Special educators, at-risk teachers, classroom teachers, administrators and parents seem to always be searching for strategies that help children who have reading and spelling difficulties. The Spelling Ladder Program is a quick, efficient and meaningful computer program that is exciting for children, teachers and parents to use in the educational setting and even the home setting. I used this program with students as a multi-sensory approach to improve their reading of sight words and their spelling of sight words. I worked with 26 students for four weeks and gathered data. The pre-test average score was 85% for sight words and 54% for spelling the words. After four weeks of minimal interventions of using this program the post-test average score went up to 85% for spelling the words, which was a 31% increase in scores. This data proves that this program is a positive way to make progress with children who are having difficulty with reading and spelling. The children were very excited each time they used the program. It is a very kid-friendly, simple program. The record keeping process is also very efficient and easy to use. The parents of the children who were receiving interventions were very pleased with the quick progress. The teachers also noted after interventions the children were able to carry the skills over into their reading and spelling assignments/tests/tasks. Teachers and parents also confirmed that the children’s confidence improved and they became even more motivated to read and complete spelling activities because they were more successful. As a special services coordinator, I feel this is an effective way to make noticeable quick progress with sight words and spelling skills with kids who have difficulties with these skills. My son, who is a good reader, even benefited from this program to make his reading and spelling skills excel well above grade level. I would highly recommend this program to educators and parents who want to make a difference with their children.
Thank you ever so much for allowing me to try The Spelling Ladder with my 2nd grade tutoring students. The program was simple to install and easy to set up, which I greatly appreciate. My students often struggle with spelling and The Spelling Ladder allows them the opportunity to strengthen their spelling ability in a fun and modern way. They are eager to practice spelling each week and enjoy the opportunity to access the program on their own. I create the lists each week before tutoring so when they rush in to use The Spelling Ladder all they have to worry about is who goes first. (Rock, paper, scissors always solves most any of our problems!) I have seen great improvements in my students' spelling ability, but more importantly, they are seeing improvement on their spelling tests. This boost to their self-esteem is so important, and once those good feelings start growing, they just keep building such bigger, better experiences for the children. I will definitely purchase The Spelling Ladder to use in the future with all my tutoring students, my 12 year old son included. I am amazed at how quickly the students learn their spelling words, and I am most impressed with the fact that they are "learning" rather than memorizing. This is a wonderful tool to help build both skill and self-esteem. When I asked my students to tell me how they liked The Spelling Ladder, their comments were as follows:
Thanks for the chance to use The Spelling Ladder with my students. It is amazing what happens when teachers can partner the learner with the right tools for his or her learning style! Keep up the great work!
As a Reading Coach for over thirty years I can highly recommend the Spelling Ladder™. It is one of the best programs I have seen to help students learn their spelling and high frequency words. It is a fun, motivating way to get students to learn. The Spelling Ladder™ is kid friendly. The directions are easy to follow. You can assign students words according to the level at which they are at. You can print out a report in order to keep up with the progress they are making. The timer on the program allows you to challenge all students regardless of ability level. This makes it a good program for gifted kids as well as struggling learners. Your students will be begging to use it. I would highly recommend this program to teachers and parents alike.
In my classroom I use the Spelling Ladder™ as part of my center rotation. My students and I love the program. They love the challenge of playing the game and I love to see them learn their spelling words and not just memorize them.