caught up or overwhelmed in all the instructions. Make it work for you.
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MissDanielle
- Reviewed on Saturday, March 14, 2009
- Grades Used: 5th&6th; 3rd
- Dates used: 2007-present (09)
Spelling Power works well for my naturally good speller, but not well for my borderline dyslexic child.
The pros: I appreciate the concept of only practicing the words the child misspells. No other approach makes sense for a child who naturally spells well to begin with. Why spend a week "learning" a list of words she could already spell? I also like that you could use this one, non-consumable book for your entire schooling for all your children (theoretically).
The cons: The author strikes me as a control freak. If you feel compelled, as I did, to read the endless, tedious, unnecessary chapters leading up to actually beginning the program, you will see her constant urgings to complete the program EXACTLY as she describes. Well, it is probably my rebellious, independant streak coming out, but I hardly ever use curriculum in one prescribed way only. The first thing to go was her insistance that you only work for 15 minutes on the dot each day. Again, my daughter is a good speller. It makes more sense to give her a whole list at a time, since she will usually misspell 0-3 words per list. (The lists are perhaps 30-35 words.) Also, I could see no point in having specific papers for different tests. For example, there is a Daily Test sheet and a Review Test Sheet and a Delayed Recall Sheet. Who cares what sheet you use?
Another drawback was the way spelling rules are used. Some are as helpful as paper galloshes. This was where my non-speller became utterly baffled. The rule might be something like, "The sound of *a* can be made by ai, ae, ay, eigh, or a consonent e." Then, the list of words might include: scared, fairy, bear, their, where. My son had no inkling how one would know which combination of letters would do the trick. He hated it and it was torture for us both. I switched him to Sequential Spelling with very good results.
I do think Spelling Power is a step up from list-per-week methods and is loads better than lists of words that bear no spelling relationship with each other at all. However, a good argument could be made against even *doing* a spelling program with a good, natural speller and a non-natural speller will not do well with SP.
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