Spelling is one of the most important skills your children will learn. I was excited for the opportunity to review a spelling program that adhered to a classical approach of teaching. Simply Classical Spelling Book One: Step-by-Step Words and Simply Classical Spelling Book Two: Step-by-Step Words from Memoria Press is a great option for teaching special needs children.
What Is Simply Classical Spelling?
Simply Classical Spelling takes a classical approach to teaching spelling. They are designed to help individuals provide a classical education even if they are unfamiliar with the topic while still maintaining a high academic standard.
Although it’s geared towards special needs students, any student with the skill level from first to third grade can benefit from this program. It comes with two books to be done in a series, in sequential order of one another.
This series provides an incremental, multi-sensory approach with an oral/aural emphasis. Each week includes targeted Word Study exercises to promote linguistic awareness, cognitive flexibility, and improved spelling skills.
Simply Classical Spelling is good for ages 6-8. Book One provides 34 weeks of instruction with 30 spelling lists and Book Two offers 34 weeks of instruction focuses on words grouped by vowels, consonants, and other sounds.
How We Used Simply Classical Spelling?
As a former special education teacher and behavioral therapist for children with Autism, I love it when I see homeschool curriculum and programs geared towards that community of learners. Although my daughter is not special needs, I thought this program would still be beneficial for her. She is 5 years old and is learning how to read and write sentences.
Each week there are Word Study exercises that give an opportunity to write each word. This helps the student improve their spelling skills as well as work on other cognitive abilities. It then moves on to “words to know” which are useful words to writing a sentence and “words in context” which allows the student to see the word in a sentence. And finally, there are word study questions and extra writing practice.
For this review, I will give an example from week one in Book One. The words to learn this week were “cat, had, big, tin, and vet”. I made flashcards and letter cards for each word and then taught the lessons for 3 days and then on the 4th day, I did a review and tested her knowledge. Our week looked something like this:
Day 1: Introduced each word by having her repeat each word in a read-spell-read pattern. She then wrote the words on the keyword section.
Day 2: Repeat each word in a read-spell-read pattern, read and spell with flashcards and letter cards and continued to the Words To Know and Words In Context sections.
Day 3: Repeat each word in a read-spell-read pattern, read and spell with flashcards and letter cards and continue to the Word Study and Extra Practice.
Day 4: Repeat each word in a read-spell-read pattern, read and spell with flashcards and letter cards and write and spell on a whiteboard using a dry erase marker. Once that was completed, I tested her to see what she retained by orally saying each word and having her spell it using the read-spell-read pattern. She scored 100% on her test!
At the end of week 1, this is what the book looked like.
How Much Does Simply Classical Spelling Cost?
Memoria Press products are characterized by three ideas: simplicity, quality, and affordability. This spelling program is affordable at $14.95 per book and is recommended to purchase both books together. For $30 + tax and shipping, you will get a solid classical spelling program.
My Thoughts On Simply Classical Spelling
Simply Classical Spelling is a great spelling program! I only used Book One, however, Book Two follows the same format at a higher level than Book One. Once we have completed Book One, we will move on to Book Two. I am excited to see how my daughter will progress using this program.
If you have a special needs child, a child who needs extra help with spelling, or a younger child who is excelling and can comprehend higher-level learning, I highly recommend Simply Classical Spelling.
Read more Simply Classical Spelling Book One: Step-by-Step Words and Simply Classical Spelling Book Two: Step-by-Step Words from Memoria Press reviews from the Crew here!
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