After taking a look at this well-organized program that teaches spelling by word families, it’s not surprising that we’ve had so many requests for it. It has a very satisfying appeal. Imagine lists of words that are organized by word families but that go well beyond a simple vowel family (i.e. c-at; b-at; etc.) right from the start. Although the first day’s word list includes only four words – in, pin, sin, spin; by the third day, the “in” list has expanded to pinned, skins, twins (and other “in” words) and started on the “e” (i.e. b-e; sh-e) family and even includes a crossover word (begin). By building from the easier words of a family to important power words, the program builds self-confidence. Traditional spelling programs introduce words vocabularily – in other words, when the child is likely to encounter the word in reading, or based on a chosen theme. As a result, word sequences are odd and incomplete. In Sequential Spelling, the phonics necessary for decoding is being presented through the back door, so to speak.

Every learning channel is employed with this program – hence the acronym AVKO (Audio-Visual-Kinesthetic-Oral). Here’s the process: a word is given verbally and used in a sentence (audio); the student attempts to spell the word (kinesthetic); the correct spelling is given using colored markers on a white board to differentiate between family and other letters (oral interaction & visual); students correct their own spelling (kinesthetic). Utilizing the simple educational techniques of having students correct their own mistakes when they make them – not hours, days, or even weeks later – and creating a positive learning environment by maintaining that mistakes are opportunities to learn produces eager learners and definitive results. Tests are used as learning devices, not as a method of evaluation. If you feel compelled to give grades, written tests (reproducible) are available after the 40th, 80th, 120th, 160th, and 180th days.

The first several days of lessons are laid out in detail – completely scripted. In addition to the teaching process, a positive can-do attitude is being modeled in these lessons. After the eighth day, the process is continued as established. Lists of 25 words along with sentence suggestions are provided for 180 days; with common words appearing in bold typing. Homophones (same pronunciation, different spelling; i.e. bare and bear), heteronyms (same spelling, different word and different pronunciation; i.e. bow your head, bow and arrow), and words that do not follow the normal pattern (like “gyp”) are all marked. Review and repetition is built in as you progress through the days (lists).

Books are progressive but do not really conform to grade levels. For instance, the ending lessons of Book 1 include words like breathless, hedging, horrifying, and basically which would never be seen in a first or second-grade spelling book. Because they are introduced as parts of word families, they become doable for the early grades, but this also means that an older child starting at Book 1 doesn’t feel like he’s way behind. (By the way, the parent is given complete freedom to drop some words from the lists if they feel it will be preferable for their child.) So, the bottom line is that you can start any grade level child at Level 1 and proceed through the books in order. AVKO recommends that children are reading at a second-grade level before beginning Level 1, so children in first grade may or may not be ready to begin, depending on their reading skill. Suggestions for customizing the Sequential Spelling program to suit particular needs can be found at AVKO’s website.

The Student Response Book for Sequential Spelling is specifically designed to provide the writing space for students participating in the program. To look at it, you would scratch your head. The column for the 1st day words is in the middle of page 3 (with the 61st day on the left and the 121st day on the right). We don’t see the 2nd day column until page 5. This peculiar arrangement is designed to prevent the child from copying words and/or word family parts from one day to the next, a tendency which gets in the way of truly learning the pattern. Once you figure out the system, it makes perfect sense. Although a student will need one book per level, the response book is not level-specific.

Several other AVKO resources relate to Sequential Spelling, but are designed for other areas of languge arts as well. Please see below or check our index for more details on these. ~ Janice

Customer Reviews

 
Debbie P. from Salt Lake City, UT wrote the following on 06/20/2007:
AVKO's spelling program removes the busy work associated with most spelling programs and uses what is helpful and useful for learning spelling patterns. We have tried so many different spelling programs, and this is finally the one I will be sticking with! I have children that pick up spelling easily, and others that think spell-check on a computer eliminates the need for learning any kind of spelling whatsoever -- though we know that is absolutely not true! There is quite a bit of repetition with the word lists, but this creates reinforcement, not monotony. They learn different patterns and spelling rules through the grouping of word lists. I used the program by giving the list to my child, and if they get them all correct we immediately move on to the next list the same day. When they misspell any words in a given list we review them and repeat it the next day. There is no workbook busy work that just takes up time rather than teaching spelling. There are suggestions for all kinds of learners -- auditory, visual, etc. I find that this type of spelling instruction translates to their other work much better than memorized lists from standard spelling programs. There is no teacher preparation necessary, and while I don't necessarily see that as a plus (I don't mind preparing when necessary as a home schooler) it does keep it simple and easy to use. Because we go at the pace of the child, either moving to the next list or stopping at a list that needs review, it is very easy to use with all age levels. I started in the same book for my elementary children as well as my junior higher. The older children moved at a faster pace, but it still worked very well and we didn't need a separate book for each child. Each book is a great value and lasts from one half to one year, depending on the spelling skill level of the child.

 
Laura L. from Greenville, SC wrote the following on 07/10/2007:
I think we have tried just about every spelling program or idea to learn spelling on the market for our daughter. Reluctantly I picked up Sequential Spelling while in the back of my mind thinking, "there is no way this will work either." Boy was I wrong! We used it last year and recently my daughter made the following comment, "Mom, that Sequential Spelling really works. I can remember how to spell words that I thought I'd never be able to spell! We're going to keep using it for school aren't we." I think that speaks for itself!

 
Natalie B. from North Texas wrote the following on 08/18/2007:
We started using Sequential Spelling this past year with 3 of our children. Our son has had some neurodevelopmental issues and had struggled with reading and spelling. He progressed very well with this program and enjoyed discovering the patterns in the word families. Our daughter is English as a second language and spent this past year learning to speak as well as write and read in English. We found that learning the word families was very helpful to her in understanding spelling as well as reading. This program works well for children with learning issues who need extra parent attention and who benefit from immediate correction of errors. We liked that the cost was not terribly high and we can use it with several ages at once. A naturally good speller would probably find this program too basic.

 
Carmen R. from Hillsboro, MO wrote the following on 04/14/2008:
My seventh grade daughter had struggled in spelling all through school. I had tried three programs, but all of them ended in frustration and tears. Her spelling in daily life was far below grade level. Sequential Spelling was one of the best finds for her in our school! It takes the simple concept of having the student write the same spelling patterns over and over, using different but similar words. Right away, she stopped crying through spelling, and within a few weeks, her spelling in her other writing was noticeably improved. We are at the end of the second book now, and her spelling is nearly grade level. She had some issues with reading as well, and this program helped her notice patterns and be able to read unfamiliar words. Highly recommended for struggling spellers!

 
Sheri H. from Auburn Hills, MI wrote the following on 05/02/2008:
Quite simply the best spelling program I've used for my children. My reluctant speller has had to admit the repetition has been the biggest help to improving her spelling skills.

 
Elizabeth H. from Huntsville, AL wrote the following on 06/10/2008:
The real power of Sequential Spelling is that for the first time, I have noticed that my children's spelling words have correctly transfered to their writing. To me, that is the point of a spelling program - to improve their writing!

 
sally m. from wentzville, mo wrote the following on 08/29/2009:
Sequential Spelling has been a true blessing to our 10 year old. He was a late reader and had much difficulty spelling simple words. We started this program with three of our children (11,10, and 8 years)and their confidence and ability has soared (especially the 10 yr old). He looks forward to spelling everyday. I think this program works best if you do it just as they advise (correcting each word as you go along). A whiteboard is essential.

 
Amy U. from Nebraska wrote the following on 04/01/2010:
My 12-year old is the sort of child who doesn't naturally "see" spellings. We have spent 2 years in Sequential Spelling vol. 1 because I have often broken the lists into more than one session. Now we are nearing the end of the book and her improvement is remarkable. I am not using this course with my "natural speller" child because I think the repetition would be a real drag. But for a somewhat challenged speller, I highly recommend this!