3rd Grade Teacher's Testimonial
“A while back, Carrie was excited to share with me her idea for a fun as well as educational new word making game that she designed and was developing. She told me all about how and why she thought the game would benefit students across a wide range of ages and asked for my feedback on the game since I was a mother as well as elementary teacher of more than 15 years with a master’s degree in reading instruction. I was immediately impressed by her creative idea and thought her game sounded not just entertaining but extremely valuable for students to improve their spelling as well as reading development.
Once Carrie had a prototype of the game, I was curious to try the game out. Carrie, myself and her daughters played the game on two separate occasions. I was delighted to find that I instantly enjoyed playing. It was quick paced, intelligent and engaging.
Carrie then asked me to try her clever game with my third grade class for a month to get feedback from myself and my students. I thought the best way for students to understand and feel comfortable with the game would be to first explain the rules and goal of the game and then play a few rounds as a whole class before playing in teams or individually. The students caught on and were hooked after just two rounds. I then paired them with a partner and I was pleasantly surprised to find that we played for much longer than I had expected. They all thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and speed off the game. We shared interesting and creative words and strategy after each round which helped build their interest and plan of action for the upcoming rounds.
In short, we played about a half an hour twice a week for about a month and the students would have loved to play for more time if it had been possible in our schedule. We played with small teams of students as well as on an individual basis. Students were able to pick their partners/teams some times and sometimes I would pair them with a partner based other spelling and/or reading levels. I found that no matter how I paired them, they enjoyed themselves. I think a key component of the likability of the game is that the rounds are short enough that the students do not lose interest. In addition, as the students played the game, they become more savvy in their ability to build word families and more complex words. I feel that all of my students grew as spellers as well as readers.
When I asked my students to give me their honest opinion of the game for my cousin, Carrie, there was not one negative comment. Believe me when I say, this is unique. I believe my students were comfortable enough in my classroom to let me know when they were discontent. I have asked for their opinions before and they were not shy to share their feelings whether good or not so good. Therefore, it is exciting to share that one of my students said, “I think Word Witt is fun, challenging and cool. It helps our spelling.” I believe this students described Word Witt concisely with that comment.
I look forward to starting my next year of teaching with Word Witt center stage. I am excited to watch my students grow and learn while they have fun doing so! Carrie has created a gem in Word Witt!
In conclusion. I am excited to start this next school year playing Word Witt from the get go. I know my students will not just benefit from the game but have a great time playing it. I highly recommend Word Witt and so did my third graders!”
–Jennifer J.
3rd Grade Teacher