Take a trip to SpellingCity
October 21, 2010
SpellingCity presents a multitude of activities students can use to practice spelling. A teacher simply enters the spelling words, and SpellingCity presents several options for what to do with them. Choices include:
“Test Me,” which repeats each spelling word with a live voice and uses it in a sentence. I put in a few words from my students’ vocabulary list and clicked here. The site creates a text box for students to write the word after they hear it spoken by the automated voice. What I liked best was that SpellingCity then used my word in a sentence. The site has a large database of words and sentences that it draws from.
“Teach Me,” which spells and displays the word in ways that stimulate memory for visual and verbal learners. Here, the site spells out the word, letter by letter, with audio, and then says a sentence with the word in it. Again, the use of audio is a huge advantage for many young people. “Play a Game,” which uses your spelling list in educational games that teach spelling, word meaning, vocabulary, and alphabetical order. SpellingCity provides a grid of games and activities. The look and feel of the site is very elementary, but that’s okay. The wide array of choices should engage most young learners.
In the classroom
SpellingCity can be a valuable reinforcement tool for spelling, particularly if used at home. I imagine students could use these activities with parents, and the use of all three options (test, teach and play) create a powerful regimen for learning. And even if a classroom teacher does not have enough computers for every student, you can download PDF versions of some of the spelling activities.
Although there is a paid version of SpellingCity that gives users more bells and whistles (and allows teachers to track classes more carefully), the free version is definitely worth a look.
