Level D - Americana

Over the years I have been frustrated by most of the Spelling You See reviews and videos out there!

More often than not, they skip portions of the program (like chunking or reading back passages), focus on the wrong things (like handwriting), or claim it can be used as an independent subject (wrong!).

So today I’m sharing a thorough review of Spelling You See Level D - Americana

Hopefully this review better represents the curriculum as it was intended to be used.

Overview

Author: Dr. Karen Holinga

Publisher: Demme Learning

Grade Level: Late elementary

This curriculum is skill-based, not age based, so be sure. to refer to SYS’s placement test for more info

Length: 36 Weeks, Daily Lessons (A-E)

Time Frame: Daily lessons average 15-20 minutes

Price: $53 Universal Set (currently)

Includes Part I & II Student Workbooks, Instructor’s Handbook, & Erasable Colored Pencils

Activities Covered in Each Lesson:

• Reading

• Chunking (identifying irregular letter patterns)

• Copywork

• Dictation

Check Out my Full Video Review

Includes:

• A Full Flip Through

• What Makes Spelling You See Different?

• Sample DITL Lesson with my daughter

What Makes This Spelling Program Different?

Spend just a few minutes researching Spelling You See and you’ll quickly see it is different from any other Spelling curriculum out there. 

• No spelling words or lists to memorize

• No drills or tests

• Open & go (no prep work or planning necessary)

• Charlotte Mason / Classical feel - short lessons, focused on copywork & dictation

Pros

There are so many reasons we love Spelling You See, so let’s start with the PROS:

It is Open & Go - no teacher/parent prep work!

Short & focused lessons that don’t take up long portions of your day.

Spelling You See is skill based, not age or grade level based, which decreases the temptation of grade level pressure (No more hearing “Why am I doing the Level 3 Book when I’m in 5th grade Mom?”). 

Truly less stress and pressure!The instructor’s manual encourages you to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a calm and relaxed atmosphere for teaching and learning. No stressful testing days full of anxiety.

Spelling You See is encouragement based. When grading/reviewing your child’s work, you don’t mark incorrect words with a red pen or scold them for bad handwriting. Instead you count up the words they spelled correctly and celebrate their accomplishment and improvement!

It is a program full of positive reinforcement - setting your child up for success and building their confidence. 

CONS

Now as much as we love Spelling You See, I have to be honest. There are some CONS too:

Cost - $53 feels a little pricey for a spelling curriculum. In years past I have stretched some levels to cover 1 ½ - 2 years.

Binding - The workbooks are bound like a book, which makes it difficult to lay the pages flat (making handwriting difficult sometimes). We solved this by having our workbooks cut and spiral bound at our local office supply store. 

Dictation lessons suggest the option of using a timer for some lessons. This can be frustrating for some kids (if so - skip it!).

Since Spelling You See is so unique and different than traditional spelling programs, It can be difficult judge if your child is making progress. The instructor’s manual gives these helps:

• The goal is progress, not perfection!

• Check to see if your child is increasing the number of words they spell correctly each week. 

• Are you seeing spelling improvement in other subject areas?

• It is a long process to make spelling automatic.

Bonus

If you are a fan of Handwriting Without Tears, Spelling You See is a perfect pairing! It utilizes a two lined handwriting guide just like Handwriting Without Tears (rather than 2 solid lines with a dashed line in the middle).

How We Use Curriculum

I have used Level D in my homeschool ranging with kids ranging in age/skill from grades 3-5. 

We typically use Spelling You See 4-5 days per week for around 20 minutes each day.

On four day school weeks we usually skip lesson C. We try our best to never skip a dictation day!

The instructor’s manual is essential to using Spelling You See. I always keep it close by! Be sure to read it from cover to cover. It will help you implement Spelling You See strategies and focus on the right things as you work through the program. 

Check out the video above to see Level D in action in our homeschool. Follow along in our day in the life spelling block, as Leah and I demo a lesson and share more details.

What My Kids Say about the program…

“I like chunking because there’s all types of different colors. I like it because it really helps me in spelling.”

“I like to do SYS with my siblings”

“My favorite SYS Levels have been about history (D) and animals (c)”

Final Thoughts

At this point, we have used every level of Spelling You See (A-G).

Level D is one of my kids’ favorites. I especially love the history facts! Overall spelling is a subject that my kids enjoy. It doesn’t stress them out or cause anxiety. 

Even though it can be difficult to judge a child’s progress from time to time, I have found that you just have to trust the SYS process! The strategies and methods of this program really do work!

I would definitely recommend this curriculum, especially if you are looking for a non-traditional spelling method, with a Charlotte Mason flare!

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