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. TTRS also integrates support for high-frequency sight words, including exception words, to complement its phonics-based approach and provide a comprehensive learning experience.
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.
Level assessments, free writing, and reports
The TTRS level assessment system in Levels 2-24 allows you to evaluate a learner's spelling progress by comparing performance on a pretest (words preview) and posttest (words review) module made up of words that reflect the main spelling and phonics patterns taught in each level. You can also drill down into each spelling test result to see which words were spelled correctly and which need more work. Free writing sessions provide feedback on correct and incorrectly spelled words as well. It's possible to receive reports on commonly misspelled words too!
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.