Word Whizzer

Vocabulary is vital for speaking, reading, writing, thinking….. skills central to academic success. The Word Whizzer uses an approach supported by current research that ensures words are stored effectively enabling students to strengthen their oral language as a basis for successful literacy skills. In addition, this develops the skills vital for successful reading and spelling, reading comprehension and writing. The Word Whizzer is available as a board game, or, a computer program; perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard. The Word Whizzer comes with many photocopiable / printable resources, ready to go games ideas, review of recent research and much more! It is suitable for individual, small group or whole class work.

The Word Whizzer board game is available for £40.00 (plus P&P). For further details or to place your order, please email or visit the publisher's website.

The Word Whizzer computer program is available from £31.40. Discounts are available for the purchase of multiple programs. For further details or to place your order, please email or visit the publisher's website.

Word Whizzer has been shortlisted for an Award. Winners will be announced at the Education Show 17-19 March 2011, NEC, Birmingham

Sarah Purdie, Language Support Teacher, London, UK.
The Word Whizzer has been enthusiastically received by teachers and teaching assistants, who like the fact that it can be used both in a class, group or one to one context. I have used it around identified vocabulary and children like the concept of the spinner, rolling a dice and the fact it is colourful and has pictures. The 'Word Wheel' can be used for recording children’s answers, so a good extension to oral work. It works well with word banks available using symbol software, helping children to embed their learning and make the essential semantic and phonological links. This is new to many class teachers, in particular the concept of a phonological link, so the Word Whizzer helps to support good teaching practice in terms of vocabulary learning.

Sarah Mullan, Speech and Language Therapist, UK
The students find the Word Whizzer a fun and motivating way to learn new vocabulary and the skills to support them to retrieve a word. I have seen good progress in their vocabulary learning and retrieval skills through using the resource. I have also used the resource within a whole class setting, which worked really well and the teacher has since been using this as a way of pre-teaching vocabulary to her whole class.
I found the Word Whizzer extremely easy to use (I loved the Quick Start Guide!) and it was great to have something that I could take off my resource shelf that was ready to go and didn’t involve hours devising yet another vocabulary / word retrieval game. I continue to find the games ideas invaluable for my therapy sessions and even more so for parents and school staff to use.

Hilaire Lyon, Year Two Teacher, Western Australia
The Word Whizzer has been just fantastic. The whole class loves using it and it really helps me address the huge range of learning abilities and styles. It’s also taught me so much about all the different areas we need to consider when we look at learning new vocabulary. I think all schools should have them in their classrooms.

Training courses run periodically at various venues in the Leeds and London area. They are approximately an hour in length and include a discussion of the research and literature about teaching vocabulary, identify the most effective approach, and highlight the benefits for language and literacy development (for language impaired and 'typically developing' children). The Word Whizzer board game and computer program will be presented, with a demonstration / discussion of how it works. The Word Whizzer presentation has been well received by teachers, speech and language therapists and psychologists throughout Australia and the UK.

The Word Whizzer presentation has been well received by teachers, speech and language therapists and psychologists throughout Australia and the UK.

The Word Whizzer! presenter can travel to schools or clinic to present to groups of people, such as teachers or speech and language therapists. To register for a training course, for more information on training course dates or pricings please contact the publishers.