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Friday, September 3, 2010

TOS Crew SpellingCity Review




I have to admit that I wasn't particularly interested in this product when I saw my name on it because we already have a spelling program that we like and it was working well for us.  But then I got my log in and password and started roaming around the site.

Have fun practicing your spelling words

Then I kind of got excited about it!  The more I looked, the more I decided that this was going to be amazing!

The program that we were reviewing was SpellingCity.com.  It is an online spelling site that has tons of lists already entered and ready to choose from to quiz your students.  Or you can add your own lists and set them up for your student to choose from.  Plus, there are games that help teach or reinforce the words.  My girls had a great time playing the games and didn't even realize they were studying!  There are also handwriting exercises and a Teacher Resource Page that is chock full of goodies.  There are so many links that I haven't even checked them all yet!  You can also have your students practice Sentence Writing and Paragraph Writing; all involving the chosen spelling words.

As I kept exploring the site, I visited the How to Get Started Page to see what was available and how to sign up.  This page is full of information and how-to's.  Like how to register for your FREE Membership!  That's right, it's FREE!  How cool is that? 

I think it's pretty fantastic!  Our girls thought it was pretty cool, too!  They could get on the computer at any time, find the next list, play some games, then take the test.  All while having fun.  It was great and no more complaining.  It also freed me up to help the other girls with whatever subject they were working on.

Bonus!

For this review we were given the Premium Membership which includes a grade book and a few other perks for the low price of $24.99 for a license that includes five students.**  So for all my kids, I can get a year's membership and have it grade their tests for me and keep a grade book.  Wow!  I am loving that!! With the Premium Membership I can see what test they have taken, what words they missed, and what games they played; all with the click of a button.

**There are also other levels of Membership to include school districts and classrooms that are priced accordingly.


This is one great deal and we are going to continue with it after our review period is over with.  It is just that cool and worth it.

My oldest daughter had this to say about SpellingCity.com:

"SpellingCity became one of my favorite websites for school, when my mom introduced it to me. My absolute favorite subject is spelling, (ON SPELLING CITY)"  age 12, 7th Gr.


"SpellingCity is good because you can play games to help you learn your words.  And because they will say the words as many times as needed and they will have sentences to help define the words."  age 11, 6th Gr.  (this is also the dd with eye problems that make it hard for her to read!)


"I really, really like SpellingCity!" age 8, 3rd Gr.


Can you tell that they enjoyed reviewing this product?  They are begging me to get a membership of our own so we can keep using it.

Here is a list of some of the things you will find at SpellingCity.com

  • Over 42,000 spelling words and customizable sentences
  • A REAL person who says each word and sentence
  • Free home pages for teachers and parents to save lists
  • Teacher training videos to show teachers and parents how to use SpellingCity.com
  • Customizable sentences for words with multiple meanings (e.g., a scale for weighing, to scale a mountain, the scale on a map)
  • Free printable handwriting worksheets for handwriting practice with your saved lists
  • Free teaching resources with lists and lesson plans for teaching high frequency words, compound words, sound-alike words (their, there, they're), contractions, possessives, and more. There are also lists for learning state capitals.
  • Twelve games to play online or to print: Spelling, Word Meaning, Vocabulary, Alphabetical Order
  • A free forum and newsletters with more vocabulary and spelling resources
With each spelling list, students can choose one of three options:
  • Test Me repeats each spelling word with a live voice and uses it in a sentence.
  • Teach Me spells and displays the word in ways that stimulate memory for visual and verbal learners.
  • Play a Game uses your spelling list in educational games that teach spelling, word meaning, vocabulary, and alphabetical order.
After taking an online spelling test, students can print out a report, retake the entire test, or get tested only on the spelling words they got wrong the first time.
Teachers:  try our new Spelling City Parents’ Letter, available as PDFs for you to print and send home with your students' spelling word lists. It is also available in Spanish

SpellingCity also offers a Premium Membership for teachers and parents who want more. Premium Membership features:
  1. Automatic test grading and student gradebook
  2. Complete activity tracking of all student activities
  3. Access to the Premium Games for your lists: SpeedySpeller and LetterFall
This is a great website whether you choose the Free Membership or the Premium MembershipSpellingCity.com would be a great asset for your school.

Check it out and be prepared for your kids to love spelling!

Makes practicing for spelling tests fun


**I was given a Premium Membership to SpellingCity.com in exchange for an honest review through The TOS Crew.

5 comments:

Dawn said...

WOW! Great job with lots of great info! :-)

Leat said...

I just started using Spelling City this year for my 5th grader. Spelling has always been such a struggle with him UNTIL this year! I was blown away this morning when he took his test. Glad it works for your family too!

Kerri

Mrs. White said...

This is an excellent review! You are doing a fabulous job!!

blessings
Mrs. White

Catherine said...

This was an excellent review. My boys thought this was a great site, too.

Four Little Penguins said...

:) We have played here before and never realized there was a free membership! I'll have to go check that out. Thank you!