Spelling Power

In one 350-page book, Beverly Adams-Gordon has put together a complete and effective spelling program to take students from early elementary school through college in only 15 focused minutes per day.

Mrs. Adams-Gordon's work is based on years of formal and informal study, practical field testing, and the feedback of thousands of clients. And we, too, can attest: Spelling Power works!

Spelling Power provides all the tools you need plus complete instructions, and — if you're interested — almost a hundred pages that explain the research that went into the program and the educational philosophy behind it.

As for the program itself: it includes quick diagnostic survey tests plus more refined placement tests. Together, these tests help you, in about half an hour, determine exactly where in the book (at what level) you should begin teaching your child. After that, there are prescriptive tests that help you focus on the specific skills with which your son or daughter needs help. Then there are lists of the most commonly misspelled words organized in dictionary order as well as by difficulty and educational level at which a person may most likely be expected to use them. These lists include alternative British as well as American spellings.

Besides these basic resources, there are review, delayed-recall, and end-of-level tests; fascinating and fun learning activities that are keyed to students' unique learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, tactile and visual); dictionary skills exercises; proofreading instruction and exercises; and a lot more.

Best of all, the entire program costs only $64.95: less than the price of four years' consumable student workbooks with any of the other programs on the market.

If you prefer not to photocopy your test and study sheets, Mrs. Adams-Gordon has also produced Student Record Books with enough answer forms for a single student's survey, placement, prescriptive, daily, delayed recall and end-of-level tests, plus ten-step study sheets to last for 12 full weeks.

Besides containing all the forms you'll need, the Student Record Books include a complete set of easy-to-use "Substitute Teacher" instructions (for the day you happen to be unavailable and your husband, mom, or mother-in-law steps in to give you a break).

The Student Record Books are not at all required in order to do the Spelling Power program successfully. However, if you or your child lacks discipline to follow prescribed procedures, the daily ten-step study sheets really do provide value by giving you a regular check-off form to follow for each word.

Please note: Spelling Power is not designed for use by students who have not completed basic phonics instruction. That's why Sonlight's Sounds, Letters & Easy Words (K) through Language Arts 2 Advanced guides include lists of phonically-correct "spelling words" taken from the Phonics program.