Build Spelling Confidence with Spelling You See #Review
Spelling You See has a couple of new levels out, and we’ve recently had the opportunity to try out level G, Modern Milestones. Other Schoolhouse Crew members reviewed Ancient Achievements; make sure to check out the other reviews linked below!
What’s Included With Spelling You See?
In the Modern Milestones set, there are three softcover books: two student workbooks and one instructor’s handbook. Each student book is approximately 180 pages, and between the two, include enough material for 36 weeks, with lessons 5 days per week. The 70-page instructor handbook describes the philosophy behind the program, includes a “getting started” guide and lesson-by-lesson instructions, plus a complete answer key.
Do We Need Anything Else To Get Started With Modern Milestones?
To make the best use of the lessons, in addition to a regular pencil, students will need colored pencils or highlighters in four colors: blue, green, yellow, and orange. (Or colored pens, as is my daughter’s preference. I had a bit of hesitation about allowing her to use something non-erasable, so you may want to consider this before deciding.)
What Are The Lessons Like?
Each weekly lesson is divided into five parts, lettered A through E. (I love this kind of numbering scheme, by the way… 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 2A, etc. It makes it SO much easier for me to schedule!) Each of the daily assignments is on two pages that face each other, so that the student can see both pages of the assignment when the book is open, without having to flip between pages.
Every day, the student reads the passage on the left out loud, and the instructor helps with any pronunciation as needed. The next step in the lesson is for the student to mark base words, suffixes, and prefixes, as listed on each page. Those tasks are repeated for all five days of the week.
The third part of the lesson varies, depending on the day of the week. Days A and B are focused on copywork. Day C is called a “workshop activity”, often consisting of fill-in-the-blanks, matching parts of words, or a similar task. Days D and E are dictation days, where the student will write the passage down as it’s read aloud.
This Is What We Ended Up Doing…
Needless to say, this is MUCH more instructor intensive than either Cheyenne or I are used to at this point in our homeschooling lives, especially for spelling! As a near-teen, she’s gravitated toward a strong preference for independent work that she can complete on her own time, at the speed she desires, in the order she wishes. Her typical workstyle means that she comes to me with questions as she needs to, which is usually only once or twice per week, because she saves them up for a convenient (for her and me both) time.
Let’s just say, attempting to change our style to the degree necessary to effectively use Spelling You See was a bit of a challenge.
What Did Cheyenne Think of Modern Milestones?
She liked reading the little bits of history, but she’d have preferred to just read about them. She was happy to find the base words, suffixes, and prefixes in a reading selection – ONCE. By the third time each week, she was irritated, and by the fifth, she wanted it done.
It was much the same experience with the copywork and dictation. It quickly became clear that while the level of the work is barely below her level, still challenging enough that she has to think about it a little, the lack of variety – in tasks she really doesn’t like – caused her to react as if it were punishment, not education.
Her favorite part was Day C’s workshop – which she found the most interesting and variable.
In her words? “Mom, this isn’t the spelling for me. I might’ve liked it when I was little… but not now.”
And What Me, Mom, Thinks…
Spelling You See is a well-thought out program, and it’s excellently designed for the right type of homeschooler – but we’re not that type of homeschooler. With one mom and four teens (well, Chey’s six weeks from teen), a very active schedule, and kids that prefer flexibility and independence, materials that are teacher-intensive just aren’t a good fit for us.
It might well have worked for us if we’d started when the kids were younger, but she’s independent enough at this point, that while it’s interesting as something “different”, it’s really a bit of a hassle when our lifestyle – and her preferences – tend toward individual work and seeking help only when needed.
Classic case of it’s not the curricula, it’s us.