It is difficult to talk about vocabulary without also talking about spelling.  Educators have shown that spelling not only improves reading and writing fluency but also vocabulary and comprehension. Words are the building blocks of the English language, and one cannot really communicate well without having skills in both vocabulary AND spelling.

When the study […]

One of the most exciting improvements at Vocabulary.co.il is the way you can now search for vocabulary games by grade level!  From the youngest readers to the SAT-prep students, we have games for you! 

Teachers usually don’t have time to go searching for games that they can be sure will work with their students, […]

If you are a teacher looking for classroom extensions for a study on Martin Luther King Jr. or the Civil Rights movement, you may want to check out some of the great spelling lists at SpellingCity.© Here are some examples of what you may find there…

Civil Rights
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rosa Parks
African American History
I Have a […]

It is almost that time of the year…All Hallows Eve, otherwise affectionately knows as “Halloween.”  This is a boon time for teachers because it is so easy to create lessons and activities that kids can get excited about.  Who doesn’t love a little harmless “creepiness” added into the school day??
If you are looking for […]

One of the most interesting phenomena of homeschooling a child with dyslexia has been watching his approach to spelling.  It is quite a myth that people with dyslexia can’t learn phonics…they can!  However, the rules of phonics can become a crutch for many who see its do’s and don’ts as unwavering guides for how […]

Teachers and homeschoolers across the country are studying our national parks this week thanks to the current PBS airing of Ken Burns’ documentary series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”  If you are one of these teachers, you might be interested in some great vocabulary and spelling tie-ins to this subject.
SpellingCity: National Parks Play games […]

Teachers,
If you are using Spelling City and Vocabulary.co.il regularly in your classrooms, you may want also include the features of these sites in your homework assignments as well.
Here are a few creative ideas for integrating the games and activities on these sites into your home-based assignments:

Embed individual Spelling City lists into your classroom blogs […]

Triple A Words.  Have you ever thought about them?  In my opinion, they are often some of the most difficult words to spell.  Probably because they don’t always follow traditional rules of English (which are hardly traditional, and made to be broken, it would seem).
But words with three A’s in them are some of the […]

If you already use SpellingCity as a tool with your students or children, then I’m preaching to the choir, but if you don’t…you should definitely check it out!
SpellingCity is a free spelling practice program online that lets you input your own lists, or use ones already on the site.  Then students can practice their […]

If you ask my youngest son, spelling tests are far, far scarier than anything that Hollywood’s best horror writers can dish out.  A couple of years ago, I could track the onset of his chronic stomach aches to the exact moment the next spelling or vocabulary test was announced.  Having struggled with phonics his whole […]