With four kids, I must confess that I don’t always get around to helping all of them practice their spelling words. As a matter of fact, this school year I have somehow almost completely forgotten about spelling. I may have found the solution to my problem though. SpellQuizzer is spelling software designed to drill your students on their spelling words so you don’t have to! It works with any spelling curriculum because you input your own lists.
The software is very simple to use. Below, you can see a sample input screen. All you have to do is:
- Click on Add new word.
- Type in the spelling word.
- Add a reminder phrase if desired. (This step is unnecessary if you’re using the audio function.)
- Click Start.
- Say the word and a sentence for the word into your computer microphone.
- Click Stop.
- Click Add Word.
- Repeat for the rest of your list.
When your student is ready to practice his words, he will have the following screen. When he clicks Play Word, he will hear the word and sentence you recorded. He can then type his word into the entry box and click Check Spelling. If the word is spelled incorrectly, the correct spelling is immediately shown. SpellQuizzer gives the student the option to be quizzed again on the missed words.
I predict this software will get a lot of use in our home. In addition to spelling practice, I could also enter the kids’ vocabulary words and definitions for them to practice. Or an even better idea is to have them enter their own words. That’s extra practice for them and even less work for me!
The SpellQuizzer website has several spelling lists available to download for free, and they are frequently adding more lists. They also offer a free 30-day trial period so you can test out the software before purchasing. The software is available for purchase at www.SpellQuizzer.com for $29.95. They offer a volume discount as well, so if your homeschool group wants to purchase multiple licenses everyone can save money. In addition, the group members could share their lists with each other.
You can check the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Blog for more reviews of SpellQuizzer.
By Kristen H.