Spelling brings students together

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Fifth-graders and kindergartners at the SeDoMoCha School have the chance to work together through the SpellingCity computer program, with the older pupils not only getting to know their younger peers but also having the opportunity to be a teacher for the youngsters.

Photos courtesy of SeDoMoCha School

    COMPUTER BUDDIES — A group of Diane Robinson’s fifth-graders and kindergartners in Deborah Catell’s class at the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft have gotten together the last few Fridays to work on the SpellingCity program. The partnership between older and younger students has been enjoyable for all participants, with the youngsters also learning computer skills in addition to spelling lessons.

    “The last few Fridays we have had computer buddies get together,” kindergarten teacher Deborah Catell said about her students working with some of Diane Robinson’s grade 5 English/language arts pupils in 45-minute sessions. “They are helping my students get into a website called SpellingCity.”
    Catell explained SpellingCity, which the students can also access at home, has games designed to help users learn spelling words. “Her class helps us turn it on and log in and then how to shut the computer down,” she said, as these are new lessons for many of the kindergartners.
    Robinson said Catell approached her to see if some of the older students would be interested in heading over to the elementary side of the building, as the fifth-graders are already familiar with SpellingCity having used it since the start of the school year. “SpellingCity is a program that is used through the school to help students with spelling and vocabulary,” Robinson said.
    “It’s more than just a spelling program,” she added, saying students can learn definitions and see word patterns. SpellingCity users can also write sentences and, with headphones, hear their words read back to them. Robinson said SeDoMoCha has the premium program package in place to help students.
    “They are tremendous teachers in that role, they love it,” Robinson said about the fifth-graders’ work with the kindergarten students. “It’s remarkable to watch the ways they help.”