When choosing a Spelling curriculum, perhaps the first question to ask is:  

Does spelling still matter?  

It’s a fair question in today’s texting/typing/auto-correct culture.  

My answer would be a loud, emphatic, resounding YES!  

Even in our technology-driven society of texting and typing, where “c u” and emojis replace real words, we all still cringe when we see “your” in lieu of “you’re” and “roll” instead of “role.” (And don’t even get me started on “it’s” vs. “its”!) 

A good grasp — and a good use — of language distinguishes the educated from the uneducated, the diligent from the apathetic, and the attentive from the careless. Blogs, newspaper articles, resumes, books, letters — any written document that reaches us with errors in spelling, grammar, and word usage leaves us disappointed at best, but most likely moving on.  

Poor spellers may earn a reputation of being intellectually lazy. 

Let’s face it: we may cry, “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” … but if the cover is misspelled, we won’t waste money buying the book.  

If you are tracking with me so far (and agree with my lobby for spelling), your next question might be:  

What should I look for in a spelling curriculum?  

I’m glad you asked! 

The answer to that question is different in the 21st century than when our grandmothers learned to spell. Traditional spelling then was a 3-step process: 

1.  Assign words on Monday. 
2. Memorize words on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 
3. Test on Friday. 

Can we all agree that approach won’t quite cut it today?  

Here’s my TOP TEN THINGS TO LOOK FOR when choosing the best spelling curriculum for your 21st-century child: 

1. Based on Research
   A plethora of research is available on how children’s brains work, learning styles for children, and the best way to ensure they master and retain information. Choose a curriculum that has done their homework to back up their approach to teaching.  
   
2. Built Around Word Usage Lists
   There’s a “science” to choosing words and assigning them to grade level. Frequency word lists such as Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary, The American Heritage Word Frequency Book, and A Basic Vocabulary of Elementary School Children are all excellent sources for spelling word choices.  
   
3. Multi-sensory 
   The more senses involved, the more likely we are to learn and retain information. This is especially true for children. When activities for learning incorporate visual, tactile, and auditory methods, children are spurred on to mastery and comprehension.  
   
4. Phonics and Spelling Rules Included 
   While sight word recognition is a powerful tool for Guided Reading, phonics and spelling rules provide word attack skills needed to learn new words. A good spelling curriculum introduces these rules iteratively, strategically, and progressively.  
   
5. Excellent Teacher Guide  
   No homeschool parent has time to be an expert on every subject, but the right resources can make our children think we are! A well-written teacher guide empowers the homeschool parent to not only grade easily, but streamlines information needed for teaching.  
   
6. Review Lessons Included
   When it comes to spelling, repetition is important. A good spelling curriculum will cycle back periodically to re-visit words and concepts already learned. 
   
7. Fun For Kids!
   Fun and educational are no longer mutually exclusive goals. In fact, making it fun makes it more engaging and, therefore, education will happen. Look closely at daily activities to ensure there is variety, value, and enough interest to keep children engaged and actually enjoying the learning process.   
   
8. Colorful 
   Blah and boring no longer makes the cut with today’s kids. Most of them take in a huge amount of visually-stimulating media … dropping a colorless textbook in front of them will not engage them when so much else is competing for their attention. While a teacher guide will most likely be black and white, the student book needs to have plenty of color! 
   
9. Placement Tests For the Perfect Fit
   Just as addition and subtraction must be mastered before moving on to multiplication and division, so there are basic words to be mastered before moving on in spelling. Rather than “eye-balling it,” opt for a curriculum that provides a placement test to ensure you are not overwhelming (nor under-challenging) your child.  
   
10. Multiple Levels Available 
    If you find a curriculum that meets all the above, but it’s only available for first and second grade, you might want to reconsider. Every curriculum has its own approach. Even if words and activities progress, familiarity with a consistent pattern will be reassuring for students — even when the new year’s word list is longer and each word has an alarming number of letters.  

Those are the basics, but I’ll bet you can think of others that would be on your wish list as a homeschooling parent.  

Your “BONUS” criteria might be similar to mine: 

1.  Scripture-based 
   If the publisher has figured out a way to incorporate the Bible into Spelling instruction, you have a winner! 
2. Expands to cover language arts/creative writing 
   What could be better than covering multiple subjects with one book? 

If your next comment/question combo is: 

This all sounds great, Laura, but how can I find a curriculum that does all that? 

Again, I’m glad you asked! Our sponsor, A Reason For, publishes a fantastic curriculum that meets all ten of my criteria outlined above plus both bonus items!  

Here’s some specifics on how A Reason For Spelling stacks up with my curriculum requirements list: 

1. Based on Research?	A team of academics, seasoned classroom educators, and even homeschool parents collaborated to develop A Reason For Spelling.
2. Built Around Word Usage Lists?	High-frequency base words are selected from various scholarly resources including Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary, The American Heritage Word Frequency Book, and A Basic Vocabulary of Elementary School Children
3. Multi-sensory?	Daily lessons incorporate a variety of visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic activities designed to stimulate learning and build multiple word associations.
4. Phonics and Spelling Rules Included?	Phonics-based lessons are added (and optional) in the first two levels of A Reason For Spelling. While American English includes many exceptions to the spelling rules, these concepts are still taught as “generalizations” and emphasized throughout all levels of the curriculum.
5. Excellent Teacher Guide?	The A Reason For Spelling guide is a wealth of helpful information. The student page is shrunk into an inset in the teacher guide, leaving room for helpful details, insights, and information to be added in the margins alongside each daily activity.
6. Review Lessons Included?	Review Weeks are incorporated throughout each year’s lesson plan. This ensures students continue to refresh already-learned words.
7. Fun for Kids?	Copying words into word-shape boxes, spelling words with pipe cleaners or dried beans, writing the words outside with sidewalk chalk, completing a crossword puzzle with the spelling words – these are just a few examples of the hands-on learning that looks and feels like fun to kids! The last day of each weekly lesson incorporates a fun (optional) game. It may be a treasure map, secret code, or puzzle to decipher, but it will always be FUN!
8. Colorful?	The student worktext is full of bold colors and engaging illustrations.
9. Placement Tests for the Perfect Fit?	Each level of the teacher guide provides a placement test (and scoring instructions) to assist parents in determining appropriate grade level. (Placement tests for every level are also available as a free download on the A Reason For website.)
10. Multiple Levels Available?	A Reason For Spelling is available in Levels A-F. Generally speaking, Level A corresponds with grade 1; Level B is grade 2; Level C is grade 3; etc. However, parents tell us that the beauty of using letters instead of numbers is that children working at a different pace don’t feel the self-consciousness they might if their book was labeled with something other than their current grade.
The “BONUS” Criteria:
1. Scripture Based?	A Reason For Spelling was strategically designed to work in tandem with A Reason For Handwriting. The verse students are writing for handwriting is unpacked through a weekly Bible-based life application story. Each story requires about 6-7 minutes to read and includes helpful discussion questions at the end. Many families use these stories for family devotions.
2. Expands to cover language arts/creative writing?	A journal prompt is included at the end of each weekly lesson. Early ages may be asked to write a sentence, while upper elementary students may write a reflection paper. Each weekly prompt is inspired by the Bible verse featured in the story, allowing parents to continually enforce the Scripture theme for the week.

Spelling, even in this digital age, is not a lost art or a throwback to the days before technology. It’s a life skill — a crucial one, in my opinion — that still matters a great deal. I hope you do plan to incorporate spelling instruction into your home school curriculum, and certainly hope you will give A Reason For Spelling a serious look as you make your decision.  

Free samples of Spelling levels A-F (both teacher’s guide and student lessons) are always available for download on the A Reason For website. For a limited time, however, A Reason For is offering FREE downloads of Spelling lessons for Grade 1/2, Grade 3/4, and Grade 5/6. It’s their way of supporting the many parents who find themselves looking for extra resources during the current school closures due to the COVID-19 crisis. We trust these lessons will be a blessing to you and your family … please be sure to share them with friends!

 

Click to visit the A Reason For website for FREE printable Spelling lessons …
available now for Grade 1/2, Grade 3/4, and Grade 5/6!
(Hint: be sure to check back in 2 weeks for MORE Spelling downloads on the A Reason For site!)

 

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For older students, be sure to check out Laura’s Top Ten: Spelling Beyond the Book
for ideas to continue building your middle or high school student’s spelling and vocabulary skills!

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