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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Spelling City for Differentiation?

This year, our school is both Title I and a focus school.  So that means that we need to keep flawless records of differentiation methods that cover all the state standards and meet the needs of all students in math and reading.  Then I came across an email reminder that Spelling City links state standards to their activities, making it easier to find differentiation activities. 




I played around with the free activities they offer and found several that link up nicely with Virginia's Language Arts standards.  You can access the activities that match your state's standards by clicking here.  Below is an example of what the screen will look like.  The blue words take you to the activities when you click on them.





I have played around with Spelling City before, but not for a couple of years, and I've never purchased the premium membership.  I've also never put in spelling or vocabulary lists.  I'm wondering if it's worth the extra money.

Have you used Spelling City before?  If so, have you purchased the membership or just used the free services?  Do you think the paid membership is worth it? 

I'm looking for new ways to use this site for differentiation.  I'd love some advice!

6 comments:

Marcia said...

I paid for the premium subscription last year. We put it in the budget for it this year. I have four spelling groups. I give a pretest, practice and final test. I couldn't do it without help. The students do most tests on Spelling City. They need headphones, but that is it. They test at their own pace. They print, and add Challenge words. All I have to is check the challenge, add to the score from the Spelling City, and record. I also do a spelling contract with activities separated by learning styles. They can do the free or premium activities for the contract. I like the typing practice, as we are going toward online standardized testing. Well worth te $2 per student cost. Once a list is there, no need to reenter again.

Heather said...

This is very helpful information. Thanks! I need to see what my options are.

Unknown said...

I love Spelling City for differentiation. I hope to keep adding to my lists, but right now I have a basic list, and then a challenge list. It's great that I can challenge more of my students and yet it's still so manageable. I love that with my premium subscription their tests and assignments get sent right to me, saves me so much time! I have even started adding math vocabulary lists.

Anonymous said...

I would pay the $2 per student out of my own pocket if I had to. (Luckily my district pays for it!) I have 60 students for spelling and have come to hate giving and correcting sp tests.. just the fact that Spelling City gives them the test and CORRECTS it is worth the money! I also use this for Vocab Quizzes as well. The fact that you can create different list (which takes just few minutes) and can assign different activities would make differentiating super easy.

Heather said...

I'm definitely leaning toward using the vocabulary testing options. I need documentation that students are getting remediation, and I think being able to track it online will make it a whole lot easier. Thanks for the advice!

Dr. Cara Whitehead, NBCT said...

VocabualrySpellingCity is a great website for differentiation. In my classroom, I always had 3-4 lists running at the same time. My special education students, EL students, and on-level students could be tested online using their personalized list. Because the screens look identical, the other children are not necessarily aware that they have different lists. The reports can also be used for RTI documentation.

Cara
Teaching...My Calling

I have used VocabularySpellingCity with the students in my classroom for over five years. In fact, my entire school now has premium memberships for every teacher. I was so impressed with the site and how it affected student learning that I shared it through various social media platforms. I now have the opportunity to work with VocabularySpellingCity after school as a consultant in the area of social media promotions.