FeATURE | Seeing Stars® | SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing™ |
Program Focus | Symbol ImageryUsed to develop phonemic awareness, sight word memory, and spelling, students receive instruction to develop symbol imagery (visualization of the letters of words) and practice with activities that apply symbol imagery to reading and spelling. | Multi-Linguistic, Meta-Linguistic Word StudySpeech to print word study instruction is used to teach and develop phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, spelling, vocabulary, mental images of words, and automatic word recognition. Students engage in a variety of structured literacy and meta-cognitive activities to develop multi-linguistic skills, robust orthographic images of words, and meta-cognitive strategies. They also practice and apply word study knowledge, skills and strategies to spelling, reading, and writing. |
Instruction Model | Multi-Linguistic ModelArticulatory and auditory phonological awareness, and visual memory for letters are integrated across program levels. | 5-Block Multi-Linguistic Model
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Instruction Direction and Organization | Print to Speech Instruction is organized by number of sounds, moving from individual sounds and their corresponding letters or digraphs, to one syllable words (with progression from simple to more complex sound structures), to multi-syllable words. | Speech to PrintBeginning with sounds, the student receives repeated exposure to and discovers common and alternative allowable spellings for each phoneme. |
Instruction Entry Points | Pre-DeterminedEntry points are typically limited with the same instructional program and sequence for all; differentiation occurs in the pacing of presentation. | Prescribed
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Phonemic Awareness | IncludedSound manipulation activities are typically completed mentally during visualization of the written word; recommendation is given to combine Seeing Stars® with LiPS®, especially for students with severe weakness in phonemic awareness. | IncludedSpoken syllable and phoneme segmentation activities immediately connected with written letters are used to foster visual-auditory connections. |
Explicit Focus on Articulatory Feedback | Not IncludedFocus on sensory input from the mouth is provided in the companion LiPS® program (sold separately). | IncludedFocus on sensory input from the mouth is integrated throughout the program and across all grades as needed. |
Phoneme Discrimination & Identification | Not a Core ComponentSuggestions are provided for adding or incorporating the companion LiPS® program (sold separately). | Core ComponentExplicit phoneme discrimination and identification instruction, critical for struggling readers and writers and ELL students, is provided. |
Prosodic Awareness | Not Included | Included
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Phonics | Not a Core ComponentProgram does not explicitly nor systematically teach letter-sound correspondences; suggestions are provided for incorporating Seeing Stars® into an existing phonics program. | Core ComponentProgram explicitly and systematically develops sound-letter and letter-sound correspondences. SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing™can replace an existing phonics program. |
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules | Letter-Based Rules are TaughtThe instructor teaches letter-based rules using a set of print-based rules including “final e,” “two vowels go walking,” and “open vowels.” While some phonics rules are taught, the focus is on activating and integrating auditory, visual, and language systems. | Sound-Based and Letter-Based Rules are Actively Discovered by StudentLetter-based rules, those that have a limited number of exceptions, are introduced; focus is on activating and integrating the phonological, orthographic, semantic, morphological, and imaging processes. |
Syllable Divisions | Man-Made Conventions for Printed WordsPrint-based: Students are taught to divide syllables based on visual letter patterns (e.g., divide a word between double letters). | Biologically-Inherent Syllable Separations of Spoken LanguageSpeech-based: Students engage in direct mapping of spoken syllables to their corresponding letters; words are broken into syllables based on the natural syllable separations of spoken language. |
Semantics | IncludedSeparate vocabulary lessons for “star words” are provided within “Catch a Star®” workbooks. | Fully Integrated IntsructionVocabulary-building activities, including homophones and Tier 2 vocabulary, are built into the program across all grades. |
Morphology | Not a Core ComponentStudents practice imagery for a limited set of common affixes. | Core ComponentStudents are explicitly and systematically taught letter-meaning relationships of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots; they develop derivational vocabulary skills and apply morphological knowledge and strategies to reading and spelling. |
Spelling | Included
| Fully Integrated Intsruction
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Decoding | Included
| Fully Integrated Intsruction Pattern loaded sentences and stories are included for each targeted pattern, and 14 decoding strategies are explicitly taught and practiced to improve decoding skills. |
“Sight” Words | Taught Separately
| Integrated Instruction
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Nonsense Words | Integrated Instruction; Used for Imagery
| Integrated Instruction; Used for Problem Solving and Demonstration of Learning
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Multi-Modal | Analyze, Visualize, Say & Write
| Say & Write, Analyze, Evaluate
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Monitoring & Self-Correction | Core Component, Using PA and Images of Words
| Core Component, Using Sounds, Letters, Meanings, and Images of Words
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Oral Language Expression | Not a Core ComponentOral language expression activities not included. | Core component
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Motoric Writing Component | Air Writing, Finger Writing, Writing with a Pencil
| Writing with a Pencil
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Meta-Cognitive and Executive Function Components | Two Core Strategies Instruction typically emphasizes breaking printed words into syllables and then creating mental images of letter patterns. | 14 StrategiesInstruction emphasizes using multiple strategies—phonological, orthographic, semantic, morphological, and visualizing—to foster independent problem solving when spelling and reading unfamiliar words. |
Manipulatives | Included
| Used in Activities
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Small Group & Classroom Instruction | Activities can be adapted for group instruction; suggestions are provided for each activity. | Specific suggestions for group adaptation are provided for each activity. |
Materials | Materials include letter, syllable, and affix cards; syllable board; decoding workbooks; words and sentences and decodable and leveled-texts for target orthographic pattern. | Materials include word cards; plastic letter tiles; reproducible templates for activities; Home-Link activities; strategy stickers and labels; and pattern-loaded sentences and stories for reading and writing activities with target patterns. |
Cost | Seeing Stars ® Bundle: $774.90 + Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program LiPS®: $444.95; total cost = $1219.85 | SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing™ (complete core program): $349.00 |
Seeing Stars® and Catch a Star® are registered trademarks of Nanci Bell and LiPS® is a registered trademark of Lindamood Language & Literacy Consultants; none of these are affiliated with SPELL-Links to Reading & WritingTM or Learning By Design, Inc.
“I used Seeing Stars for many years because I knew how important the visual imagery piece is for our students, but found I had to supplement with other programs and activities to meet all of my students’ needs…then I found SPELL-Links…everything I need to address the entire process is here in one place! It's a powerful spelling, reading, word study program!"
Lynn Daughtry, Reading Specialist
Mt. Prospect, IL
Compare SPELL-Links™ with SEEING STars®
How does SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing compare with Seeing Stars®? We’re glad you asked!
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing has many features in common with Seeing Stars—symbol imagery, multi-linguistic, multi-modal—and its companion program Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing LiPS®—explicit focus on articulatory feedback, intensive work on development of phoneme awareness and phoneme discrimination.
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing also has a distinctive program methodology that provides numerous advantages for learners. These advantages are highlighted in the table below.
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