Build spelling skills with touch-typing
Touch-type Read and Spell (TTRS) is different from traditional typing programs in a few ways. The words in TTRS lessons are whole words instead of nonsense key combinations. This helps a user learn to spell as they learn to type. More importantly, the words on the screen are accompanied by audio which teaches a user to connect letters to sounds. This is important for learning to spell.
The main TTRS course follows a carefully structured curriculum of English phonics. Typing groups of similar words helps users internalize common spelling patterns. Typing drills build automaticity. Lessons proceed in a systematic and sequential way, beginning with short-vowel CVC words and progressing to long vowel words and more complex spelling rules.
In TTRS, accuracy is given priority over speed. If a mistake is made, a user is prompted to press the backspace key and correct it before moving on. This ensures only the correct spelling of a word is learned.
Additional features to support spelling:
Remember and Repeat
This is a setting that can be turned on during typing exercises. A word will disappear after it has been typed so it must be spelled again from memory.
Dictation exercises
Every fifth module in the course is a dictation exercise in which there are no visuals. Words and sentences must be spelled from audio alone.
Custom lessons
It's easy to create your own custom typing modules for spelling lists and to get more practice with hard-to-spell words.
Spelling tests, free writing, and reports
Users can take spelling tests at the start and end of levels to see how much progress they've made. Free writing sessions provide feedback on correct and incorrectly spelled words. It's also possible to receive reports on commonly misspelled words.
What's next?
Learn more about how TTRS is structured.
Learn about spelling assessments
Explore our free writing interface.
See how TTRS levels align with reading & spelling ages.