Customer Reviews

Spelling Workout, Level A (Student Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've spent some big bucks on spelling programs, and this is by far the best of the lot. No spelling program is perfect because we all have different tastes, but this comes as close to perfection as I have found, and believe me...my wallet has "found' quite a few. I've happily resold every one except this one. By the way, this review refers to the "old" Sports Theme version...The new version has a multicultural theme, but the same content.

Kids usually approach spelling as the necessary evil of their school curriculum, probably because they get no satisfaction from us moms and teachers cramming a list of 10 or 20 words down their throats every week in search of that perfect score. Spelling should not be a drudgery. It should be fun, relaxing, and even hip. Words are so cool...they make up our language. They allow us to communicate with each other and to express ourselves. They allow us to to be free and help us to share a piece of ourselves with others. What students need to get is that without words, they are not connected with all the world has to offer. And worse, they will be seen as uneducated if they grow up to be poor spellers. Bottom line is that they need to learn how to spell whether they like it or not! Philip Trocki has developed a superb series of workbooks based on a sport theme format that kids can relate to. Now that doesn't mean that they will like it. You can't force a kid to like spelling, but at least you can make it tolerable, and that's exactly what this workbook does! By the way, I would highly recommend starting this or any other formal spelling program AFTER the basics of phonics are learned and established.

In this series, each lesson is covered over a 5-day period.

Day 1: Warm Up and Warm Up test which consists of a reading selection that uses the spelling words in context. The Warm Up test (called "On Your Mark") guides your student through the pretest and helps them self-assess their spelling

Day 2 and 3 - Game Plan: consists of a written spelling rule, a presentation of the list words and a variety of activities that emphasize word meanings. During these days students will be given lots of practice with the List Words. Also included are dictionary skill activities and puzzles.

Day 4: Flex Your Spelling Muscles: consists of a writing exercise and challenge words.

Day 5: Spelling test is administered

Overall, this is the most comprehensive spelling program I have found. The various activities help with retention and have helped to develop my girls into very strong spellers.

5 Stars...easily

Philip Trocki carefully walks children through their first encounter with the nasty subject of English spelling. He begins by presenting just 6 words a lesson, carefully showing how phonics is really just the opposite side of the coin to spelling. It is an excellent companion reference for those who are beginning the road to reading.

My [..] daughter who is weak in spelling did not enjoy this book. We used the book as extra spelling practice. Because of her reluctance, it took 2-3 times as long to complete the work. It was a challenge to make it thru the entire book. That said, it was effective and her spelling did improve as a result of using this book. The word lists were arranged by phonics which gave her a clue as to how to spell the words, esp. those with different vowel blends for the long vowel sounds. I felt the last page of each unit where you write your own sentence was a little advanced and disjoint from the rest of the exercises. While writing isn't her best subject either, I felt that asking her to spell words not just introduced to make sentences while trying to learn how to spell words was a bit much.

Since spelling isn't her best subject, I got several different books for her to practice with. Evan-Moor's Building Spelling Skills is excellent and quite effective. She has also enjoyed School Special Publishing Master Skills Series Spelling and Writing. In the Master Skills book the last page of each unit was a fun activity like a cross-word puzzle, word-find or free-form sentence. For some reason, she doesn't balk about doing these sentences like she did with the Spelling Workout.

I homeschool my son who just turned 6 in September. He would have started K this year in public school, but we are working on a first grade level. We use this for our spelling book. It works closely with our reading lessons. My son enjoys it and is enthusiastic about the lessons. We usually do two pages a day, take one day to write his own sentences using the spelling words and then a 'test' on Friday. We even do a four unit review test. It has improved his reading and he is more apt to write sentences now. We will continue with this series.

I learned about this workbook from several homeschooling sources and decided to give it a try. I do not home school but was looking for an enrichment/bridging activity to complete with my 6 yr. old son over the summer. This workbook is designed for the child in 1st grade and while we have not completed the book yet I am very pleased. The lessons only take about 15 minutes to complete and cover the same topics my son's teachers have been covering in school. There are 36 lessons in the workbook (perfect for doing over the summer.) The topics range from letters, beginning sounds, ending sounds, short/long vowels, blends, and digraphs. There are several reviews throughout the book to test your knowledge of previous lessons. I found this workbook correlates perfectly with the material currently being taught at our public elementary school. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting extra practice or to prepare for entering 1st grade!

I bought this book based on its high ratings and it really is a very nice spelling program.

I like this book very much and have purchased Levels B to H as well.

I'm using them as part of our homeschooling curriculum.

I bought this book on the recommendation of some other homeschoolers that I know. I wasn't too excited about it when I first got the book, but I figured that we could use while I look for something else. As time has gone on, I've grown to like it less and less.
Each section contains works that have something in common, perhaps the way their long e is built. A little blurb tells the student what the relationship is, but that is as far as the program goes to building an understanding of phonics and consequently how to build words in English. I've reviewed these rules with my kids and they haven't understood them because the program doesn't make them practice them. The worksheets all have the words in a list directly on them, so the child simply has to copy the word instead of exercise his/her spelling abilities.
This program is busy work, not really what I had in mind when I went searching for a spelling curriculum. The kids really like to do the worksheets, but they aren't learning how to spell from them.

I ordered this book as a recommendation from A Well Trained Mind. We are using Phonics Pathways as our book to teach reading. I have found that the writing and spelling suggestions in Phonics Pathways are sufficient to build spelling skills and do not need this book in addition to teach spelling to my first grader.

For Grade One, I wanted to switch from Explode the Code (we had finished level 2 in kindergarten) to a "serious" spelling program, and I chose Spelling Workout based on many homeschoolers' recommendations, including The Well-Trained Mind.

I liked the look and layout of the book - I enjoyed its use of photographs, particularly after the bad graphics of Explode the Code - and hyped it up with my daughter, who was excited to try something special and new. Well... after just a few weeks, we were both missing Explode the Code terribly.

SW1 starts with a tedious rehash of what letter makes what sound. Blah - she's been doing that for years. If your kid can't do that, perhaps you shouldn't be putting him/her into a spelling program - period. Then, we got into the real lessons which, it turns out, were even worse.

Each lesson starts out with a short paragraph which includes some, but not all, of the spelling words. So the words are right away being seen and learned for no particular reason, in no particular context. The words in each spelling list are somewhat related to each other, but not really.

Each lesson features a few busywork exercises that mostly involve copying the list words onto blank lines or into boxes. There are challenges like "find a list word that rhymes with BUS" ("us") that, honestly, my 3-year-old could do with just a bit of help... he's not especially bright, but the book really IS that dumb sometimes.

I also wasn't sure how to split up the lesson, timing-wise. There are 4 pages in a lesson (2 double-sided), which is a bit too much for one lesson but not really enough for two.

I was looking forward to the little writing exercises at the end of each lesson, but it turns out they are vague and somewhat silly. For example, "write a rule for travelling on the bus." It doesn't even say the child has to use the list words, though I asked my daughter to try to include two in her sentence(s).

I suppose parents or teachers are supposed to follow up with a spelling test once the words have been mastered, but frankly, I didn't have the heart to spend any longer on it, because the exercises so futile and time-wasting.

Before you say we clearly didn't get very far in the book - it's true, we didn't. But I read ahead and I can honestly say I didn't see any improvement in sight. I have stuck with programs before on the reassurance that they will get better (First Language Lessons 1, for example, which we didn't love at first but now enjoy). With this one, I just couldn't stomach it, especially because Explode the Code (generally touted as a "mere" phonics program and not a serious spelling regimen) was working perfectly well for us.

After skipping the introduction and working our way through three of the "real" spelling lessons, I went out and bought Explode the Code 3, to my daughter's relief and mine. Now, she's working on long-vowel words and improving her spelling at the same time. The illustrations in ETC are bad, so bad they're funny, but the books really seem to work with a very minimum of wasted time and no busywork.

Spelling Workout must work for some kids and parents, because so many people seem to love it. The books may indeed get better as you move further into the books. The workbooks themselves aren't THAT expensive, so if they've been recommended, you could always order one and see if it suits the way your child learns (and the way you teach).

But to be very honest, I just feel bad for all the kids sitting slogging through this thing... and I wonder just how much actual spelling they're learning along the way. As for us, we'll just keep plowing our way through Explode the Code - and I'm confident that by the time we're done, she'll be a great reader AND speller.

I have tried many different spelling curriculums over the years amongst my seven children. The Spelling Workout series captures their attention. It isn't too long or too short. The words gradually increase in number throughout the lower elementary grades. It doesn't overburdened the kids. They enjoy the activities. It is parent friendly. Much of the work can be done independently if the child is a fluent reader. There is adequate reinforcement for learning the words in a reasonable amount of time.