Megawords users...give me your opinions.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I am not currently using a formal spelling curriculum with my dd5th and dd6th. I have been trying to use words from their writings and readings however, for various reasons feel they do need to have something more structured. I do not want them to simply have lists to memorize. I want them to have the tools to be able to spell any word large or small; they need to know the rules.

 

I came across Megawords and wanted opinions on it. It looks good from the samples I saw but the reviews I read were kind of all over the place as to how people were using it. Some said they used it as spelling supplement, some said they used it for help with reading and used another curriculum for spelling and one review even said she used it for her ld child. So is it a complete spelling\vocab curriculum to use with children of average spelling abilities?

[rafiki]

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[Sunshine State Sue]

I have an average speller. Megawords is all we use. I would not consider it a complete vocabulary program. To me, the vocabulary is a bonus. Here's my review:

 

We completed Megawords 1, 2, and 3 in 5th grade, Megawords 4 and 5 in 6th grade, and Megawords 6 and part of 7 in 7th grade. Each book took 2-3 months to complete. We generally do 4-5 pages a week. He tested out of a lot of the reading, so we skipped a bunch in the early books.

 

Megawords 1 focuses on the different types of syllables and syllabication rules. Different types of syllables include:

- closed syllables have a short vowel sound and end in a consonant (ex. sub)

- open syllables end in a vowel, usually long (ex. re)

- silent-e syllables have a vowel followed by a consonant followed by an e which makes the preceding vowel long (ex. mune)

- etc.

 

Different syllabication rules show how to divide up words:

- VC/CV divide between the consonants (ex. puppet)

- V/CV divide after a long vowel (ex. human)

- VC/V divide divide after a closed vowel (ex. rapid)

- Etc

 

Megawords 2 focuses on prefixes and suffixes. It points out the meaning, many from Latin, of prefixes and even gives the Latin for some root words so that the students can figure out the meaning of different words (ex. transport = across+carry). It teaches the rules for adding suffixes (no change, double a consonant, drop the e, and y rule).

 

Megawords 3 focuses on the schwa sound, which is a vowel sound that sounds like the letter u in up. It can be made by any vowel. Ex. final, silent, animal.

 

Megawords 4 focuses on advanced suffixes.

 

Megawords 5 focuses on vowel variations.

 

Megawords 6 focuses on consonant variations.

 

Megawords 7 focuses on unaccented i and u and on advanced words that require the V/V syllabication rule.

 

Megawords 8 focuses on assimilated prefixes.

 

The books work on a list of words that are grouped together in some way. There are around 15 pages for each list that cover reading, spelling, and vocabulary. There is a variety of activities to help the student learn how to break up and read or spell or determine the meaning of the words in the list.

 

At the start of the book, the parent gives a pre-test which helps to determine which lists need attention for reading and/or spelling. This is nice because you can focus on the pages that your child needs work on and you can skip the pages that your child has already mastered. At the end of each list, you can test your child to determine if they have mastered the material or not. At the end of the book, the pre-test can be used as a post-test.

 

I have been happy with the Megawords series and plan to continue with it. I like the pre-test and post-test and the variety of activities. I like that it focuses on breaking the words apart into syllables and spelling the syllables. That is how I learned to spell, and I am a very good speller. It is easy to follow and it is not an overwhelming amount of work. My son has made steady progress in spelling. And, he is not a natural speller.

 

Here is my experience with testing. In FL, homeschooled children have to be evaluated once a year. My son took the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement in the middle of Megawords 2 (at fall 5th grade) and scored 4.8 grade level. He took it again 6 months after we completed Megawords 3 (fall 6th grade) and scored 6.1 grade level. In the middle of Megawords 5 (spring 6th grade), he took the ITBS and scored 8.6 grade level in spelling and 11.7 grade in vocabulary (possibly due to Latin tutor as well). In the middle of Megawords 6 (fall 7th grade), he took the KTEA and scored 9.7 grade level.

 

Sometimes, people ask if the teacher’s book is necessary. For me, it is completely worth it. It has the pre-test and post-test. It has which pages correspond to reading, spelling, and/or meaning which helps to streamline the work that needs to be done. It has some words that you have to dictate to the student for the odd worksheet. And, it has the answers to every page.

 

Sue

[Lori D.]

So is it a complete spelling\vocab curriculum to use with children of average spelling abilities?

 

 

Yes.

I know a number of families using Megawords very successfully as their sole spelling program.

 

Megawords is organized into "units", with each unit teaching several vowel patterns and syllabication rules, which help the student break the word into smaller "bites" to then apply the vowel patterns for more success in spelling. Megawords is also a great vocabulary tool for exposure/familiarity, as each unit has a list of close to a hundred words, many of middle school/high school level vocabulary -- though, I would not call it a stand-alone vocabulary program. All of the words are worked with in the workpages for that unit, and you then test the student on as many or as few of the starred (*) words -- usually about 25 words are starred -- from the unit list agreed upon at the beginning of the unit.

 

Much of Megawords is done solo by the student, with the parent only needed to give the end-of-unit test, and to dictate a list of syllables or words for 2-3 worksheets in the unit. Megawords takes about 10 minutes a day, doing 1-2 workpages a day.

 

We use Megawords in addition to a remedial individualized spelling for our as our 10th gr. struggling speller (starting in 6th grade), and it has greatly helped improve his spelling. But I can also see how it would be a great, simple stand-alone spelling/vocabulary program as well for grades 5 up through high school.

 

To see the table of contents and sample pages of all 8 workbooks, go to http://www.christianbook.com and type "Megawords" into the search box. BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited October 30, 2009 by Lori D.
edited for clarity

[Marie in Oh]

DS is in 6th and is an average to a bit below in spelling, dd, 5th grade is average to a bit above, and dd, 3rd grade is way above average, possibly not needing a program at all. It is a perfect fit for us. I like how it teaches sylabacation (sp???? :lol:). It is helping ds a ton as he is able to spell more complex words in his writing assignments. It is a bit spelling, a bit vocabulary, and a little bit of linguistics all wrapped into one program. I highly recommend it.

[DianeJM]

It's my intention to use Megawords as a complete spelling curriculum. I'm not using anything else with it -- well, except that I'm still going over the SWR phonograms for help with reading and spelling, and also for cursive handwriting which we are still working on (he has trouble with the physical act of writing, and handwriting has been delayed).

 

We started with Megawords 1 this fall. Ds doesn't spell very well, I read about this program and decided to try it. So I bought Megawords 1, 2, and 3 -- was hoping to get through 1 and 2 this school year, but still we are only finishing the first unit of book 1. (argh, going too slow!) He is enjoying doing the compound words. My hope is that going through it from the beginning will give him some confidence. He is willingly doing the pages. My problem is that I'm only having him do one page or one section of a page per day, and at that we don't get to spelling very often lately! I have got to ramp it up quite a bit to make more progress... [i thought this year was going to be better than the past few, and it started off that way, but I'm back to being highly distracted with other life stuff going on, thankfully not any terminal illnesses this time; I'm having trouble staying focused, I have to get back on the horse...]

 

I bought the teacher book, and I'm glad I did; it has dictation in it, which I wouldn't have known about had I not bought it. I may or may not use the tests, but most likely I will. I always get the teacher books, or almost always. I'm the kind of person who needs the help.

 

Well, here's another question for you Megawords ladies: How much (as in how many pages) do your dc do per day? And do you do it every day?

[lisabees]

DS13 is doing Level one. I am using it along with Spelling Through Morphographs - two different approaches for spelling. He is definitely looking at words differently - slowing down, reading or spelling chunks of words, trying to make sense of words and their meanings. I am grateful for that. We'll see what happens in the long run.

 

I do a lesson from STM and two pages in Megawords each day. I consider it part of our reading lesson.

[Lori D.]

I'm still going over the SWR phonograms for help with reading and spelling, and also for cursive handwriting which we are still working on (he has trouble with the physical act of writing, and handwriting has been delayed).

 

We started with Megawords 1 this fall. Ds doesn't spell very well, I... bought Megawords 1, 2, and 3 -- was hoping to get through 1 and 2 this school year, but still we are only finishing the first unit of book 1. (argh, going too slow!)... Well, here's another question for you Megawords ladies: How much (as in how many pages) do your dc do per day? And do you do it every day?

 

 

 

Especially if you are doing other Spelling things (SWR), one page per day four days a week of Megawords is plenty for a student who doesn't spell well. They need time to digest and internalize the Megawords vowel patterns and syllabication rules.

 

That's how much of Megawords per day/week we've done with our struggling speller, while also doing a remedial individualized spelling program. The first year we used Megawords (gr. 6), we got through book 1 and about 1/4 of book 2. Now in gr. 10, we're going a little quicker, and will probably comple one book and 1/2 of another.

 

Go at the speed your child is LEARNING at -- this is not a race. This is about taking the time to help your child master a subject area that does not come easily or quickly to your student. You can keep going with Megawords into high school as the word lists include lots of middle school/high school level words.

 

BEST of luck in your spelling journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[DianeJM]

Oh, that's actually a comfort to have you say that, Lori. My main problem (in life!) is self-discipline, so that's more what I mean by going too slow -- I have got to make school more of a priority even during the tough times.

I think the one page per day is a good pace for ds, so thanks for the encouragement!

[Lori D.]

My main problem (in life!) is self-discipline, so that's more what I mean by going too slow -- I have got to make school more of a priority even during the tough times.

 

 

I totally understand that! We found Megawords so gentle, that it was easy to take just 10 minutes to do 1 page a day. Maybe as filler when you still have some time right before lunch, or as a quick and easy thing to get back started with after a break in the day? BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[DianeJM]

I totally understand that! We found Megawords so gentle, that it was easy to take just 10 minutes to do 1 page a day. Maybe as filler when you still have some time right before lunch, or as a quick and easy thing to get back started with after a break in the day? BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

 

I agree it's gentle, and he only spends a few minutes a day. I try to sneak it in as "before school work" in the morning -- I send him to the school room while I'm finishing up in the kitchen or putting some laundry in. I have a few of these little short books for him to do during that time. In theory it works great.:D Right before or after lunch would work great too, yes, it would make a good warm-up for starting back in after a break.

 

Thanks so much.

Blessings!

[i.love.lucy]

Just wanted to thank you all for your very helpful reviews and encouragement of this program! Threads like this are why I love this forum!!:001_wub::D

[Sunshine State Sue]

How much (as in how many pages) do your dc do per day? And do you do it every day?

We did 2 pages per day 3x per week in 5th grade. In 6th-7th-8th, we do 1 page per day 4-5x per week, but we only work on it 2nd semester.

 

I agree with Lori to find the pace that works for you.

[carol]

I began using megawords this school year for my 7th grader;

nearing the end of book 1. Our intent was one unit per week;

but with co-ops and other activities it is closer to one unit

every 7-8 school days. It is definately helping with reading

as well as spelling. I make megawords #1 priority on our school

day. Currently 70% of all 9th graders read below grade level and

that will effect all other areas of school so this is important to

close any gaps now.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Thanks so much for all your replies. I've been trying really hard not to purchase curriculum we don't need but we really need this. I looked into creating my own using a list of the rules and creating a list of words to go with each rule.:confused: But since I am using the same level book with 2 children I thought I might be able to make 2 copies each level and then be able to use the books again with my other 3 dc when they are ready. (I have a large copier so I wouldn't have to pay for this other than the paper) Unless it has copyright that prevents this. :D I think this way it would only cost about $4 per child per level. Yeah, I think my time is worth more than that. Thanks for helping me make this decision.