Spectrum Spelling (2015 Edition)

The Spectrum Spelling series is one of the best homeschool spelling programs available. In fact, the comprehensive, well-organized and easy-to-use workbooks make it an excellent addendum to the spelling programs for primary school students in mainstream education as well. Each workbook in this series appeals to your childs eye with full-color pages and numerous illustrations. The books contain approximately 25-30 lessons, depending on the grade level. Review sections of the previously learned material occur every three to five lessons. At the end of each book is an answer key to make grading more manageable for busy parents and teachers. Also included are a convenient spellers dictionary and a proofreaders guide.

Most of the lessons in all of the workbooks focus on phonics and word patterns, with a few other age-appropriate lessons, such as color words and the months of the year.

Lessons in Kindergarten and Grade 1 focus on learning the letters of the alphabet, the sounds that consonants and vowels make, letter recognition, determining the difference between short and long vowels, and the spelling of sight words and common words.

The Grade 2 and Grade 3 lessons concentrate on using contractions and homophones, building compound words, and recognizing sight words and common words. They also build on the previous lessons on long and short vowels.

Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6 lessons look at making compound words, guarding against commonly misspelled words, using prefixes and suffixes, vowel sounds, identifying variant consonants, irregular and regular plural nouns, root words and diphthongs.

Each lesson starts with a word list, which contains additional challenge words. The following sections vary based on grade level. For younger grades, activities include writing the words, identifying rhyming words, completing the sentence, and arranging words in alphabetical order. Older children complete activities such as using the words across subjects, filling in the blank, creating compound words, creative writing, and proofreading.

• Approximately 25-30 lessons per book
• Answer key for quick grading
• Full-color pages
• Complies with all state standards
• Available for Kindergarten through Grade 6

Spectrum Spelling comes highly recommended by many teaching professionals and homeschoolers. It is sure to be a wonderful addition to any of the spelling and grammar programs you utilize.

This series is in full-color, with 36 lessons per level. Described here is my sample, a grade 3 book. All but a few of the lessons are based on a phonetic construct or word pattern. The remaining lessons focus on related words like names of holidays, names of months, or "easily misspelled words." Lessons begin with a word list consisting of both core and challenge words. In the focus section, students say each word, study the spelling, write the words, and read a spelling tip pertaining to the words. In the next section, Words and Meanings, students practice using words in context. Word Works concentrates on specific parts of speech or word constructs. The Word Play section presents a variety of activities. As the title suggests, these often include a little puzzle or game. The last section in each lesson is Write on Your Own. It contains a short writing exercise, then proofreading practice. At the end of the lessons is a Steps in the Writing Process page, used as a reference for writing assignments. A very nice speller dictionary follows as well as a complete answer key. I assume other levels are similar in format. As with the phonics series, you may want to use a grade level ahead if your child is using a Christian reading program. 200+ pgs.