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Country Hills Academy
Explicit Phonics and Spelling Lessons Included:
WRTR – yes
SWR – yes for phonics lessons, but you need the WISE Guide for the spelling lessons
Riggs – yes
All include scripted examples on how to teach the phonics and spelling words to your children. This is very
important to learn to do this properly. All do a great job here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explicit Writing and Grammar Lessons Included:
WRTR – yes*
SWR – no**
Riggs – no***
*WRTR includes sample scripted lessons on how to teach these things to your children. It teaches the 3 main types
of compositions: narratives, informatives, and narrative-informatives and provides scripted examples on how to
teach them. Grammar is also covered in a sequential manner.
**SWR offers some opportunities for writing and use of basic grammar as optional enrichment exercises with the
spelling in the WISE Guide. Nothing extensive.
***Riggs does talk about writing and grammar, but again it is not logically introduced. I gave up on this program
before we got further into it. It’s possible that the the later level manuals, may have been better written to cover
these items in better sequence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explicit Reading Comprehension Lessons Included:
WRTR – yes
SWR – no
Riggs – no
WRTR is the only program that actually talks about how to teach reading comprehension. The others mention the
McCall-Harby and McCall-Crabbs reading comprehension books as does WRTR, but they don’t explain how to teach
the comprehension concept.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggested Literature List Included:
WRTR – yes
SWR – no (must be purchased separately)
Riggs – no
This is helpful to guide parents in appropriate literature selections by grade level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WRTR – yes
SWR – yes for phonics lessons, but you need the WISE Guide for the spelling lessons
Riggs – yes
All include scripted examples on how to teach the phonics and spelling words to your children. This is very
important to learn to do this properly. All do a great job here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explicit Writing and Grammar Lessons Included:
WRTR – yes*
SWR – no**
Riggs – no***
*WRTR includes sample scripted lessons on how to teach these things to your children. It teaches the 3 main types
of compositions: narratives, informatives, and narrative-informatives and provides scripted examples on how to
teach them. Grammar is also covered in a sequential manner.
**SWR offers some opportunities for writing and use of basic grammar as optional enrichment exercises with the
spelling in the WISE Guide. Nothing extensive.
***Riggs does talk about writing and grammar, but again it is not logically introduced. I gave up on this program
before we got further into it. It’s possible that the the later level manuals, may have been better written to cover
these items in better sequence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explicit Reading Comprehension Lessons Included:
WRTR – yes
SWR – no
Riggs – no
WRTR is the only program that actually talks about how to teach reading comprehension. The others mention the
McCall-Harby and McCall-Crabbs reading comprehension books as does WRTR, but they don’t explain how to teach
the comprehension concept.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggested Literature List Included:
WRTR – yes
SWR – no (must be purchased separately)
Riggs – no
This is helpful to guide parents in appropriate literature selections by grade level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teach Penmanship?
WRTR – yes (manuscript first)
SWR – yes (cursive first)
Riggs – yes (manuscript first)
All three do a wonderful job teaching penmanship. While WRTR and Riggs believe in teaching manuscript first (as
does my family), SWR stresses cursive first. But all three are flexible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teach Sentence Diagramming?
WRTR – no (Mrs. Spalding did not think it necessary)
SWR – briefly touches on as optional
Riggs – teaches as requirement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Thoughts
WRTR – This is my choice for use in teaching my children to spell and read. You can see why when you read our
Review. It is very thorough and explained well. WRTR also has its spelling words located in an appendix in
alphabetized form as well as by word list and each word marked with its proper part of speech. This is incredibly
helpful. To purchase the core program (including the spelling assessment manual) will cost you less than $100 and
will last you at least to 6th grade if not more.
SWR – There were several things I liked while reviewing this book. I really enjoyed the sections on “Assign Reading
in Books” and “Develop Vocabulary”. Also, I found the indepth explanation of each spelling rule very helpful. I also
like the many extra charts that are included, charts that go beyond spelling rules; e.g., homophone chart, parts of
speech chart. etc. This is something I had done on my own before, and it’s nice to see someone else thinks these a
good idea, too. While some think it’s nice that there are already sentences written out for you when teaching the
spelling words (in WISE Guide), I personally found many of the classic literature quotes to be too difficult for a
young child to understand. When I used those sentences with this program, my children were constantly saying,
“What does that mean?” Thus, I ended up making up my own sentences anyway. To purchase the core program
will cost you less than $100 and will last you at least to 6th grade if not more. I, however, would not purchase the
rule cards. I think the author was trying to come up with a cutsie way to remember all the rules, but some rules just
don’t have a cutsie solution. My children found them frustrating and hard to figure out (as did I). We shelved
those. Also, one has to keep in mind if they choose this program, they will have to be toggling between two manuals
constantly. SWR is the crux of the overall program, the WISE Guide contains the spelling lists and enrichment
activities.
Riggs – This is a tough one. While I think the Riggs manual has a lot of wonderful information included in it, it’s an
extremely frustrating read. And no fun to teach! Nothing appears logical in its presentation. And given the lack of
friendly, professional support, this is a program I would not recommend. Perhaps things have changed since I used
the program in 2000-2001; it’s hard to say. One side note, if you chose to go this way, your core program would
cost you over $100 AND you’d have to purchase a new manual every year at $89 a pop. That’s something else to
keep in mind.
~~~~~~~
Bottom Line: No matter which program you chose, you’ll produce a good speller and reader. It’s just that some are
more thorough in some areas than others and some are easier to use. Best of luck in your decision!
WRTR – yes (manuscript first)
SWR – yes (cursive first)
Riggs – yes (manuscript first)
All three do a wonderful job teaching penmanship. While WRTR and Riggs believe in teaching manuscript first (as
does my family), SWR stresses cursive first. But all three are flexible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teach Sentence Diagramming?
WRTR – no (Mrs. Spalding did not think it necessary)
SWR – briefly touches on as optional
Riggs – teaches as requirement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Thoughts
WRTR – This is my choice for use in teaching my children to spell and read. You can see why when you read our
Review. It is very thorough and explained well. WRTR also has its spelling words located in an appendix in
alphabetized form as well as by word list and each word marked with its proper part of speech. This is incredibly
helpful. To purchase the core program (including the spelling assessment manual) will cost you less than $100 and
will last you at least to 6th grade if not more.
SWR – There were several things I liked while reviewing this book. I really enjoyed the sections on “Assign Reading
in Books” and “Develop Vocabulary”. Also, I found the indepth explanation of each spelling rule very helpful. I also
like the many extra charts that are included, charts that go beyond spelling rules; e.g., homophone chart, parts of
speech chart. etc. This is something I had done on my own before, and it’s nice to see someone else thinks these a
good idea, too. While some think it’s nice that there are already sentences written out for you when teaching the
spelling words (in WISE Guide), I personally found many of the classic literature quotes to be too difficult for a
young child to understand. When I used those sentences with this program, my children were constantly saying,
“What does that mean?” Thus, I ended up making up my own sentences anyway. To purchase the core program
will cost you less than $100 and will last you at least to 6th grade if not more. I, however, would not purchase the
rule cards. I think the author was trying to come up with a cutsie way to remember all the rules, but some rules just
don’t have a cutsie solution. My children found them frustrating and hard to figure out (as did I). We shelved
those. Also, one has to keep in mind if they choose this program, they will have to be toggling between two manuals
constantly. SWR is the crux of the overall program, the WISE Guide contains the spelling lists and enrichment
activities.
Riggs – This is a tough one. While I think the Riggs manual has a lot of wonderful information included in it, it’s an
extremely frustrating read. And no fun to teach! Nothing appears logical in its presentation. And given the lack of
friendly, professional support, this is a program I would not recommend. Perhaps things have changed since I used
the program in 2000-2001; it’s hard to say. One side note, if you chose to go this way, your core program would
cost you over $100 AND you’d have to purchase a new manual every year at $89 a pop. That’s something else to
keep in mind.
~~~~~~~
Bottom Line: No matter which program you chose, you’ll produce a good speller and reader. It’s just that some are
more thorough in some areas than others and some are easier to use. Best of luck in your decision!
| Comparison of the Original Spalding WRTR and other similar products Cont'd |
| In an effort to provide a more detailed analysis of these programs for our many visitors, I did away with the brief comparison chart in favor of this very comprehensive 5-page comparison of these products based upon my own personal experience with each of the products. I know that not everyone will agree with my assessments, but please realize they are based on the real use of the programs with my family. I hope you will find these comparisons helpful. On the 2nd page, I have also provided links to other informative comparison information. |
