Friday, September 18, 2009

The Web Makes Spelling Fun!


The web is all abuzz about SpellingCity.com, a free online website that helps teach kids how to spell and what those words mean. This site has gone from zero to 2 million page views in nothing flat. It was only launched just last year but 2009 will be it's year to shine. Collecting awards this year like some people collect stamps, they have already won the 2009 Parents' Choice Award, the 2010 Teachers's Choice Award, been named a finalist for the Golden Lamp Award, and were selected for inclusion in the American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids.

And I remember the olden days when I had to beg someone to read me my spelling words hoping against hope that they pronounced them correctly and if I was really lucky, help me use them in a sentence so I had some idea what they meant. Well, all of that is now automated and systemitized at SpellingCity. And talk about a dictionary, they have over 40,000 words available for spelling games, vocabulary practice, handwriting and pronounciation by a real human. I don't know any parent that wouldn't love to help make their child a better speller in a way that seemed more like a game than a chore.

I think SpellingCity is a good example of the old addage that the best things in life are free. But if you would like to let SpellingCity automate your grading and student reporting then you can do that for a small annual fee of $25-50 per year. Aw, the price of convenience, still a deal at twice the price!