Vocab Loco is the primary vocabulary and spelling program for grades 3–5, growing both word meaning and accurate spelling through short, interactive lessons. Your child works grade-level word sets one lesson at a time, flashcards, matching and spelling activities, then graded tests that prove mastery. Words they pass move into a Banked Words list, where spaced review sessions lock them into lasting memory.
How to log in
Apps in TimeBack log in automatically as standard. If the automatic login doesn't work, follow the steps below.
You can sign in with a username and password if the auto-sign-in doesn't work. TimeBack shows the credentials right before the app opens, ready to copy and paste.
Open TimeBack: Sign in to TimeBack with your child's student email and find the “Vocabulary - Vocab Loco” course on your “Home.”
Click Jump In: Open the "Vocabulary - Vocab Loco" course and click Jump In. Your child's VocabLoco username and password appear just before the app launches; copy them.
Sign in to Vocab Loco: You will be auto-logged in. If you are not, paste copied credentials into the VocabLoco login page.
Start with Flashcards (Learn It): Vocab Loco opens on the dashboard of grade-level word sets. Open Lesson 1 of either set and begin with Flashcards (Learn It).
How a lesson works
Vocab Loco opens on a dashboard of word sets (word lists) for your child's grade; everyone starts in the Grade 3 lists. There are two sets: Vocabulary Words (rich word meanings) and Spelling Words (tricky, commonly misspelled words).
Either set is fine to begin with, but lessons within a set are completed in order. Open Lesson 1 and start with Flashcards (Learn It), then work through the rest of the activities.
A lesson has up to seven activities: Flashcards, Match Definitions to Words, Spell & Learn (typing words from audio), a Spelling Quiz, a Practice Spelling Test, the graded Spelling Test, and the graded Vocabulary Test.
To advance, your child must pass both the Spelling Test and the Vocabulary Test with at least 80%; any test below 80% is retaken until it passes.
Each activity or test completed at 80%+ earns 5 XP, and any activity can be replayed for review (once it's passed, there's no “Start” button; just click the activity's picture to open it again).
How XP works
Your child earns 5 XP for each activity or test completed at 80% accuracy or better, and the daily goal is 10 XP. In Banked Words, review tests pay half a point per correct answer; accuracy matters more than speed.
Two things worth knowing:
Replaying an activity in the same word set won't earn XP again (it's there for review),
The games page is off the learning path. Games don't earn XP and don't move your child forward.
Banked Words: how a word gets mastered
Passing a lesson moves its new words into the Banked Words list, learned, but not yet mastered. Mastery comes from spaced review: each banked word needs three review sessions (a 10-question test each) to be fully mastered. As your child reviews, every word climbs from Started Learning to Good Progress, then Almost Ready, and finally Mastered after the third session. Leaving a little time between review sessions is what makes the words stick.
What to aim for
The daily goal is 10 XP, a steady, manageable habit. Activities and tests pay 5 XP each at 80%+, and review tests in Banked Words pay half a point per correct answer, so accuracy matters more than speed. A grade is complete once every word set for that grade is finished in order, and all of its banked words reach Mastered; the full program is six sets per grade (three Vocabulary and three Spelling) across Grades 3, 4 and 5.
Habits that lead to success
Take your time with Flashcards (Learn It lesson) before the other activities, that's where each word is introduced.
Spell carefully on every spelling task; rushing is the most common reason mastery stalls.
Use “Match Definitions to Words” to lock in what each word means.
Leave some time between review sessions; spacing them out builds lasting memory.
Return to your Banked Words regularly so they keep climbing toward Mastered.
How to tell it's working
Your words moving into the Mastered list and a steady 10 XP a day are the clearest signs of progress. In TimeBack, the Learning Metrics rings show XP, time, and accuracy, updating within about five minutes of finishing a session. If mastery rates are low, it usually means rushing through activities or skipping review rather than a lack of ability; slowing down and coming back to Banked Words regularly brings it up.
Vocab Loco also awards coins for fun; they don't affect formal progress tracking.
Common Issues | FAQs
Where do I find my Vocab Loco username and password?
In TimeBack. Open the “Vocabulary - Vocab Loco” course from your “Home page,” click "Jump In," and the username and password appear; copy and paste them into the Vocab Loco login page.
Which word set (list) should my child start with?
Either one. Vocab Loco has two sets, Vocabulary Words and Spelling Words, and it doesn't matter which your child begins with. The only rule is that lessons within a set are completed in order, starting with Flashcards (Learn It).
My child finished a lesson, but the words aren't mastered yet
Passing a lesson moves its words into the Banked Words list as “learned,” but mastery takes three review sessions per word (a 10-question test each). Words climb from Started Learning to Good Progress to Almost Ready, and reach Mastered after the third session, so spacing the reviews out is what completes them.
My child finished an activity but didn't earn XP
Activities and tests pay 5 XP only when completed with at least 80% accuracy; below that, the test is retaken until it passes. Review tests in Banked Words pay half a point per correct answer. XP appears in TimeBack's Learning Metrics within about five minutes.
Can my child repeat an activity to review?
Yes, any activity can be replayed. However, once it's been passed at 80%, the “Start” button disappears; your child just clicks the activity's picture to open it again.
My child sees a "locked" game page.
Vocab Loco's games aren't part of your child's learning path, they don't earn XP and don't unlock as part of the program, so a "locked" message there is expected, not an error. All of your child's progress happens in the assigned word-set activities.