This is my first year picking out our own things and it is so hard. I have spent hours and hours and when I finally find what I think will work, something else pops up. I need to submit my order this weekend, so any responses would be very much appreciated! I think we are going to use WorldyWise next year. Is the "teacher resource book" a necessity? For Sequential Spelling, do you need just the book and the student response book? Or if we were to go with the DVD, is that all we need along with the student reponse book? Thank you!
I don't use a teacher book for Wordly Wise [oh, but make sure to check out their online site as they have the word lists and games for their books online!]. The student response book is just pages where the kids can write their words. My daughter uses the response book and my son uses a spiral notebook. I think it was just a paper saver, honestly. So, you don't need it--- it was nice but not at all necessary. I didn't even know SS had a DVD, so I can't speak to that one.
You do not need the Student Response book for SS. We just used a notebook. A reporters notebook works well too.
My friend's son struggled really bad in spelling! She did sequential spelling with him this past year for the first time and used the dvds. She said his spelling improved drastically! Wordly Wise and SS are both 25% off at my store! You can also get them at good prices on www.homeschoolclassifieds.com. I am thinking about doing Wordly Wise next year, although, like you, as soon as I think I have made up my mind something else comes to my attention. I just found Vocabulary Vine tonight and now I am not sure...again! I read great reviews on it on www.homeschoolreviews.com.
What I do for Sequential Spelling is take a small spiral notebook and fold the pages in half lengthwise to make two columns. Then I unfold, and number the left column 1 and the right column 91. Then turn the page and left column 2 and right 92. And so on. The response book is made with an arrangement something like this, only there's three columns, 1, 61, and 121, then 2, 62, 122 and so on. This is to keep the kids from just copying the words (or parts) they had the day before, so they have to really listen and write as they're called out today. I'm planning on using it again next year. I bought all 7 books, before there was a dvd, so couldn't tell you anything about the dvd, except that I expect it will be all you need, if you use notebook paper for the kids to write in.
I didn't even realize there was a DVD! FYI... worldlywise is available free online. It's not exactly like the books, but if you're looking to save money, that's a good way to do it.
Thank you everyone! We go through a charter school that is really flexible on what we buy/order, so thankfully I don't have to be too concerned for price for any of our secular material. If the school will buy the DVD's, I will probably just get them then. I don't want to take advantage and order more material than we need, but I also have a 2 year old, so anything the older kids can do a little more "on their own" will help me out. I am really trying to focus on doing more WITH the kids and not busy work, but spelling seems like a good compromise on something they can do without me, I hope. I have really struggled this first year and was "this close" to putting my kids back in school, so I am hoping that choosing our own material really helps us vs the boxed set we were given this past year. I can't begin to thank everyone on this board, for although I don't post often, I read the posts here every other day at least and it has provided me with a lot of useful information!
