You can be up and running with your class in a matter of minutes. You just need your list of students and their birthdates to complete your class roster. Users have reported the setup process averaged around 10 minutes.

Watch the short video below, an example of our tutorial videos, to see the process:

The diagnostic assessment launches automatically for each student on their first login. The time it takes to complete for each child varies, but it could be around 30 minutes. Progress is saved on that assessment, so you can break it into shorter sessions if you wish.

Spelling Safari's word lists were developed by combining several well-established spelling programs. This resulted in our word lists being the most comprehensive on the market.

Our system is not bound by the space on a piece of paper, and has moved beyond the antiquated approaches of traditional spelling, so it has capabilities that are not possible with other programs.

Lower elementary words are grouped by spelling pattern. Because we use more words per spelling pattern, children have the potential to discover a pattern on their own while getting quizzed on words at their level. Self-discovery is a more authentic and more powerful form of learning.

Students already know, on average, 66% of words at their level. Spelling Safari allows them to skip the words they already know. This allows them to be exposed to and move through many more words each learning cycle.

The end result is a customized list of words for each child, meeting their unique needs at their challenge level. They will find greater value in this more-relevant learning process. This sets each student up for greater success, building more confidence and allowing them to enjoy spelling more.

Based on analysis of 3,000+ students who have completed at least 3 cycles of the Spelling Safari program:

• Spelling Safari doubles student growth over traditional learning methods.

  • On average SS students progress a full grade level every 20 learning cycles.

  • The average SS student will complete 40 learning cycles in the typical 40 week school year.

  • As a result they will progress, on average, 2 grade levels worth of spelling in one school year.

• Spelling Safari focuses students on words they don’t already know.

  • Based on the results from more than 13,000 quizzes, our data shows that students already know 66% of words at their level during each cycle’s pre-test (Quiz).

  • Skipping the words they already know and focusing learning efforts on previously unknown words is critical to the faster pace of learning growth.

• Spelling Safari’s learning activities are highly effective at teaching how to spell previously unknown words.

  • The typical student completes more than 3 practice activities per cycle, focused on their customized spelling list.

  • As a result the average student scores an 84% on tests.

The traditional method of spelling where every student in the class receives the same list of words limits the learning potential of every child.

• Below-level students perform poorly and experience frustration because the words are too difficult and don't get reinforced at their reading and writing level. Because of this, the words they do learn are not retained.

• Above-level students already know most or all of the words from a common list, grow very little, and are bored.

• Every student is impacted by absences that create missed learning opportunities.

Even systems that place students into ability-based small groups are limited by the teacher's ability to prep and manage those groups. The educator has a lot more work and those students are still not reaching their full potential because each child's prior knowledge and needs are as unique as they are.

Spelling Safari addresses all of these issues with customized learning that is driven by the child's needs and automated for the educator, taking work off their plate.

All student users will need:

• a computer or tablet that has an internet connection

• headphones to listen to the words and sample sentences or a quiet place to work

Educators will need a device with internet access. A laptop, tablet, or desktop computer is ideal, but a phone could be used as well.

We use the term Cycle instead of weeks for the instructional process for two reasons:

1. Our process is not constrained by the typical school week schedule. Many users will likely continue with the traditional Monday-Friday approach, but you could run the program however it works best for you and your students.

2. Progress should inform the learning pathway, so the student results from one cycle feed into the next for each child. Any misspelled words carry over into the next list so that new learning gaps don't form. The teacher is free to run the steps of the cycle with their class whenever it best fits their class schedule.

Pro Tip: Running Spelling Safari on a 4-day cycle can increase student learning progress by up to 25%!

Yes, Spelling Safari includes a built-in review process designed to ensure long-term mastery.

After a student completes four learning cycles, the Review Rapids practice activity is unlocked. During Review Rapids, students are asked to spell words they previously spelled correctly in a test from four cycles earlier.

If a word is misspelled during review, it is automatically added to the student’s next word list for additional practice.

This review process ensures that students get more time with the words they need more practice with and reinforces retention over time, not just short-term memorization.

Our system is built upon flexibility, so you get to choose how our program best fits with your learning framework.

The average time for a student to complete a quiz (the pretest that builds their word list) is less than 15 minutes. A quiz may take up to around 30 minutes initially, but that time should decrease after a few cycles as students work into more challenging words. Practice activities are available all the time, so you can dedicate time for their completion or have students do them on their own.

If you choose to turn full automation on, you select the minimum number of practice activities that are required to be completed and a minimum score on the practice test to unlock each child's next test.

Tests should take less than 10 minutes.

If you're a classroom teacher, you can have your students complete the assessments in whole class or small group settings, such as with literacy stations. This again allows you to structure our program to make the best use of your class time with students.

Spelling Safari is designed to be easy to manage and save time for both parents and educators.

Our program takes less than 10 minutes to set up and get started.

The level of involvement depends on your chosen Automation settings:

Full Automation With full automation, students progress at their own pace with no requirements for you. Parents or teachers simply check in on student progress as needed, and our optional automated emails help keep you informed. This option is ideal for homeschool families and independent learners.

Partial Automation With partial automation, you only need to start tests during each learning cycle - just 2 clicks! The process is quick and simple while still allowing educators to oversee the testing experience. This option is well suited for classroom teachers who want to monitor testing for fairness.

No Automation With no automation enabled, you start both quizzes and tests during each cycle - just 4 clicks! It's still easy to manage and allows the most oversight of student assessments.

Click here learn more about our automation options.

No matter which option you choose, Spelling Safari is built to make spelling fast, simple, and stress-free for you while delivering a high-quality learning experience for your students.

Under the Support Tab, educators have access to 14 tutorial videos. Ten of those videos are tailored for teachers, breaking down each part of the Spelling Safari Cycle and detailing all of the features available. There are 4 videos that are made for a student audience so that educators can preview each activity with their class.

Users can also email support@spellingsafari.com with any issues or questions.

Check with your state first, as requirements may vary.

If your state uses ClassWallet:

1. Fill out the contact form here to request an invoice.

2. Check your email in the next 24-48 hours for an invoice from Stripe. The company listed will be Synapse Creations.

3. Complete the approval process per your state's requirements.

4. Complete payment through ClassWallet.

5. Email us at support@spellingsafari.com to request your code for subscription activation.

This link from ClassWallet has more details: https://classwallet.my.site.com/classwallet/s/article/How-to-pay-a-vendor

If your state uses Odyssey:

1. Log into your state's Odyssey portal. 2. Search for Spelling Safari.

3. Place an order for a homeschool subscription.

We'll follow up with directions to activate your subscription.

Many options may be available. Possibilities include:

• Building principals usually have a budget to purchase school needs.

• Your PTA/PTO organization may purchase it for you.

• School district or community grants may be available.

• Local businesses may be willing to donate to your classroom.

• If you have an Amazon wishlist, add a gift card that will cover the cost.

• Classroom parents (individually or as a group) may be willing to donate a subscription to you.

The best use for Spelling Safari as a tool for tutoring or supplemental learning would be in a flipped model.

When setting up your classroom, turn Automation On.

Have students work through the learning cycles independently, checking in on their progress occasionally or getting updates from our automated emails.

Use the Misspellings link in the Student Progress tab to guide instruction.