Spelling Power, Third Edition, by Beverly L. Adams-GordonCURRICULA REVIEW:
Spelling Power
reviewed by Susan Wise BauerRead the review OR Read parent opinions on this program
Published by Castlemoyle Books (Pomeroy, Washington), 1999
Castlemoyle Books
PO Box 520
Pomeroy, WA 99347-0520
1-888-773-5586
www.castlemoyle.com
Spelling Power is a one-volume, non-workbook focused spelling program that teaches spelling using lists of most frequently used words. The book’s author, Beverly L. Adams-Gordon, builds on the assumption that phonics instruction alone isn’t sufficient to produce a good speller. Rule-based spelling has to be combined with the teaching of “visual spelling” – recognizing when a word is spelled correctly.
To teach spelling in this way, Spelling Power follows a four-step daily pattern. The “Quick Start” section at the beginning of the book explains the four steps. First, the parent gives a daily teaching test which never exceeds five minutes. (A four-step process for giving the test is described: the parent is to say the word, use it in a sentence, then repeat it; the student pronounces the word; the student writes the word; the parent then spells the word letter by letter as the student checks her spelling.) Second, the student studies each misspelled word by pronouncing it, looking at it, spelling it letter by letter, closing her eyes and visualizing it, tracing it on a solid surface or tray of sand, checking it, writing it, checking it again, and then repeating the whole process if the word was written incorrectly. The book urges parents and students not to skip any of these steps. Third, the student does reinforcement activities (the parent has to plan and organize these activities, although they are described in the fourth and fifth sections of the book). Fourth, the parent retests misspelled words. The process is intended to take no more than 15 minutes per day (although it appears to me that the reinforcement activities would take more time than this).
The “Quick Start” section is followed by more detailed chapters explaining the philosophy behind the spelling program and providing extra teacher training.
The bulk of the book consists of spelling lists – frequently used and frequently misspelled words, organized loosely by spelling rule. Spelling rules seem incidental to the program; they are written in small print at the head of some of the lists, but there is no method suggested for teaching spelling rules. The emphasis of the program is on visualizing and spelling correctly the most frequently occuring words in English.
Each level contains a number of word “groups,” used as a basis for the daily teaching test. Levels A-F are elementary; levels E-J are high school; levels I-L are college/business level. A sample group from level D begins, “Usually /u/ is spelled u as in run,” and contains the words cup, skunk, such, ugly, hungry, lunch, duck, lucky, hunting, stuck, jujmp, puck, struck, runs, ducks, sunny, pups, dust, bunch, puppy. A sample group from level G begins, “Words are normally made plural by adding s, but if the word ends with sh, zh, z, s, j, ch, or x sounds, the plural is generally formed by adding es, which is pronounced as a separate syllable,” and contains the words mountains, bicycles, neighbors, elephants, minutes, cans, hills, wings, guys, fingers, kills, mines, needs, pants, pets, pieces, poles, rivers, sisters, sleeps, soldiers, nights, prices, roads, rooms, seems, twins, ways, wins, bats. A sample group from level J begins, “/as/ can be spelled ous as in nervous or ace as in menace,” and contains the words conscious, courteous, disastrous, grievous, humorous, jealous, mischievous, enormous, mysterious, delicious, outrageous, ridiculous, religious, mysterious, continuous, conscientious, sacrilegious, treacherous, precious, barbarous, analogous, incredulous, conspicuous, presumptuous, simultaneous, suspicious, synonymous, gracious, contagious, gaseous, malicious, rebellious, repetitious, intravenous, unanimous.
The extensive word list that takes you all the way up through high school is the strongest feature of this book. Jessie says this is one of the best word lists she has seen; she suggests that since Spelling Workout only takes the student through eighth grade, high school students would benefit from using these lists regularly
Spelling Power’s one drawback is that the program does not teach dictionary skills as efficiently as Spelling Workout. While Spelling Workout provides regular exercises in alphabetization, dictionary pronunciation, and other dictionary skills, Spelling Power simply provides a chapter on teaching dictionary skills, along with suggestions on how to do dictionary-skill exercises, and recommends that the parent schedule a dictionary-skills lesson once per week. The parent has to create the exercises herself and provide all the materials. For example, the chapter suggests, “Make up or purchase dot-to-dot workshets which emphasize alphabetizing skills” and “Copy sets of words like those listed below onto word cards (or onto the backs of old business cards), each on a separate card. Shuffle them and then give the cards to your student to arrange alphabetically.” This will take extra time and thought on the part of the parent (something we generally try to avoid if possible!) This, along with the extra parent time that will be required to pull together the “activities” that replace traditional workbook-type exercises, does take extra time and thought on the part of the parent (somethine we generally try to avoid, if possible!)
Which
program should you use? Both are good, complete, and thorough.
Your choice will depend on your personal teaching style. Would you
rather use a workbook to teach spelling skills, or do you prefer a list-centered
approach? If you are willing to take the time to read through and
understand the Spelling Power method and to teach the child for
the fifteen (plus) minutes per day that the program requires, and don’t
mind doing the extra planning/organization work needed for the reinforcement
activities and dictionary work, Spelling Power is an effective and
affordable program. You should certainly consider it if money for
workbooks is short; if you have multiple children who can do the tests
and drill together; you are working with a remedial speller (the program
was first developed for the author’s youngest daughter, who was spelling
far below grade level); or as a followup to the Spelling Workout series
for high school students, to hone and polish spelling skills. Spelling
Workout covers much of the same material in a more programmed, workbook-like
fashion, requiring less time on the part of the parent but a greater investment
in books; also, you can begin Spelling Workout as soon as the child
is able to trace a letter with his pencil, whereas Spelling Power
is designed for ages 8 and up. Personally I plan to continue with
Spelling
Workout with my own children because I like the convenience of having
all the exercises laid out for me, but I’ll change over to Spelling
Power in a moment if I find that one of them isn’t “getting” the Spelling
Workout method.
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I
consider it a good program not just for remedial purposes, but for natural
(or advanced) spellers. We began using Spelling Power last year, and my
now 11 year old son tested in quite high. He is on track to finish the
SP book by the end of this school year. Other "graded" programs were always
too easy. Spelling Power enables a child to begin at
the
level where he or she is best suited. At each level, the spelling rules
are reinforced so even as words become more advanced, the rules are not
neglected. Having never seen Spelling Workout, I'm not sure
how it works. But I gathered from your description in TWTM that your notebook
recommendation (keeping a running list of spelling rules, with periodic
review) was your addendum to that workbook series. We do a similar thing
with the Spelling Power rules. Although the SP method calls for them to
be written at the top of the test form, we simply keep a separate notebook
section into which the children enter the rules. I thought your suggestion
in TWTM regarding this was excellent. I am currently using SP with
my 7, 9 and 11 yo sons. (I have a 5yo daughter and 2 yo son with another
son due in February). They all tested in several grade levels higher
than their actual grade, and it is working well for us. I don't find
that the program takes 15 minutes a day. We work straight through the lists.
I test each boy for 5 minutes and then stop. Only with the oldest do we
typically make it through an entire list at one sitting, and he does not
always. The next day we pick up where we left off (beginning by retesting
any words that were missed the day before), and when we start a new list
we record the spelling rule and keep going. If they miss a word, the use
the 10-step study process on the Spelling Power forms. That
is all there is to it. The reinforcement activities are not necessary.
Perhaps if I were using this as a remedial program, they would be. But
I thought readers of your website might like to know that Spelling Power
works quite well on the opposite end of the spectrum.
--
Mary
I started using Spelling Power with my 12 year old daughter
this school year. She has always been a good speller and was bored
with other spelling workbooks. I used Rod & Staff 4th grade spelling
for 3rd and 4th grade. That seemed to give her an excellent phonics base.
(When I can't pronounce a word I ask her!) This year with Spelling
Power I just read the word, she spells it orally and then we do a written
test at the half-way point and at the end. The biggest problem I'm
having is making sure she doesn't try to spell the homonyms instead of
the word! (pare, pair and pear!!). We have finshed one and a half levels
this year! I also track the words she misses and have her re-spell them.
If she misses them too much she writes them 10 times. She likes it
because we don't spend a lot of time on words she
alreadys knows.
-- Donna
This program was carefully designed to get the correct
spelling into the student's brain through careful and researched steps--in
the testing phase, the study phase and even to some extent in the activity
card stage. Once even a good speller gets to a level in the word
list where he has to learn how to spell the words he will need some reinforcement
too. MOST children will need to do the 10-step study sheet and activity
cards. Remember they are only doing these 2 stages with the words
they misspelled. This is why it only takes 5 min. to do each stage.
You test everyday very slowly, starting with the words missed yesterday.
Usually you only spend about 3 min. with the new words from the word list
(called the Flow List in the Spelling Power) so there are never very many
you are working with in one day. You have the child pronounce the word
back to you before he writes it also. (25% of spelling mistakes are that
they are incorrectly pronounced to begin with) And then you immediately
give the correct spelling after he writes EACH word. He checks his and
then writes it correctly next to his attempt. All this takes time compared
to traditional spelling tests. You end with very individualized spelling
lists for each child, each day. I would highly recommend watching
the video and buying the activity cards set ifyou are going to use this
curriculum.
-- Hélène
