When we started homeschooling, PJ was already spelling above grade level and Mia wasn’t reading yet. I falsely assumed that she needed to be reading better to spell so we started the year without spelling. Then, I started doing more research and realized that reading could be taught using encoding (spelling) and decoding (reading). We bounced around trying to find a spelling curriculum. I think we used 4 in 2 months. I finally landed on one we love. However, it’s very parent-intensive and I wanted more ways for the kids to review by themselves. Enter Vocabulary Spelling City. This is a great site that creates online activities based on custom spelling lists. There are many pre-entered lists too, but we use it with custom lists since we are using it to complement our curriculum.
Vocabular Spelling City features:
- Over 42,000 spelling words with customizable sentences and definitions
- A REAL person who says each word and sentence
- Free home pages for teachers and parents to save lists
- Teacher training videos
- Free printable handwriting worksheets
- Free teaching resources with lists and lesson plans
- Twenty-five games to play online or to print such as: Alphabetical Order, Unscramble, Parts of Speech, HangMouse, Crossword Puzzle, WordSearch, and Vocabulary Test.
- A free forum and newsletters
While there are some free activities, there’s a premium version that unlocks many more features. I had an opportunity to review the premium features last month. The kids who are doing spelling really enjoyed them. My favorite part of the premium membership is the ability to assign activities to specific children and track their progress. The premium membership also unlocks additional spelling games and activities (specifically writing and vocabulary games).
Additional premium features include:
- Student progress tracking
- Vocabulary development activities
- Premium Games – SpeedySpeller, Parts of Speech, MatchIt Definitions, Word-O-Rama
- Differentiate Instruction with our student and list grouping features
- Student access from home and school, no commercial ads, and much more!
I’ll be honest. We only scratched the surface during our one month, but what I saw, I really liked. Head to www.spellingcity.com to see for yourself.
Great description and write-up. A few things you could have mentioned.
The vocaublary and writing materials require a Premium Membership which is $29.95 for the entire family!.
Many short instructional videos. They are positioned on the site in places when you need them. They are also all available on one page: http://www.spellingcity.com/faqs.html
Teaching Resources with Videos & Lists. There are thousands of lists available to be imported into your page fo ruse. Many have instructional videos such as analogies.