Curriculum Review: Apples Daily Spelling Drills
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Apples Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students is a Bible-based daily spelling drill for middle and high school students who need basic review. We started using Apples last year. This year, I began to notice improvements in Brianna’s spelling. We use Spelling Power, so we do a pre-test on Monday. I began to notice that she was really thinking about the spelling rules as she was spelling the words.
It wasn’t until one day last week that I put two and two together. When I realized that it was Apples that was making the difference, I asked her about it. She got that deer-in-the-headlights look. I could see the wheels turning. If she said yes, would that mean more spelling drills? However, she finally conceded defeat and admitted that she, too, thought it was Apples that was making the difference.
Needless to say, the answer to her question was “yes,” too. I will be buying book two once she finishes with book one. Poor kid.
Apples takes kids through the basic spelling rules that they may not have quite gotten the first time and it takes only ten minutes or less a day. It offers built-in review and can be used with your current spelling or language arts program. It simply focuses on the rules and does not contain any additional spelling lists.
The spelling rules are practiced with Bible verses and sentences. Because it is heavy in Scripture use, if you’re looking for a secular spelling program, Apples isn’t for you. Although we are Christian and the use of Scripture verses doesn’t bother us, I’ll admit that this is one aspect of the program that sometimes annoys me. Different Bible translations often result in some confusion over the word that should be used. However, overall, we have been extremely pleased with Apples Daily Drills.
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Thanks for the recommendation. I have wondered about that program. I like that it reviews the spelling rules because my dd isn’t remembering them.
Thanks for the review! We just started using Sequential Spelling and have been pretty pleased for my 2nd grader, but it’s a little easy for my 4th grader. I need to add something a little extra.
hi – would you use this over All About Spelling? we have done no formalized phonics, and so i’m debating as to whether to do something like this, All About Spelling, or keep muddling through with nothing at all. and i don’t know any of the rules for spelling or phonics either, as i never needed phonics, yet am a good speller…. thoughts?
thanks!
It would really depend upon the age of the child. Apples is more for older kids who never got a good foundation with spelling rules, but I’m going through AAS with my 11 and 13 year old now. We started a couple of years ago, though.