Good start, but would benefit from some improvements
I teach 2nd grade & my younger child is a struggling reader/speller, so I was very excited to get this. My philosophy is that, for the most part, sight words cannot/should not be sounded out & kids need to learn to read them "in a snap". Spelling is different & as much practice in a variety of ways is good. That said, the app could use some adjustments. First, the pronunciation of the words is not always clear. Second, just because a word is spelled on the first try doesn't mean it is mastered. Students should spell each word correctly a few times for this.
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Fun way to work on dreaded task.
Our daughter has mild auditory processing issues. Since several letter pairs sound the same to her, she's not a big fan of spelling. This app and the Simplex Sight Words make her practice time much more fun and productive, which makes us both happy. Can't wait to see how she progresses!
Great app
My six yearold daughter loves using this app to practice her spelling. Highly recommended.
Words just too basic
Should my be used by anyone past 1st grade. Would be great if they hard a longer list of words all the words were 3 to 5 letters. Not worth the 5 dollars
wonderful app
reminds me of a toy i had as a child. Love this app.My 2 children both use the app easily with no frustration. I highly recommend this app to learn spelling the Dolch sight words. Great for ALL children.
perfect
my 8 yo daughter loves this app!
Wonderful App
This app is a great tool for kids to play while learning. Our kids loved it! We look forward to updates with more levels (more difficult words). Interface is easy to use and background/colors are easy on the eyes; not too distracting. Just great over all!!! Developer support is also fabulous. Developer listens to questions/comments and answers in a timely manner. We also look forward to the ability to add our own words (without having to record them). Love it!
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Uses Phonics!
What We Liked:
As a homeschooling mom I absolutely adore developers who build in multiple user functions, tracking, and the ability to start up again where you’ve left off after a session. Simplex Spelling not only has all of these built in but it also makes it easy to review missed words without having to re-start a spelling list.
The use of phonics is both intuitive and a bit playful – it is fun for my daughter to be able to explore the different potential options for a certain sound using the hints feature. Even though the design is heavy on functionality (and functional it is) and low on ‘splash’ my daughter does enjoy using this app for her spelling lessons as we’ve been testing it out together.
The method used – dictation followed by tapping and dragging of letters into the correct order within a word – is incredibly effective at teaching spelling and the combination of the easily accessed phonics hints makes Simplex Spelling a very powerful tool for direct instruction. It is very easy for children to learn directly from the app without parental input beyond assigning a spelling list for each session or asking them to review a certain list. The detailed statistics make it very easy for me to determine the work my daughter should be doing each day. Among the many useful settings options (upper case, lower case – use words in a sentence or only alone etc.) there is an option to choose Canadian and American spelling! We are Canadians so I truly appreciate that option.
What We Didn’t Like:
Nothing.
Overall:
I am used to having phonetic spelling programs tackle groups of similar words at one time (all cvce words at once for example – ride, like, hide etc.) Simplex Spelling uses a different approach and scatters these words throughout their lists. I have to admit that the approach we’ve been using IS a slower approach to learning to spell and I have often found our progress somewhat tedious. I have been longing for something we could use as a supplement to teach high frequency words, but everything else seems to be sight-based. Because Simplex focuses on learning high frequency words quickly in order to attain fluency, I think a pairing of this app with a more regularly phonetically grouped spelling program gives the best of both worlds – that’s what we’ll be doing!
Simplex Spelling HD uses incredibly rich, educationally sound, and powerful tools to teach high frequency words. With 220 words included and the wealth of tracking tools it provides, it is well worth the price. I hope that we can look forward to additional releases with words of more complexity provided for older students!
Disclosure: I received a promo code of this app to review - all opinions are my own.
As a homeschooling mom I absolutely adore developers who build in multiple user functions, tracking, and the ability to start up again where you’ve left off after a session. Simplex Spelling not only has all of these built in but it also makes it easy to review missed words without having to re-start a spelling list.
The use of phonics is both intuitive and a bit playful – it is fun for my daughter to be able to explore the different potential options for a certain sound using the hints feature. Even though the design is heavy on functionality (and functional it is) and low on ‘splash’ my daughter does enjoy using this app for her spelling lessons as we’ve been testing it out together.
The method used – dictation followed by tapping and dragging of letters into the correct order within a word – is incredibly effective at teaching spelling and the combination of the easily accessed phonics hints makes Simplex Spelling a very powerful tool for direct instruction. It is very easy for children to learn directly from the app without parental input beyond assigning a spelling list for each session or asking them to review a certain list. The detailed statistics make it very easy for me to determine the work my daughter should be doing each day. Among the many useful settings options (upper case, lower case – use words in a sentence or only alone etc.) there is an option to choose Canadian and American spelling! We are Canadians so I truly appreciate that option.
What We Didn’t Like:
Nothing.
Overall:
I am used to having phonetic spelling programs tackle groups of similar words at one time (all cvce words at once for example – ride, like, hide etc.) Simplex Spelling uses a different approach and scatters these words throughout their lists. I have to admit that the approach we’ve been using IS a slower approach to learning to spell and I have often found our progress somewhat tedious. I have been longing for something we could use as a supplement to teach high frequency words, but everything else seems to be sight-based. Because Simplex focuses on learning high frequency words quickly in order to attain fluency, I think a pairing of this app with a more regularly phonetically grouped spelling program gives the best of both worlds – that’s what we’ll be doing!
Simplex Spelling HD uses incredibly rich, educationally sound, and powerful tools to teach high frequency words. With 220 words included and the wealth of tracking tools it provides, it is well worth the price. I hope that we can look forward to additional releases with words of more complexity provided for older students!
Disclosure: I received a promo code of this app to review - all opinions are my own.
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Awesome spelling app
This is a great spelling app. It's very engaging and my son is thrilled when he masters a word. It was definitely money well spent.
Spoken instruction
This app uses lots of speech so that even kids who are just starting to read can follow the instructions.
