Review: Horizons 2nd Grade Spelling & Vocabulary Set
Over the summer, we had the opportunity to review the Horizons 2nd Grade Spelling & Vocabulary Set from Alpha Omega Publications. Alpha Omega Publications generously sent us the 2nd grade Spelling and Vocabulary workbook, Teacher’s Guide, and Dictionary. This was our first experience with Horizons materials, and we loved it!
Spelling hasn’t been one of those subjects that we’ve focused on yet. As we enter 3rd grade, it’s definitely on the agenda! Vocabulary has just come naturally as Super D reads. So, I was excited for the opportunity to focus on both spelling and vocabulary.
The lessons are broken down into weeks, with one lesson per day, and one set of spelling and vocabulary words per week. The week begins with a pretest, so we can assess where our students are, and provide extra focus for the words that need more attention. Each week has 15 new spelling words, and 2 working words. Working words are commonly used nouns like the months of the year, or the days of the week.
The students have numerous opportunities throughout the week to interact with the words. I liked the variety of exercises given to the students. Each lesson is only 1 page long, so the kids stay engaged. Exercises include
* Notice patterns within words. For ex: tt (batter, butter, letter, cattle), bb (rubber, rabbit)
* Find spelling words in a paragraph.
* Put in alphabetical order
* Write a sentence about a Bible story
* Write sentences using the words
* Write a story about the picture
* Fill in the missing vowels For ex: M_nth (month), S_t (Sat), T_g (tug)
* Use a spelling word to replace a missing word
* Write a letter to God
and lots lots more!
The week concludes by doing a post-test on all the spelling words. The students can then do extra practice on any that they might have missed. The Horizons worksheets are fun and appealing to young students. The pages are colored, which adds even more interest.
The teacher’s guide gives step by step instructions for how to do each activity. It’s clearly laid out and easy to follow. Each day also offers extended activities to take students more in depth with each lesson.
I really like the Spelling and Vocabulary Dictionary. It serves as an introduction to an adult dictionary, with common words listed in alphabetical order. Each word has its phonetical spelling, part of speech, and at least one definition. It also uses the word in a sentence. The back of the dictionary includes pages where students can write in their working words, and any other words they’d like to save. The final part of the dictionary lists the cumulative word list for both grades 1 and 2 spelling.
I’ve been really happy with the Horizons 2nd Grade Spelling & Vocabulary Set from Alpha Omega Publications. We are going to continue to work through the material, and beef up Super D’s spelling and vocabulary skills.
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