VocabularySpellingCity, a Review

I’d like to introduce you to a very cool interactive Vocabulary and Spelling program from VocabularySpellingCity.com. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew we were able to use the VocabularySpellingCity Premium Membership.

We were excited to find out that VocabularySpellingCity.com had Apps through iTunes and Android markets. We quickly, freely, downloaded the program to our Kindle Fire devices.

A parent / teacher needs to log onto the Website to start. Maybe it was our Kindle, or my fat fingers, but I couldn’t get the students set up on the tablet. That said – once you log into your account online, the screens are really easy to navigate.

Register for your free account to give it a try. Once your account is set up, log in as the Administrator/ Teacher / Parent. Click on Students to add your students.

The next step is List Management. We used the lists that came with the program, however you can create custom lists. If you have a spelling program already – this will be a fun way to practice those words for sure. The Teacher Resources has more lists than one could imagine for every grade level K-12.

Download a couple of lists that you think would fit the goals for your students. I wouldn’t go crazy over adding, it makes it a bit confusing later. I had pulled in about 25 word lists, then couldn’t remember which ones I really wanted. I like lists.

Now that you have Students and Lists, you may go to the Assignments tab.

From here you will select a word list, select activities, assign them to students, add any extra instructions, and you are done.

My advice on the assignments is to remember to click on the “Spelling Teach Me” or flash cards under the Teach section. I didn’t do that the first time for Jon and he was a bit frustrated with a test mode to start.

Now, you may log into your account on your tablet or computer. The student will log into a student account. Make sure they know what their password is. . . . ya. I must not have had it together the day we started this.

With those few minutes of setup activities done, now the software runs the program for you. They will see themselves logged in. At the top of the screen is a banner letting them know they have assignments. Clicking on that line leads to the photo below.

For this assignment, the student needs to match the definition to the word. Simply clicking on, say “Mammal related to the bull or cow, bison” and then on the radio button for “Buffalo” the link is created. Continue through the whole page and then submit.

Once you click through, the rest of the list pops up and the student keeps going.

Both my 10th and 7th grade boys used this program. Jon liked it because he liked to take the Kindle into another room and lie down on the bed to do his work. The program will speak or use sound if you need to hear a word. It doesn’t pull any punches like a sibling or parent giving a list. Either you know it or you don’t. He said it was ‘hard’. I asked him to give further detail, and he said he actually had to pay attention. Ha. My 10th grade son really enjoys the activities and the challenges of puzzles. He is a puzzle boy.

Having all of the game activities really spices up this program and makes it different. Wait. All of the vocabulary lists, access to tablets, and the cool parent sign in page makes it different. BUT – for my son – to actually enjoy using it – the puzzles and different ways he can become familiar with the words was key. Once you get through your assignments, you not only know how to spell the word, but you know all about it.

I have heard some moms talk about the lack of ease of use for the instructor. I hope I typed it out simply enough. Just remember that you need a Student, a Word List and an Assignment. Then it is really VERY simple.

I liked that I could track how long the boys were on the program and how many assignments they completed on the teacher screen. We have some Chemistry Vocabulary Words so I am going to put them in for Jon for next week.

The Free program is pretty cool – you should go check it out. The Premium membership is only $29.99 per year, and that covers 5 students. Each additional student is very inexpensive, their options are on the links above.

Since I didn’t see the ‘free’ side of things, I can’t say if it is worth it or not, however – we found ourselves playing the Premium games and flash cards. I’m not sure how it would work well as a spelling program without the student tracking and grading. So handy.

Buy a Premium Membership ($29.99 Per Year for up to 5 Students)to enjoy ALL of our features at a surprisingly low cost: