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Spelling Power
What's So Great About It?

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Spelling Power sounds so good, but costs so much, is it worth it? These posts from happy users may help answer your questions. Thanks to all the wise moms who shared their wisdom. For specific tips about using it, see Spelling Power: How to Use It.
Spelling Power Description
From: Laura B.

The Spelling Power book, by Beverly Adams-Gordon, has 5,000 words in all. They are based on common usage--the first three levels cover 95% of the most common words used in children's writing, and the remainder cover the words most used in adult writing. There are 11 levels, with about 20 or so lists on each level, plus 4-5 review lists per level, and a mid-level and end-of-level test. Basically, you can work just as fast as you are capable of going, and you only have to really work with words you don't already know. If you already know it, poof! it's gone forever (unless it shows up in a review list, and you miss it there). I think this is a great program for bright kids--especially the multi-modal ways of learning and studying, and that it is very self paced. My son sometimes averaged 3 lists per week, sometimes one--but it was all based on his current knowledge and how fast he learned the words. I think this is well worth the cost.


Spelling Power Description
From: Désirée
Note: Désirée's description also appears at Spelling Power: How to Use It.

We use Spelling Power. I never thought I would use a spelling program. I hate all those others out there with lists of words to memorize, and Writing Road to Reading, though appealing to my logical nature, was too rigid and disciplined for my son. I figured we would just use his writing to find words to work on and use many of the strategies Gigi mentions. BUT...I have toddler twins, and anything I find to make life easier is welcome, and Spelling Power sounded just like what I wanted in a spelling program, so I decided to try it.

It is extremely well researched. The author spent years going through all the data on teaching and learning spelling and found out what worked and what did not. She then put everything that worked together into this program.

One thing students and parents like is the fact that it takes only 15 minutes a day (5 minutes of this the parent is needed for). This is not a gimmicky thing. Research has shown that this is the optimum amount of time. Any more time spent on spelling a day is no more productive.

The first five minutes are spent in pre-testing a list of words. You say the word and use it in a sentence, the student repeats it, and the student writes it as best he can. Then you spell it out loud, so he can check it. If it is misspelled, it is put in the study words column immediately, with the correct spelling dictated by the teacher. After five minutes of this you stop. You usually end up with 3 or 4 study words. (You stop before five minutes if you come to the end of a list, or the student has misspelled five words. We stop after three misspelled words. -ed.)

Then the student copies the study words onto the study page. He uses the 10 steps to study his words. They are: Say (pronounce it aloud), Look (look carefully. Ask yourself questions such as, "Can I spell it the way it looks? How many syllables are there? Any double letters? Silent letters? What are the vowels in each syllable? Anything peculiar about this word? etc."), Say (say the letters while looking at the word), Close (close eyes and visualize the word and spell it), Check (check that you got it right), Trace (trace the word on your desk, in a sand tray, on sand paper, on a fabric board, using large arm motions), Write (without looking), Check (was it right?), Repeat (if it was not right), Sentence (write the word in a sentence).

The last five minutes are spent in an activity. There are many ideas in the book, and additional ones on a set of activity cards you can buy. These are great, ranging from writing your words in pudding to essay writing. They are multi-sensory, and can work on drilling words, skill building, writing, dictionary skills and homonyms, from primary to high school level.

The manual has all the placement tests, so you can start at the best place for each individual child. I found these very accurate. They are meant to place the child so that he will get most of the pre-test, but will get about 3-4 words he can not spell in each session. This way he is not too discouraged, but has something to study each day.

The manual also has a reference section where you can look up words your child misspells in his own writing, and you can see what the spelling level is of the word, where it comes up in the Spelling Power flow word lists, and if it is commonly misspelled by children and/or adults. This way you can decide whether to incorporate words from the child's own writing into the program. The flow word lists are carefully arranged by level (which do not correspond to grade levels), but also are grouped according to a certain spelling rule, pattern or sound. Although you may use the flow-word lists exclusively, using the student's own misspellings is encouraged, and easy to do--just include them in the pre-test.

The teachers' guide in the manual can be intimidating at first; there is a lot of information there! But there is a "Quick Start" section (in the Third Edition), to get you up and running the program fairly soon, then you can peruse the rest of the manual as you use the program. It makes more sense then. There is also a section on coaching writing, and one on teaching dictionary skills.

I hope this helped you. I really like this program, and my son does too. The great thing is it is flexible. You can add your own words, choose activities your child enjoys, work on skills he is weak in, and the child is free to use any strategy he likes to learn the words' spelling--the "look" step can use whatever strategies work best for that child and that particular word. If he knows the Orton Phonograms, he can use those. If he goes by instinct or what 'looks right', (as an avid reader might) that is fine too. The ten steps work on a variety of senses and learning styles.

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What's so great about it?

I see many requests for Spelling Power on this board. Every time I see one I want to send them an e-mail saying: if no one responds to your WTB ad this program is worth paying full price for! First of all it can be used with a bright 1st grader all the way up to an adult. What other curriculum can you buy that lasts this long? Second it is the best spelling program ever! I tried many different programs trying to find something to help my spelling challenged child. This one really teaches a child how to study words, using a ten step process that uses visual, auditory, and kinesthetic techniques. Best of all the child really learns how to spell instead of just memorizing for a test and then forgetting soon after. I also have a child who is gifted in spelling. She can work at her own level and be challenged. I haven't seen any other spelling programs that can be adapted to so many different levels and ways of learning. I haven't found the program difficult or time consuming. My kids can test each other and I use only a handful of the suggested activities at a time for them to choose from, adding a few more every now and then. I would highly recommend Spelling Power. I don't think many people will have luck finding it for sale on this board. It is just too good and lasts too long.

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Here-today-gone-tomorrow speller
From: Paula

To those of you who use and love Spelling Power, I need some advice. Many of you have said you have a problem speller. Have any of you used it with a Here-today, gone-tomorrow speller? My son follows the rules just fine. Even when the words don't.

He writes "thay". I correct it, he practices it aloud, written, etc., and he "learns" it. The next day he once again writes "thay". And the next day and the next day and the next day. Learns it today, forgets it tomorrow. Have any of you used Spelling Power with this type of speller? If it works for this problem, I'm getting out my checkbook.


In Reply to: Here-today-gone-tomorrow speller
From: Desiree

My son is like this too. Spelling Power works for him IF he uses it properly. He tends to do the steps in a half-hearted fashion a lot of the time. The program is partially spiral, in that the words come back in the review tests, end of section tests and end of level tests, and, if misspelled, the next day.

I found that if he has spelled something incorrectly for a long time he has a very hard time re-learning it, but new words are much easier...

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Spelling Power works!  What a relief!
From: Tracy

SP is the best thing that ever happened to my son who was convinced he would never learn to spell. He wants to do spelling first each day now. He retains the words and enjoys the study steps. It is no longer a fight to work on spelling. My youngest is also doing wonderfully. SP is worth every penny!!! Since it goes through high school and some College words, I don't think the price is bad at all, considering how much you would be spending on spelling programs each year.


BLESS YOU, BLESS YOU, BLESS YOU!!!
From: Paula

I almost cried when I read your post. You don't know how happy it made me. Maybe you do know. Do you remember the post you wrote in November, before you discovered SP, when your son was in tears over spelling? I had my son, 7, read your November post and then the June post. What a difference! His face was a mixture of anticipation and happy relief. He and I both feel like there is finally light on the horizon.


It works when others failed
From: Kelly

I use Spelling Power with my 8 and 9 yr old. Will use with my youngest when she is school age. I have used 3 other programs before and had poor spellers. That's why I bought Spelling Power. I am very happy with it and plan to never buy another spelling program! Thank God for that!

I like that the child progresses at his or her own pace. There is no pressure of weekly tests. Words are in levels and groups. For instance my daughter is in Level C Group 8. She sometimes can do a group a week, two groups a week, or a group that takes over a week. We don't go on until she knows them all. I also like the fact that if she knows a word, she is not retested on the word. But mostly, my children are happier spellers with more confidence!

The down side...the manual is big! A lot of reading and kind of hard to understand. I read through it the best I could. All you really need are the Quick Start pages and the word lists. But you can't just get that. I have told a few people "Don't let the manual scare you off. Figure how to use the program and it's like riding a bike, you won't forget!" The back of the book has many activities and games you can do.


IT WORKS!!
From: Paula

Glory to God, SP is working!!! Not miraculous, but significant. He writes "frite", but then looks at it and knows it's wrong. He may or may not know what the CORRECT spelling is, but at least he can tell that this spelling is wrong. That's a HUGE step forward. I tell other people and they shrug their shoulders as if it's no big deal. But this is a completely new ability for him, and it began within two weeks of starting SP. I'm convinced it is teaching him how to see words differently. Also he's doing much better at retaining words he's learned. What a relief to find something that works.

P.S. It's now a year after I wrote the above post. The kid who couldn't spell "they" and "there," no matter how many times he studied them, just last week spelled "enough" the first time he pretested it (never studied it). He's actually becoming more of a natural speller. It might be maturity but I think most of the credit goes to SP.

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Great for gifted spellers
From: Lee in Everett

I highly recommend Spelling Power. My boys are 9 and 11 and were bored with the workbooks, and hated spelling because they were always "learning" to spell words they already knew how to spell. I tested them in the Spelling Power book, and the 9yo tested in the 7th grade level, and the 11yo tested on the 10th grade level. What a blessing to have them learn to spell words that are appropriate for their spelling ability! Spelling Power is wonderful for gifted spellers as well as struggling spellers. It takes 5 minutes of parent time. Then they spend 5 minutes studying the words (they can learn to do this on their own) and play 5 minutes of a spelling game (we often skip this part, but they can learn to do this on their own, too.) Spelling Power will save you big bucks in the long run too, because you will never have to buy another spelling program for the rest of your life.

I love SP!

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Does it teach phonics?
From: Laura B

I see it as more akin to Reading Reflex's 'sound to symbol' style than "These are the rules" phonics style. I think this would merge pretty well with the scratch-sheet spelling Gigi refers to. Since the groups have 'rules' no more complex than "The /e/ sound is usually spelled e.", or "The /i/ (long) sound can be spelled i, ie, i-e, igh, and y", you really do have to try to figure out which spelling it probably is. I don't think a purist would say it teaches phonics or a phonics approach, but most of us with less exacting standards would say it uses the sound/symbol relationships phonics teaches.


Phonics
From: Paula

Does it use a phonics approach? Yes and no. One group of words (perhaps 20 words) will have one characteristic in common, usually the same vowel sound (but sometimes rules for adding endings, etc.) At the beginning of the group, you recite the rule for the student to copy. (See my alternative rules at the end of this page.) But the child needs to know basic phonics before starting the program. That's why they recommend it for third and up, but I think it works for second if they know their basic phonics rules and are fairly solid readers.

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Where can I get it?

You can purchase Spelling Power from Sonlight Curriculum. Shipping is free if you order a minimum of $75 and place the order on-line. The publisher has a no-discount policy, so you won't find it below retail; your only price difference will be in shipping. You don't find it second-hand very often because it's so good and it lasts so long. But if you find a good deal, be sure to get the one by Beverly Adams-Gordon and make sure it's the Third Edition. That has the "Quick Start" section which allows you to skip over most of the (very wordy) teacher's instructions.

There are also Student Record Books for the student to use for the daily exercises; they cost $5.95. The Activity Task Cards cost $29.95; see the comments about them at Spelling Power: How to Use It.


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