Nessy reading and spelling reviews: all you need to know

In this ultimate guide to Nessy, you’ll find out whether this reading and writing curriculum for students with special needs is the best fit for you.

There are many reading and writing curriculums designed for children with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. One of the best is Nessy – an educational publisher that offers multimedia computer programs, free resources, video content, and video games for children with special needs.

In this article, we’ll give you a thorough review of Nessy, including the Nessy Home Education Pack and the Nessy Approach to Learning.

What is Nessy?

The Nessy software package is a reading, spelling, and grammar curriculum specializing in early literacy. The Nessy Learning program uses cartoon-like imagery to motivate young struggling readers. Regardless of whether your child is attending a public school, a special needs education center, or you homeschool, Nessy can be very helpful.

There are 100 lessons that cover everything from spelling basics to more complex areas of study, like morphology and grammar. Learners can take advantage of programs such as phonics, spelling, math, writing, home education, language arts, the science of reading, and more.

Students can also use the Nessy Learning mobile app, where they can have fun learning and playing games like Dyslexia Quest and participate in the Nessy reading program.

How Nessy works

The Nessy progression of literature skills begins with phonological awareness and ends with comprehension. Learners will also master phonics, fluency, and vocabulary while learning spelling and morphology in the process.

There are four stages of the Nessy curriculum:

• Evaluation – The learner has to take the Nessy Challenge, which tests their reading and writing skills.
• Reporting – Teachers choose a Nessy program that’s appropriate for the child’s learning style. They follow the child’s progress throughout the entire curriculum.
• Individualized Approach – Each student learns through an individualized approach, which includes learning with videos, games, and worksheets.
• Rewards – Students are rewarded for their effort with nuggets, which can be traded for virtual trophies and games.

Key features of the Nessy learning program

One of the great things about Nessy is its focus on fun and engagement. The program uses gamification to make learning interactive and enjoyable for children. It features different games and activities that build and reinforce various literacy skills such as phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Nessy also includes a reward system that motivates children to keep learning, making it easier for them to stay engaged and progress at their own pace.

Decoding words is a crucial skill in developing reading proficiency, and Nessy understands this importance. That's why the program incorporates a unique and effective method called hairy phonics.

By using hairy phonics, children can easily decipher and understand words, helping them become confident readers. With Nessy's focus on decoding skills, children can enhance their reading abilities and unlock a world of knowledge and imagination.

To enhance the learning experience, Nessy offers a playlist of interactive games and exercises tailored to each child's specific needs. From practicing phonics to expanding vocabulary, the app store within Nessy provides a wide range of resources that cater to individual learning styles. This personalized approach ensures that children can engage with activities that resonate with them, maximizing their learning potential.

In addition to its engaging activities, Nessy understands the importance of curriculum alignment. The program includes comprehensive lesson plans and worksheets that meet state and national standards. By integrating these standards into the program, Nessy ensures that children not only have fun but also learn in a way that is consistent with educational requirements. Teachers and parents can rely on Nessy to provide a structured curriculum that promotes literacy development effectively.

To stay updated on the latest developments in the Nessy curriculum, you can visit their website at www.nessy.com or follow their Twitter handle. The website serves as a hub of information, offering program updates, additional resources, and user support. It's a valuable online resource for parents and educators, providing a central platform where they can access all the necessary information about Nessy and its features.

Setting up your Nessy account

Before you can start using Nessy, you need to create an account. The process is easy and straightforward. Here's how you can set up your Nessy account in no time.

Creating a parent or teacher account

To create a Nessy account, go to the Nessy website and click on the "Sign Up" button. You will be prompted to input your details, including your name, email, and password. After that, select whether you want to set up an account as a parent or a teacher based on your role.

If you are a parent, you can monitor your child's progress and customize their learning plan. If you are a teacher, you can create separate student profiles and track their progress individually or as a group.

Nessy also offers a free trial for parents and teachers to try out the program before committing to a subscription. This way, you can see if Nessy is the right fit for your child or students.

Adding students to your account

After creating an account, you can add students to your profile. To add a student, click on the "Add Student" button and fill out the required information such as name, gender, and date of birth.

You can also customize their profile picture to make it more personalized and engaging. Nessy also offers a feature where you can select a specific learning difficulty that your child or student may have, such as dyslexia or ADHD, and Nessy will tailor their learning plan to address those needs.

Adding multiple students to your account is easy and convenient. You can keep track of their progress and see which areas they need to focus on more. This way, you can provide targeted support and help them achieve their learning goals.

Customizing student profiles

Nessy allows you to customize student profiles to make them more appealing and interactive. You can upload images, select avatars, and personalize each student's learning plan based on their strengths and weaknesses. This way, students feel more connected and engaged with their learning, which can motivate them to continue to use the program.

Customizing student profiles also allows you to keep track of their progress and see which areas they excel in and which areas they may need more support in. Nessy offers a variety of learning games and activities that cater to different learning styles, so you can customize their learning plan to suit their needs.

All in all, setting up a Nessy account is easy and convenient. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, Nessy offers a variety of features that can help your child or students achieve their learning goals. With customizable student profiles, targeted learning plans, and engaging learning games, Nessy is a great tool to support learning and development.

The Nessy home education pack

The Nessy Home Education Pack is a 12-month subscription that starts at $154 a year. It’s a great tool for those who homeschool, as it’s tailored to improve the child’s progress at an appropriate pace.

It consists of the following programs:

Nessy reading & spelling – for learners aged 6 to 11

This spelling and reading program helps young children overcome their learning disabilities. Through fun and engaging exercises, the learners can work on their spelling skills, vocabulary, phonics, phonemic awareness, morphology, fluency, and reading comprehension. The learning program comes with printable worksheets, card games, and texts students can read aloud.

Nessy fingers – for learners aged 7 to 12

Nessy Fingers is a multi-sensory spelling program that helps learners improve their writing and spelling skills. Students can practice spelling from a list of words or even create their own exercises.

Writing beach – for learners aged 7 to 14

Writing Beach focuses on writing skills while giving students the opportunity to learn grammar and parts of speech in a way they can enjoy. Writing Beach comes with printable resources that are a great addition to the program.

You can buy each of the three program curriculums separately, but the Nessy Home Education Pack bundles them, so it will cost 20% less than subscribing to all three programs individually.

You can also install the Nessy Parent Pack, which includes Nessy Reading and Spelling, Nessy Numbers, Writing Beach, Dyslexia Quest, and Dyslexia Explained.

Implementing Nessy in the classroom or at home

Now that you have set up your Nessy account let's take a look at how you can implement it in the classroom or at home.

Integrating Nessy into your curriculum

You can integrate Nessy into your curriculum in different ways. If you're a teacher, you can use Nessy as part of your literacy program to support struggling students or as an enrichment activity for advanced learners. You can also assign Nessy activities as homework or use them as a center activity. At home, you can make Nessy a part of your child's daily routine, ensuring that they use it for a few minutes each day to build and reinforce their literacy skills.

Establishing a routine with Nessy

Establishing a routine with Nessy is key to ensuring that students get the most out of the program. Depending on your child's need, you can set up a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule to use Nessy.

However, it's important to keep sessions short and fun to prevent burnout. You can break down the sessions into smaller parts and allow your child to take breaks in between. You can also make it a family activity by playing Nessy games together, which can make learning more fun and exciting.

Encouraging student engagement and motivation

Nessy offers a lot of incentives and rewards to keep learners engaged. Celebrating successes and milestones is a great way to encourage student motivation and engagement. You can set up specific targets for your child to meet, such as earning a certain number of points or completing a certain amount of the program. When they meet these targets, you can reward them with a small prize or treat. This approach can make learning more fun and encourage students to keep working towards their goals.

Monitoring student progress and growth

Monitoring your child's progress is an essential part of using Nessy effectively. Here's how you can use Nessy's reporting features to track your child's performance:

Utilizing Nessy’s reporting features

Nessy comes with a variety of reports that can be used to track student progress and growth. The program generates progress reports, which show the student's overall progress, including which skills they have mastered and the areas in which they need improvement. You can also view detailed reports that show how long your child has spent on each activity and how they have performed in each activity. This information can help you identify areas of difficulty and adjust the learning plan accordingly.

Identifying areas for improvement

Identifying areas that your child needs to work on is key to ensuring their progress. Nessy provides detailed reports that can help you pinpoint areas of difficulty. Once you have identified these areas, you can adjust the learning plan to focus on those skills. You can also use Nessy's targeted exercises to reinforce these skills and help your child improve.

Celebrating successes and milestones

Celebrating successes and milestones is a great way to motivate your child and keep them engaged. Nessy generates certificates and badges that can be printed out and displayed. You can also celebrate with treats or rewards when your child reaches a particular milestone or target. Celebrating success can boost your child's confidence and encourage them to keep working hard towards their goals.

Is Nessy worth the money?

Struggling learners with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning disabilities can benefit from Nessy in many ways.

Nessy focuses on game-based learning. It offers different types of learning materials, from printable worksheets and flashcards to practice sheets and games. The games, interactive activities, and rewards motivate students to reach their goals.

You can use Nessy on Google Chrome or install the mobile app. You can use it on other browsers, but it works best on Chrome.

Students and parents use Nessy. Schools can also utilize the program.

One possible downside may be that while the interface looks easy enough, some parents have complained that their children found it hard to navigate.

The subscription may be too expensive for some, but you can sign up for a free trial. You can also use Nessy’s free learning resources that you can find on the website. Nessy even offers two e-books: “Dyslexia Explained” and “What I Need.”

If you’re not sure if Nessy is worth the money, you can sign up for the free trial and see for yourself.

Use Speechify text-to-speech to aid in reading development

Older students can use Speechify as an alternative to Nessy or as a complementary reading aid. Speechify is a text-to-speech (TTS) tool that converts written text into spoken language. It can be especially useful for students with learning disabilities who find reading challenging.

The easiest way to use Speechify is as a web browser extension. You can listen to it read aloud and follow along with the text. Speechify can also be used on mobile devices, including iPhones and Android phones.

Try Speechify for free today.

FAQs

Is Nessy a good program?

Nessy is a good learning program for young learners and students with learning disabilities. It has won the Educational Resources Award.

What is the Nessy secret word?

When you sign up for Nessy, you’ll receive a confirmation email that contains a “secret word.” You’ll need it to log into your account.

How do you complete a lesson with Nessy?

It depends on the lesson, but you usually have a challenge that you have to complete by following specific instructions.

Is Nessy based on Orton-Gillingham?

The Orton-Gillingham approach is designed to help dyslexic students overcome their literacy struggles, so it does inspire many of Nessy’s learning programs.

What is the subscription cost for Nessy?

Nessy subscriptions last for one year, but you can choose to pay a monthly subscription fee for the reading and spelling program. The cost depends on the number of programs you choose. The Nessy Home Education Pack costs $154 in total.

What is the difference between Nessy and other programs?

Nessy is a unique curriculum for students with special needs, so it’s not like most other learning programs. Nessy is an award-winning program that helps children all over the world who learn differently. Students benefit from Structured Literacy based on the Science of Reading.

Is Nessy a game?

Nessy isn’t a game in itself, but it offers a lot of game-based learning exercises that make learning fun for young students.

What age group is Nessy designed for?

It depends on the Nessy program. The Nessy Reading & Spelling program is for learners aged 6 to 11. Nessy Fingers is for learners aged 7 to 12 and Writing Beach is for learners aged 7 to 14.

What happens when you finish a Nessy course?

When a student completes a Nessy course, they receive a certificate.