Unless it comes naturally, learning to spell well comes from seeing /reading the word in text that engages the student, as well writing it. Breaking it down with phonetic clues or games works well - this program has it all.

The exercises are never too long. It all starts with a practice quiz for student to gauge the rest of his study and focus. The final exercise has the student writing a short paragraph using some of the words he has learned to spell with a 20 word spelling test to follow. Wish the workbook could be laid completely flat but it comes close.

I bought this workbook for my DS, who has moved through it with no issues and I have no complaints. The lessons are simple and straightforward, giving the student vocabulary practice as well. I love that there is a dictionary in the back so he doesn't have to drag out the big one. We purchased one grade level ahead, as he started reading and spelling early, and I'm glad we did. I saw no reason to purchase the teacher edition of this, although in higher grade levels, it might be handy to have the answers available.

Spelling workout offers fun work pages to practice spelling words without too much drill. It teaches phonics and spelling rules as well. I keep a spelling notebook along with it to review common mistakes and misspellings. I'm pleased that this program takes very little of my time and the kids enjoy it.

Purchased this for my DD11 who is a natural speller and actually likes workbooks. She never complains about doing spelling lessons and I don't have to put forth much effort on my part to check over her lessons. I really thought she would eventually find it boring since the activities seem repetitious (to me), but I guess she likes the predictable nature of the lessons and activities. With that in mind, I will be ordering the next level soon. :)

By the way, I did purchase the Teacher's Edition and glad I did. I don't want to put too much brain power toward one subject when I have other children to supervise. It will be well worth it since I have other children who will likely use this program.

This spelling book is very basic, but it gets the job done. It works really well for children who need a week to learn new words.