I think I’ve told you, a couple of times, how much I love to read. I’ve shared with you my love of language, wanting to learn Spanish and Latin. I’ve always enjoyed writing, even diagramming sentences. I like the rhythm of words. The cadence of their syllables. I think spelling bees are wonderful!
Some of my children share my love of reading. Some of them write and develop story lines, fleshing out characters. They’ll watch The National Spelling Bee with me, amazed at the difficulty of some of the words given, but none of them actually enjoy spelling. I think it’s because they lack confidence in their ability to spell words correctly. They recognize a word when reading it, but cannot always spell it when using it in their writing. They know the meaning of a word, and can use it properly in a sentence, but inevitably will forget how to spell it. I’ll admit, this is no small frustration for me. We own more than one dictionary and have utilized spell check on the PC, even when something is being written by hand. Grumblings can sometimes be heard when one is sent to heft the cumbersome, intimidating dictionary off the shelf, to “find the word yourself,” and the computer is not always accessible; so, they often ask me how to spell a word. Even then, the usual response is, “spell the word, the way you think it is spelled, and then ask me if it’s correct.”
We’ve done vocabulary lists and spelling words for the week. Using rote and repetition. And, it’s a good thing I like words as much as I do, because we’ve been playing word games, like Scrabble and Boggle, for 30 years! Educational fun and reinforcement, you know. Yet, spellings escape them.
Last year, as a TOS Homeschool Review Crew Member, I reviewed what-is-now my favorite Reading Tool. See-N-Read was my introduction to CadenaSmith Enterprises, and it is “a truly effective intervention for reading.” This year, See-N-Spell arrived at my house, with much anticipation! It is a 40 page Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide.
In alphabetical order, you’ll find more than 300 most commonly used vocabulary words and commonly misspelled words. Basically, if you know the first letter or couple of letters in a word, you can find it here, correctly spelled. Homophones (here – hear, there – their) are listed too (to – two), with a brief definition, so it’s easy to choose the correct one. Although, it is printed on heavy duty, semi-gloss paper, for repeated use, it is not a heavy, 2 inch thick, hard bound book. It’s an unassuming, easy-to-use booklet, that prompts my children to use it regularly. Dr. Sylvia Smith, the author, thought to include a section where you can write your own special interest words, words you might use fairly often, but waffle on when it comes time to spell. Guaranteed, or is it gauranteed? Sometimes, after we study it for several seconds it becomes even more muddled. Easier just to look it up in the See-N-Spell and move on in your creative or constructive writing.
“Writers typically possess a larger everyday spoken (social) language vocabulary than written academic language vocabulary.” The See-N-Spell – Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide facilitates getting that larger vocabulary transferred easily to the written page. “The need for correct spelling and adequate vocabulary is not limited to English Literature and Composition courses…they are essential components of success in Social Studies, Science, and Math, as well as in the world of business.”
It’s our new go-to spelling guide! At $9.99 I think it’s a worthwhile investment, plus, I nearly forgot to tell you, you receive my favorite, document sized See-N-Read Reading Tool FREE, with each See-N-Spell booklet you order! Please, follow the links I’ve included in this post and visit their website for more information.
Comments or Questions?
phone ~ 630.236.5592
email ~ info@see-n-read.com
or write ~
CadenaSmith Enterprises
2533 Sutton Lane
Aurora, IL 60502-9461
As always, my wonderful Crew mates have written their own reviews of this product. If you click on the graphic below you’ll find them on The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew Blog.
Blessings,
This product was given to me, free of charge, in exchange, for my honest review, as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. I receive no other compensation for my reviews on this blog. The opinions expressed are my own.
*Contents of this blog are copyrighted; they are the property of Knee Deep In Grace and may not be used without written permission.
Leave a Reply