Wordy Qwerty

 

• Reading and Spelling Software from Talking Fingers
• Designed for 2nd & 3rd grade ages 7-9
• Helps develop reading and writing fluency
• 20 lessons

     In 20 consecutive lessons Wordy Qwerty presents 20 different spelling rules and puts those rules into practice.  There are six activities within each lesson. Each lesson introduces a song for help in remembering the spelling rule. The lessons teach how to recognize frequently repeated patterns in words. Two keyboards, Qwerty and Midi, guide students through the lessons. The goal is to help Midi build a music machine. With each lesson the machine is slowly being built.

ClarkClan Thoughts and Opinions

     Wordy Qwerty is presented by Talking Fingers. Earlier this year we reviewed a program called Read, Write and Type by this same company. (To read that review click here.)  Ben (9) and Rebekah (7) both loved Read, Write and Type and were very excited to learn that we were going to review Wordy Qwerty. So, needless to say, they went into the review period a little biased towards the program. They were not disappointed. They both really enjoyed it.

      Ben finished the 20 lessons within the review period which was about a month and a half long. This did not surprise me as Ben reads well above grade level and is a phenomenal speller.  He liked the program and he also liked being able to put spelling rules to words.  While Ben academically did not need the spelling or reading help using Wordy Qwerty helped him brush up on his typing skills.

     Rebekah is through lesson 16 on Wordy Qwerty. She has been a great subject for this review because although she reads well, her spelling leaves something to be desired.  The next few pictures are a sampling of activities from Rebekah’s log-in to help guide you through a portion of a lesson.

 

This is the Home Screen that shows what lessons have been completed.

 

 

This is the song page. You will hear the song being sung and can follow along reading the lyrics. Then you can click on the microphone and sing the song yourself karaoke style.

 

This is the Recycler game that helps teach the difference between real and nonsense words.

 

This is the writing portion. A two line rhyme is read and shown on the screen. Then only the first line is shown and the second has to be typed in from memory. The rhyme can be repeated as often as needed.

This is Midi’s music machine that is being made as each lesson is completed. At the end of each lesson you can see more of the machine as it is coming together.

     There are six activities for each lesson. They are presented in the same order for each lesson.  The activities are:

1. Patterns
2. Karaoke
3. Recycler
4. Pop-a-Word
5. Write stories
6. Read stories

    The lessons are being “graded” that the parent can look at and monitor how their child is doing. The student does not see a grade or even how much was missed.  I was a little remiss at the beginning of this program and didn’t check for about 5 lessons. When I did I found that Ben had a 100% as I would expect, but that Rebekah was much worse.  Since the program has a pre-set 70% pass rate, I did a little research to find out why it let Rebekah continue even though she did not meet this standard for most of the lessons.  What I found out was that while the first time a student does not pass, he has to repeat the lesson, subsequent times will allow the child to move ahead. This is done so that there is no discouragement with the program. I also discovered that any lesson can be done again and again for extra practice.  This is what I did with Rebekah, I would have her go back and listen to the songs again and play a few of the activities in each lesson.

     I would recommend the Wordy Qwerty program as a spelling supplement. My true test subject for this, Rebekah, is starting to spell a bit better. It is not a miraculous turn around, but I hear her singing a rule every now and then when she is writing.  My plan is to continue to have her go through the lessons and then review the ones she is having trouble with.

      Talking Fingers has provided a sample of their Wordy Qwerty program. Click on this link to access lesson one from the program.

Pricing

    Wordy Qwerty is available from the Talking Fingers website. It is available in two formats

You can buy an online edition with a 5 year license that also includes an audio cd of the 20 songs in the program.

• $25.00 for one user
• $40.00 for two users
• $52.50 for three users
• $60.00 for four users
• $71.25 for five users

The Home Edition is $35.00 and includes the program CD, program guide, and JingleSpells,a cd of all 20 songs contained in Wordy Qwerty.

     Want to read more reviews of the Wordy Qwerty program. Visit the Crew Blog to find many reviews of this product.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received  Wordy Qwerty online version for free from Talking Fingers in exchange for my honest review of their product.