One curriculum that we really enjoy using in our home is called Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. It is a phonics and spelling program for preschool thru high school age students.
I love that I only had to purchase the core kit one time for all my children for all the grade levels. Once you buy the core kit you are off and running for years of phonics and spelling lessons. The only additional purchases I make are one Learning Log (primary or black) per child per school year.
In my opinion, Spell to Write and Read is the best phonics and spelling program available. It makes sense of the English language like no other program I’ve seen and the research behind the program is amazing. It’s based off of The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda Spalding and the research of Dr. Samuel Orton.
If you are debating whether to use Spell to Write and Read then you might find my pro and con list helpful. I have also included a list of helpful links and resources including fun activities and free printables.
Pros of Spell to Write and Read
- Economical: The Core Kit is really affordable and you use that every year for every child. You also purchase one Learning Log per child per school year. There are no other purchases needed!
- It makes sense of the English Language! I was always told that English was filled with exceptions to lots of rules. But Spell to Write and Read uses 70 basic phonograms and several rules to explain more than 93% of the words in the English language. (Wondering what a phonogram is? A phonogram is letter or combination of letters that represent a sound.)
- It gives children the opportunity to think about each word before spelling it so that the rules of the language are firmly established in the their minds. A lot of phonics programs introduce words according to word families, leaving little need for the child to really think about the sound of the letters and the rules behind the spelling. My kids don’t have to guess at the spelling of words anymore. They just think it through using the spelling rules they have learned.
- Handwriting and phonics go hand in hand for a multi-sensory learning experience. I like that I can teach my young children the phonogram sounds right along with teaching them handwriting. I have seen the benefits of learning cursive writing before print so I use the inexpensive program Cursive First by Elizabeth FitzGerald which coordinates with the SWR program.
- It integrates beginning grammar, composition and vocabulary with each spelling lesson. I would advise purchasing an additional grammar and composition curriculum for the later elementary school years and beyond. We enjoy Fix It! Grammar and IEW writing.
For more benefits to the SWR program visit theses links here and here.
Cons of Spell to Write and Read
- Teacher intensive: SWR requires a lot of teacher investment. This is not a spelling curriculum that your child can do on his or her own. A parent (or educator) must be prepared to spend time teaching and reviewing the phonograms, rules and dictating the spelling words on a regular basis.
- It takes time and effort to understand how the program works. A parent teaching this program should take several months to look over the materials, read the teachers manual and become familiar with the phonogram sounds, spelling rules and spelling markings that are used throughout the program.
You don’t have to be overwhelmed by this con list. Check out my blog post, Overcoming the Challenges of the Spell to Write and Read Program. You might also enjoy this video I made explaining how the Spell to Write and Read program works.
Helpful Links and Resources
Demystifying the Spell to Write and Read Program (video)
Wise Guide Enrichment Activity Worksheets
Back Home Industries– They sell the SWR curriculum
LITHBITH Educational Services – They sell SWR and the Cursive First curriculum along with helpful information for implementing both.
Answers the common questions about SWR.
Video of how to teach phonograms using SWR and Cursive First.
Video of SWR Phonogram Review
Video of SWR Dictation (list J) and Dictation (list A)
Video of SWR used with younger children
SWR You Tube channel with more helpful videos on how to use the program
Fun Games and Free Printables
Fishing for Phonograms (blog post)
Phonogram or Spelling Word Candy Land (blog post with video)
Read it. Spell it. Write it. (Free printable)
Roll it. Read it. Write it. (Free printable)
Magnetic Phonogram Tiles (Free printable)
Read it. Stamp it. Write it. (Free printable)
Phonogram Progress Charts (Free printable)
Creative Ways to Review Spelling Words (blog post)
Thank you so much for sharing this information. I purchased the Cursive First program for my 4yr old and now I’m thinking of purchasing SWR as well. I appreciate the pro/con list!
Hi Kina,
I’m so glad the information was helpful to you! Let me know if you have any more questions about SWR or Cursive First.
I’ve been using both for several years now and love the results I am seeing in my children’s reading, writing and spelling. I encourage you to join the yahoo group. I have found it very helpful. One of my daughters still couldn’t read well at age 7 and I was getting discouraged. The SWR yahoo group was a great encouragement to keep at the program and when she was almost 8 years old everything just clicked for her and her reading and spelling took off.
Enjoy teaching your 4yo!
Blessings,
Janelle
My 7 year old son is not reading at the level that I believe he should. His school uses the Spaulding program so I have been looking to see if it is the curriculum or him. I have an elementary ed degree and taught first grade before kids. I have read to my son before every nap and before bed since he was 6 months old. He loves to listen to stories. He has always had a great vocabulary and always learned quickly before kindergarten so I of course want to blame the program:( we practice phonograms and spelling every day and I am very well aware of the sounds and markings. He knows the sounds at home but always misses 3 or so phonograms on his test. He can sound out cvc words fine but when he gets to more than one syllable I feel he gets confused with all the phonograms and isn’t decoding Words well. I feel it is so disconnected. It doesn’t seem to integrate with his other subjects. I guess what I am wondering is does this program generally work well for all kids. Also my nieces and nephews have all struggled with reading and they have been taught at the same school using Spaulding. I want to help my son because right now he hates everything about school and I think most of it is because reading hasn’t been easy
Hi Angie,
I can certainty understand your frustrations and concerns for your son. We all want our children to read well and do well in school and it sounds like you are doing all you can on your end to help him with his reading.
I would encourage you to join the SWR yahoo group and ask your question there. Many are much more knowledgeable about the program than I am and often the SWR trainers will offer up their wisdom as well. Here is the link for the group…. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpellToWriteAndRead/
I used the Writing Road to Reading (Spaulding method) with my oldest daughter before finding the SWR program and I have to say that she had a difficult time with spelling. I have found the Spell to Write and Read program to be much more effective (even though they are both based off of the same method). And, as I mentioned in the previous comment, one of my kids couldn’t read a thing until she turned 8yo and now she is a great reader.
I wish I could be of more help. Do check out the yahoo group though. They are a wealth of encouragement and wisdom on not only the SWR program but on the Spaulding method in general.
Praying you find the answers to why your son is having a tough time with reading and spelling.
Blessings,
Janelle
I know this post is from a while ago, but if you’re still monitoring it, I’m wondering how much time each day you find SWR takes. I’m debating between that and Phonetic Zoo, which is fairly independent from the sounds of it…
Hi Kristine,
SWR does require more of the parent’s time than many other phonics programs but it is worth it!
Mondays take us the longest because I am dictating the new words to my kids. The spelling dictation process along with review of phonograms takes about half an hour per child. My son has a hard time focusing so I do as many words as possible in that 30 minutes and then we finish the rest the next day.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the days the kids do enrichment activities to help reinforce the spelling rules. These are done pretty independently although I make sure I am close by to quickly catch mistakes or answer questions. My kids take about 15 minutes to do the enrichment activities. Tues-Thurs I also give them phonogram quizes but this takes less than 5 minutes.
Fridays are for spelling tests in our home which doesn’t take long. Then we also do any rule/reference pages that are needed for the next weeks lessons. Some weeks have no reference pages to build so no extra time is needed. Other weeks have one or two and that can take 30 minutes.
So, the biggest chunk of time is on Mondays and then occasionally on Fridays when new rules are being learned for the next week.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Here is an overview of the program… https://www.janelleknutson.com/2016/02/18/demystifying-the-spell-to-write-and-read-program/
Here are some tips for overcoming some of the “challenges” that people face with the program… https://www.janelleknutson.com/2014/07/14/overcoming-the-challenges-of-the-spell-to-write-and-read-program/
Hi Janelle,
I appreciate your demystifying video. I am just getting started with SWR for my Kindergarten daughter. I was wondering if you could share any insight on 2 phonogram questions I have. Why does SWR not include the long e sound for letter i (as in medium) or the “uh” sound for letter o (as in love)? All in all, I am really liking the SWR program so far, but as I am just getting started I was wondering if maybe I should teach my daughter these 2 sounds. I first noticed these sounds because I saw they are included in the phonogram teaching by All About Spelling. Thanks so much!
That is a great question and one I had myself when starting SWR. After using SWR for so long now, I understand why those sounds are not included but I have a hard time articulating the answer. The SWR yahoo group has a detailed explanation. I encourage you to join. It is also a great place to ask questions about SWR. Here is a link to the group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SpellToWriteAndRead/info?referrer=TCTCH
Hi!
I was wondering this as well when I started teaching. The answer is complicated, and it all comes down to the history of the English language.
Pronunciation changes faster than spelling does, so many spellings are based on older pronunciations rather than modern ones (varieties of dialects also affect pronunciation more than spelling).
For the i, historically it was “i” as in “it”. Only recently (since the 1950s in America) do we get “ee”. For “medium” Americans emphasize the ee sound more than British do. Further, the U right after warps the sound of the i to say “mee di yum”. To “think to spell” you would say “me di um” with a space but when we put it together to read, the U changes our tongue.
For the uh sound of O, that is also rather new (in the scheme of English). Similar to “come” that evolved from “cometh” the O used to say it’s first sound. Now our mouth relaxes and says UH (in linguistics this is called a schwa).
In short, to teach the phonograms, stick to the sounds on the cards. To teach the words, point out that we “think to spell” and then “think to read” slightly differently. I actually teach my fourth graders some of the language history when they ask why there are weird spellings. We get to nerd out on liguistics and have a blast!
Hi Janelle,
Thank you for your insights in using this program. It has been a great fit for our family. I used your phonogram progress chart last year and this year would like to use it again. The link is not working. Is it possible I could get an email version or new link for that? Thanks!
I’ve been trying to find out online why Wanda says that i only has two sounds. It’s difficult to explain this to students because I know there are THREE sounds. Why does her card say two sounds??
You bring up a great question and one that many, including myself, have had. There was an article floating around online that explained Wanda’s reasoning for this but I cannot locate it anymore. There is a SWR support group on Facebook and I believe this question has been asked and answered there. Here is a link to the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SWRSupport
Thank you so much for all your wisdom shared here.
I have a quick question. It seems you are teaching multiple children, and in your reply earlier to someone else, you explained your weekly time commitment.
I have five kids now in school. I’ve been trying to use this curriculum for the past two years, but still struggle with how to teach different levels of students simultaneously. Do you start your students together each year and allow older ones to move more rapidly through the lists? Do you just introduce lists to each child individually? I understand the system and I am willing to make the time commitment. I just am uncertain how best to use our time each week so we can maximize benefit since I’m teaching 5 students Kindergarten to 6th grade?
I would appreciate any insight you have into this. Thank you again!
Here are two things that I did to help me juggle teaching SWR with multiple kids. First, I tried to group at least 2 kids together in each list that I taught so that I was only teaching a few different SWR lessons a day. Kindergarteners usually need to be taught individually but the other kids could be grouped together in 2 groups. Secondly, I did the phonogram review with all my kids together. Hope that helps.
Hello everyone! I am a single Christian mother from Jamaica. A mother of one child. I have been on the journey of homeschooling and by God’s grace I have been sourcing books to help to understand how I can better teach my child not only teach her, but in a way which Godcan approve. (It has been a journey). Someone has introduced the SWR books to me and I have been trying by God’s grace to get a hold on these books. Been seeking on Amazon if there’s any possibility of getting any of the resources USED where I can get it at a lower cost since I am not able to purchase them at the regular cost. (Or if it is a case wherein there’s anyone who has these resources and would by God’s grace want to donate them to us we would GREATLY appreciate.)
Hi Janelle,
I first heard about this program by your videos on youtube a couple of years ago.
I am wondering where the Spell to Write and Read materials are currently available from? Are some already out of print? I purchased the Core kit and one each of the Primary and Black Learning Logs from Christian Book over a year ago. Now I can’t find where to purchase more. It’s even more difficult since I am in Australia and shipping internationaly is so expensive these days. Christian Book has fairly reasonable pricing and shipping but now I can’t get the Spell to Write and Read materials from there. Although complicated to understand and get started with, the program seems to be just what I was looking for and I am planning to teach my twins to read in 2023 but now can’t find any learning logs available. If they are out of print do we need to create our own from scratch now?
Thank you so much for your encouraging and helpful videos and resources.
Hi Emily,
Here is the official website for SWR: https://www.bhibooks.net/home.html They have the logbooks but shipping costs may be an issue for you. When I first started with SWR, I made my own logbooks following the samples they had in the book. This might be a good option for you to save money (although it takes a little more time).