By Cooper R
(USA)
Spelling Power Visitor Review:
Grades Used: 5-6
Dates Used: 2007 and 2008
Just like any homeschool curriculum, this homeschool spelling program had its ups and downs.
I used the program to enhance my son’s fifth and sixth grade learning experience.
The pros: Unlike other spelling programs, this one uses a very good philosophy of only reviewing the words the child misspells. This is the only practical technique to help the children who naturally spell better to begin with. It makes no sense for a child to learn a list of words for the allotted 1 week time period if they can already spell it. Another pro is that it is possible to use the single, non-consumable book for the entire year.
The cons: The author of the book includes many unnecessary chapters leading up to the beginning of the program that are tedious to read. These chapters include her telling you to follow the program exactly as she describes it. I did not favor this much as I saw some of the instructions unnecessary and went my own route. I also saw found that this method was a big overly done. There is a Daily Test sheet, a Review Test Sheet, and a Delayed Recall sheet. Each list is 30-35, but does it really matter which one you use?
Spelling Power is definitely a step up form methods that just list words that have no relationship with each other at all. However, be cautious, this program is more likely to help the natural speller than the non-speller.
My Spelling Power Review: 7 out of 10.
1 Comment. Leave new
Hi Chelsey, Don’t worry! If it’s kindergarten, read a lot to him. Find fun pcurite books that he likes and read them over and over again to him, if he wants. Run your finger along the words as you read and explain to him that the words tell you what to say. Start telling him the sounds for letters. If he tries to sound them out, encourage that! If you find that he’s not picking up on the letter/sound relationships, don’t worry. Keep reading to him and showing him how the letters tell you what sounds to make. You can also get little schoolbooks that he can write in and practice reading. I found some very inexpensive ones at Walmart and stores like that. If he gets toward the end of 1st grade and is really having trouble reading, then you can be more intentional about reading instruction, but at this age, just make it fun and teach him sounds.As far as math goes, counting, adding, subtracting, and names of shapes is about all you need to do. He can count things around the house and group them together and then add groups together. Same with subtraction. Make math as concrete as possible–no pencil and paper problems at this age. You don’t have to think about failing him. The only thing you need to do is keep his love of learning alive. Make it fun and don’t stress out. Hope that helps!