Online vocabulary development may be accomplished in a variety of ways, and SpellingCity, also known as Vocabulary Spelling City, is a popular website among parents and educators worldwide. They were among the first to provide innovative methods for mastering spelling back in 2008.
On the other side, SpellQuiz is working to transform spelling exercises. To make the entire learning process more user-friendly and efficient, we are always introducing new tools, such as Spelling Bee Online. We will compare and contrast these two systems today to identify their main variations. As we analyze every aspect of the two websites, make sure to stick around to the very end.
Spelling City: What is it?
Students may use SpellingCity to enhance their vocabulary and spelling online. With the platform’s customizable word lists, students may tailor their learning to meet specific curriculum requirements. With its engaging games and activities, Spelling City makes spelling instruction enjoyable. Spelling exercises, both traditional and auditory, support kids’ language development holistically. The platform’s features allow educators and parents to monitor students’ progress and modify lessons, resulting in a more beneficial learning environment.
Students may practice spelling and vocabulary online on PCs, iPads, and cellphones with Spelling City. The app facilitates learning and encourages accurate spelling. SpellingCity’s user-friendly interface makes language learning enjoyable and interesting for students.
Spelling City History
The key reason for SpellingCity’s enormous popularity is how old the service is. Their adventure began in 2008. Smartphones were still only a notion back then, and the idea of an online learning platform was still “head-turning”! But they went viral and became well-known very quickly. The concept of an online spelling practice tool began to gain traction among educators and parents.
Vocabulary Spelling City was their new moniker in 2011 so that prospective customers could learn more about the business right away.
What services does SpellingCity offer? A Closer Exam
You now understand that SpellingCity is a learning tool for improving vocabulary.
However, what services do they really offer?
SpellingCity’s extensive library of word games is one of its strongest points. They have a library of roughly forty-word games. These are referred to as “skill practice games” by SpellingCity’s creators. Interesting, huh!
What kind of games are they for practicing skills?
Let’s examine this.
They have a game called SillyBulls that is quite popular. In this game, the object is to determine how many syllables are in a given word. Then there’s Word Unscramble, which is another well-liked game. In this game, the object is for a player to rearrange letters into a meaningful word. There are similarities between these two roughly forty games. These word games may definitely help a young child’s vocabulary and spelling skills.
Spelling City’s Revision of Spelling
The stress of finishing all of their tests is starting to get to students as we approach the holidays. I mean, there’s always time to start studying.
- Spelling in English may be challenging. Pretending differently is pointless, but kids still need to learn how to spell, so let’s find an engaging exercise to help them learn more quickly.
- I’m going to take my pupils to the computer lab so we can utilize Spelling City.com and Vocabulary, two great websites.
- The goal is to practice pronouncing words correctly and to check word spelling.
Method:
- Give each student (or alternately, each pair of pupils) a computer.
- Inform them that they will assist their peers in correcting the spelling of some of the terms covered in this course. Choose how many terms you wish to edit, then direct students to Vocabulary and Spelling City.com.
- After entering the words in the designated slots, students click the Spelling Test button. View the images below.
- Students should be asked to get up and select another computer. To guess and type the concealed word, students must click on Say It and Sentence. After selecting
- Check me to view your score; you can choose to click Teach me to learn how to spell the word.
- They can go through the process again and edit any new terms you provide. They will adore it for sure.
What are the opinions of experts?
Parents, educators, and specialists in education from all across the world have been kind enough to commend SpellingCity. McREL International, a research company specializing in education, carried out an analysis of this learning platform’s effectiveness in 2016.
The study’s main conclusions indicate that users’ vocabulary retention scores increased by 43%. In a similar vein, native speakers and ESL learners’ reading comprehension abilities increase by 21.5% and 46.5%, respectively. This indicates that SpellingCity’s services are unquestionably exceptional.
Using Spelling City to Complete Spelling Assignments on Instructor Websites
With Spelling City’s user-friendly interface, you can easily publish spelling exercises for your students to do at home or in the computer lab on your teacher’s website. To compile a list of spellings:
- Make an account on Spelling City, or sign in if you already have one. Click the Register link (under the sign-in boxes) in the top right corner of the page to establish an account.
- In the upper right corner of the website, under the Teacher Toolbox, click the link labeled “List Management.” Click the Create a New List link when the List Management screen appears.
- Put the spelling terms you know in the list. After each word, hit Enter to go on to the next line.
- Choose the preferred word order and whether or not you want the list to be published. If you want to connect your list to another website (like your teacher’s web page), choose to have it published. Click the “Save” button.
- After that, you will be sent to your spelling list. Three buttons will appear below your word list: Test Me, Teach Me, and Play a Game.
- Once you’ve decided which tests, lessons, or games to provide, copy the URL from your browser’s address bar and paste it anywhere on your website or another location so that students can quickly access the spelling bee, lesson, or game.
An audio clip of a phrase employing the word and an audio version of the term are automatically generated when a list of words is created. Concealed accommodations – excellent! One additional good thing about Spelling City is that a number of the games may be played online or in print, so you have more options for how you want to use the exercises (or in case your pupils don’t have access to a computer). To change your word list or select an alternative activity, you may also go to the List Management screen at any moment. There are so many fantastic tools for spelling practice in one location!
Costing
This resource costs a household with up to five children a whopping $29.99 annually. Sign up as a parent, and remember that parents who have family premium memberships are not able to buy or add more student licenses. Subscriptions for classrooms are available for $49.99 and may accommodate up to 25 students. For $1.95 apiece, individual student licenses may be obtained for teacher or classroom memberships. In my opinion, the price is fair and acceptable given the benefits of the premium membership. It is absolutely worth the money, in my view!
Starting Out and First Feelings
After my subscription was activated, logging in just took a few minutes, if that. It was that simple. I made separate passwords for the parent and student accounts. Before starting Alyssa on her first-word list, I took the time to acquaint myself with the website by watching a few of the teacher training videos and lessons. Before using this material, I wanted to be sure I understood how to utilize it. To see which games Alyssa loved the most or least at first, I made many lists and let her play the games unrestricted on the first day. When we had free exploring time, we did start with their grade-level listings.
She adores Spelling City to the fullest! We homeschooled, and I’m not sure how we managed without this fantastic resource. not only for spelling but for any topic. There are countless options! I went to the forum and spent hours looking around once I found it. Everyone contributes their lists here, and you have the option to import them into your account. I was ecstatic! You can also search for a list using the user name, precise list name, school zip code, instructor or parent name, or other criteria. I can now admit that before I had really used the premium membership, I had initially asked myself, “What’s the big difference? Why is the premium subscription so different?”
The Features: What Makes SpellingCity So Excellent!
I was astonished after traveling through Spelling City. The website is really distinctive because of its many fantastic features.
1. Whole K–12 Spelling Instructions
A large list of words appropriate for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 may be found on SpellingCity. Sight words, academic vocabulary, and terms from other topics like math, physics, literature, and social studies are all included in the word lists.
2. Word Puzzles
As you are undoubtedly aware, word games are SpellingCity’s area of expertise. Such an extensive assortment of word games is found on very few online learning sites. The primary cause of SpellingCity’s enormous success ever since its founding has been these games.
3. Tailored Education
Teachers and several schools use SpellingCity to aid in the learning of young minds. An instructor can create unique word lists and use them in the classroom. This gives the teachers the ability to use web accessibility and personalization.
Students can greatly benefit from this kind of individualized instruction.
4. Utilizing Across Platforms
The platform is accessible via tabs, smartphone applications, and online browsers. Thus, utilizing any type of smart electronic equipment has advantages for both educators and students.
5. The Turned Classroom
It’s one of SpellingCity’s distinctive but lesser-known characteristics. using the tool for flipped classrooms. To engage students in learning activities outside of the classroom, teachers can offer offline assignments on a variety of spelling and vocabulary-related topics.
6. Reports
Educators and parents must monitor their children’s development. With Spelling City, they can keep an eye on the kids’ development from a separate window.
Spelling Bee Games
With its simple and visually stimulating spelling games, Vocabulary Spelling City helps students learn patterns in a variety of subject areas, from basic phonics to complex Greek and Latin roots. Early in school, interactive word construction and sound identification problems help teach letter-sound correlations. Spelling principles are taught through imaginative mini-games as children progress. With the use of narrative problems and flashcard drills, one may grasp prefixes, suffixes, homophones, and other words. Older pupils are taught morphology and etymology through word histories and logic problems. Students of all ages advance through scaffolded difficulties at their own speed.
Grammar Exercises
Grammar games on Vocabulary Spelling City uses simulations based on discovery to make language more relatable. Sentence structure and important speech elements are presented to younger children. Through interactive puzzles that identify functions, grammar points such as verbs, nouns, adjectives, and more become apparent to students as they go. Through visual experiments, writing norms, capitalization, and punctuation are illustrated. Examining themes and personalities in classics such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer culminates in enjoyable inference-based tests for advanced students. Students of all ages engage in self-directed work that develops their critical thinking, prediction, and observational abilities.
Range of SpellingCity Improvisation
Unfortunately, SpellingCity is devoid of some crucial functions. With these additions, SpellingCity might, in my opinion, be an even better platform and a greater resource for the community.
These are a few minor things I thought Spelling City might change to improve the user experience.
Intricate interface
With so many sophisticated games, the platform is technically brilliant, but the navigation is a bit confusing. Numerous customers have had grievances over the navigation system.
Regretfully, I have to concur with them!
- If they had included a single page with all the features and games in one location, that would have been fantastic.
- I apologize if this seems a bit fussy, but I had a difficult time finding all the amazing features on this fantastic website.
- On the other hand, SpellQuiz is really easy to use. Each of the six components that make up the top panel represents a crucial element.
- I have no doubt that SpellingCity’s creative brains will investigate this and simplify the website’s navigation.
Writing Assignments
The writing exercises at Vocabulary Spelling City teach every stage of the writing process simply and graphically, from basic prewriting to sophisticated essay production. Younger kids use interactive puzzles like Comic Creator and Story Builder to learn about writing. As students progress, innovative mini-projects are used to emphasize mechanics like voice, transitions, and paragraph structure. Logic puzzles with supporting details and counterarguments are used to help older students strengthen their literary analysis and argumentative writing skills. Students advance via scaffolded tasks at their own unique speed, regardless of age or subject.
Absence of Set Lists for Spelling Practice
- Customizable lists are one of SpellingCity’s best features. Different personalized word lists may be made for the pupils to practice.
- It provides consumers with an amazing, personalized learning experience.
Preset spelling lists are lacking, though.
- This implies that making and designing the word lists will require more time from the parents. Not all parents can find time in their busy schedules to keep adding words to their lists.
- The top linguists in the United States and Canada have created more than 200 pre-made spelling lists for SpellQuiz.
Absence of Tools for Tracking Progress
It makes sense for parents to keep tabs on their children’s development. Sure, you can monitor their development, but there aren’t many helpful resources.
You cannot, for instance, know how many words your children have learned so far, how long their practice sessions last, what words they haven’t mastered, etc.
Experience of Students
The success of Vocabulary Spelling City is largely attributed to its student base. At the time of enrollment, students are thrust into an engaging world of visual stimulation. Vibrant visuals give words life, and imaginative gaming inspires drive from inside. Ideas are dissected into manageable chunks to guarantee comprehension. Progress is immediately reinforced with challenges that keep the difficulty level exactly right. Students are kept interested in accomplishments and virtual pet reward systems. This mastery-based, self-paced approach fosters a lifetime love of language via exploration, play, and creativity. Students continue to be in charge of their personalized path.
Effects and the Community
The influence of Vocabulary Spelling City goes much beyond online learning environments. Millions of students across the world have developed a lifetime love of language and learning because of the platform’s engaging approach. Teachers frequently note that as students advance through interactive classes, confidence, motivation, and abilities like creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork all grow. Non-traditional learners have also benefited from VocabularySpellingCity; busy families are using games on the move, and hospitals are even setting up “word wards” for young patients.
What are the spelling city alternatives?
Although SpellingCity was among the earliest platforms to focus on vocabulary and spelling improvement, it is by no means the only one available today. Many excellent substitutes can support your child’s vocabulary and spelling.
Now let’s examine them:
LearnThat
LearnThat, also known as LearnThatWord, is an excellent resource for improving your spelling and vocabulary. Their Open Dictionary of English is their pride and joy. You may also study English oddities, suffixes, and word origins.
LearnThat generates customized word lists based on the learners’ proficiency level. Furthermore, the platform monitors advancements and endeavors to enhance the educational process.
Spelling Stars
Another seasoned instructional website that launched in 2006 is Spelling Stars. They provide spelling lists to improve vocabulary and spelling, just like Spelling City.
Spelling exams, personalized spelling lists, and online spelling practice are all available. Additionally, a variety of reports provide parents and instructors with an overview of the kids’ development.
Starfall
Starfall is a K–3 learning platform that teaches spelling to kids using audiovisual means. Additionally, they are focusing on ELD, ELL, and ESL programs for English language development.
In addition to spelling programs, they provide students with animated songs, arithmetic tricks, and other reading exercises. With so many engaging multisensory activities on the internet, dyslexic kids may learn vibrantly.
HowtoSpell
HowtoSpell caters mostly to adults, whereas the majority of websites like SpellingCity target children. Although there are spelling bees for children, adults make up the majority of the pupils here.
In summary:
To sum up, Spelling City proves to be an easy-to-use and adaptable resource for teachers looking for creative approaches to get their students excited about spelling. With its easy-to-use layout and capabilities, it’s a great tool for educators who want to enhance learning in the classroom and at home. The platform’s adaptability, which supports games in print and online formats, gives teachers a variety of alternatives to meet the demands of their pupils. The built-in accommodations, which include audio versions of words and phrases, further demonstrate SpellingCity’s dedication to diversity. SpellingCity is a complete tool that improves students’ learning experiences by streamlining the process of making and maintaining spelling lists.
Questions and Answers (FAQs):
Q1: On SpellingCity, how can I make a spelling list?
A1: Register for an account on SpellingCity or create one to generate a spelling list. Next, navigate to the Teacher Toolbox’s List Management page, select “Create a New List,” input your words, select your preferred word order and publication method, and then save your list.
Q2: Is SpellingCity available for both online and offline use?
A2: Spelling City does provide flexibility; its games are offered in print and online formats, accommodating a range of circumstances, including those in which pupils might not have access to a computer.
Q3: Which accommodations are offered to students with various types of learning needs?
A3: Spelling City ensures inclusiveness and supports a variety of learning styles by providing built-in accommodations, including automated audio production for word pronunciation and phrases.
Q4: How can I provide my pupils with access to spelling bees or games?
A4: To ensure that students can readily access an activity on your teacher’s website or any other platform, copy the URL of the exam, lesson, or game you’ve chosen from SpellingCity and put it there.
Q5: After creating my spelling lists, can I change them or select alternative exercises?
A5: To customize learning experiences continuously, you may change your lists or select a different activity at any moment by visiting SpellingCity’s List Management screen.
