All About Spelling vs Spelling You See
The main differences
Both place children by skill rather than grade and use dictation. All About Spelling teaches one spelling rule or pattern a lesson with letter tiles, flashcards and dictated sentences, from a scripted manual; a Level 3 kit was $69.95, plus letter tiles. Spelling You See has no word lists, no rules to learn and no tests: each lesson is a short talk about tricky words, marking letter patterns in a passage, copywork and dictation, and a Level D set was $65.43 with a year of the online subscription.
| All About Spelling | Spelling You See | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Language arts | Language arts |
| Grades | Levels 1 to 7, designed for elementary and middle school (about 1st to 8th grade); most children start at Level 1 | Seven levels placed by skill, not grade: Level A is for beginning readers, and Levels E to G are for ages 10 and up |
| Method | Mastery | Traditional |
| Format | Books and workbooks | Books and workbooks |
| Faith label | Secular | Not labelled |
| Cost a year | $69.95. Level 3 materials (teacher's manual and student packet with activity book, flashcards and stickers): $69.95. Letter tiles are $25.95 extra and serve every level. | $65.43. Level D (Americana) set, with the instructor's handbook, student workbooks (36 lessons) and a one-year basic online subscription code: $65.43. |
| Placement | Free placement test ↗ | Free online placement tool ↗ |
| Parent time | About 20 minutes a day of parent-led spelling lessons. | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A parent who wants a scripted, step-by-step spelling program that explains the rules, for a child who already reads. | A family that wants short daily spelling lessons built on copywork and dictation instead of word lists and tests. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants spelling, grammar and writing in one book, or a child who should work on their own. | A parent who wants spelling rules taught and tested each week, or wants spelling combined with grammar and writing in one book. |
All About Spelling
All About Spelling is a spelling program in seven levels, meant to start once a child is reading. Each scripted lesson teaches one rule or pattern with letter tiles, then reviews it with flashcards, word analysis, dictated sentences and writing until it is mastered. The publisher suggests about 20 minutes a day. You buy one level at a time as a teacher's manual and student packet, with the letter tiles sold separately.
Does well: Lessons are scripted and open-and-go, so the parent can teach straight from the manual.
Watch for: The parent teaches each lesson; it is not designed for a child to work through alone.
Spelling You See
Spelling You See is a spelling program with seven levels, A to G, and no word lists or spelling tests. Lessons are built on four activities: a short daily talk about tricky words, chunking (marking letter patterns in a passage), copywork, and dictation, with passages that rise in reading level. A level set has an instructor's handbook and student workbooks with 36 lessons, and includes a code for one year of the publisher's basic online subscription.
Does well: There are no word lists or tests to manage; every lesson follows the same short routine.
Watch for: Levels are not grade levels and the publisher gives no grade range, so you rely on the placement tool.
Lists with both
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money. Every program compared