Need some motivation

[Joan]

HI Everyone,

 

I posted a couple months back about using the Barton reading system and how it can work with public school.  At the time we started Barton my daughter was in the tier 3 reading program.  We are now complete with level 2 except for a few small things to work on and getting ready to start level 3.  Took about 2 1/2 months to go thru those levels.  She has now tested out of the tier 3 reading group and is now in the tier 2 reading group.  I can see her reading has improved and I'm confident I have her going down the right path but she is still really struggling with spelling.

 

For words that she can sound out she is doing okay and when we review in spelling in level 2 she does very well because she can her all the sounds in the words.  However, when it comes to words that you can't sound out she struggles very much to remember how to spell words and often forgets within 30 minutes of correctly spelling a word.  I know that level 3 starts to teach the "rules" of spelling but worried that she won't be able to master the rules when it is very hard for her to remember how to spell simple sight words.

 

Also, any suggesstions for what seem like careless mistakes even on words she can sound out she often makes what seems like careless mistakes.  We stress for her to slow down and take her time but still seems like she rushes.

 

[MomatHWTK]

Me personally- I don't worry about spelling.  I mean I do cover spelling, but for at least two of my kids it is a skill area that greatly lags behind their reading ability.  I am OK with waiting and continuing to work with them.  I will add that for my oldest, time helped.  He spells better now than in the past.  For my middle son, Explode the Code online requires lots of repetitive spelling so he is learning the words through the program.  But, I don't think it has covered many sight words yet.  

 

How old is your child?  Has she been evaluated for LD's?  

 

You might print the spelling rules and have her use those as a guide.  I would also allow the child to keep a dictionary she creates on her own and look up any work she struggles with remembering.  That way she can visually and physically reinforce the correct spelling whenever she stumbles.  I'm not familiar with how Barton covers these issues.  

[Joan]

We suspect a learning disability but don't have the $'s to get a formal evaluation and my husband and I aren't on the same page as far as that goes.  We are trying to supplement however we can but spelling and writing are now definately lagging behind her reading.  She is finishing up first grade and will turn 7 over the summer.

[Lecka]

The simple sight words are much more difficult for my son than the words that follow a pattern.  

 

I have not used those levels of Barton.  

 

But, I have seen him do much better with pattern words, when he has learned a pattern, than with sight words. 

 

Also, look for progress in spelling beyond "right or wrong."  A word can be closer.  A pattern can be missed less often than it used to be.  Both of these are signs of progress.  Be aware that it is a harder task to spell in some tasks than it is when you are just working on spelling.  Overall ----- look for success in spelling, don't just look at "well this many are wrong."  

 

Little bits of progress count, too!

 

I think it is also kind-of normal for writing and spelling to lag behind, especially when it is sight words that do not follow a pattern. Those are some of the hardest words, even though they are short words.  It is counter-intuitive to me but it is what I have seen with my son.  

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Joan, Barton starts working on sight words in level 3.  The problem is that your daughter is having to do sight words before Barton is actually introducing them.  This can be very confusing.  The sight words will be addressed in level three.  If you go on to Level 3 and follow the instructions for introducing sight words, it should help.  It will take time, but even when the things it is asking you to do with her seem a little silly or a waste of time, I encourage you to try using those instructions and be consistent.  When I am not consistent, the kids stumble.  When I am consistent and go in small chunks with plenty of review (as Barton instructs) things go much better.

 

And I agree with Lecka, look for patterns in her errors and encourage any improvement, even if the word is technically not spelled correctly.  There is wrong but some parts are clicking and then there is way wrong and just guessing...

 

And although I realize that you don't have much choice, Barton recommends no formal writing instruction until after Level 4, so don't get discouraged about her writing skills right now.  She needs more of a foundation before any formal instruction is going to start really helping much.  

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I am more than willing to answer.  Honestly, one of the frustrating things about Barton is that it doesn't give you a direct tie in to the other levels in the TM.  DS's math program, Math in Focus, is great about showing me, in the teacher's manual, what concepts we are working on and how they tie in to previous and forthcoming levels.  It makes it easier to go back and target trouble areas at a lower level before moving forward, or jumping up a level if concepts are already grasped at the level we are at, but it also gives me a better picture of what we are striving for.  While I love the TM in Barton, I wish it had something that showed how all the levels tie together so you aren't wondering when each thing will be taught (like sight words :).  

 

Sorry this is so frustrating.  You are not alone.  It will get better.  Best wishes...

[OneStepAtATime]

And by the way, DD never could learn to spell correctly when taught through whole word recognition.  We wasted years and years just trying to rote memorize letter sequences or recognize the shape of a word.  The way the school she was attending taught spelling was a complete waste of time for DD.  She literally retained nothing from all the hours and hours, day upon day, week upon week, and year upon year that we drilled spelling.  And it honestly makes me sick to think of all that wasted time and how demoralized DD became because of it.  Doing something like Barton may take time, but hopefully it will be far more effective than rote memorization for your daughter.  Unfortunately, Barton is set up with a very different scope and sequence than traditional school material so they may not mesh well for the first few levels.  Things should smooth out eventually.  Level 9 and 10 are actually for High School prep.

 

Will you have access to Barton over the summer?  Is it someone at the school tutoring her right now or are you (sorry, I can't remember how it turned out)?   If you can work with her using Level 3 over the summer, or have a Barton trained tutor work with her over the summer using Level 3, that should help.  I also encourage you to buy the Spelling Success card games for Barton and play them with her (or see if the school will buy them and you just borrow them for the summer?).  See if you can get access (if you don't have it already) to the fluency and spelling drills/tests off the Barton website (accessible only by tutors).  Get them printed out from the school if the school is the one that has access.  You could work on those over the summer, too, so nothing is lost.  Just make certain you are trained in the Barton technique for reviewing these things so you don't confuse her.  Maybe you can borrow the TM and the DVD's...

 

Also, if you are the one tutoring her over the summer with Level 3, then you can really focus on the sight words and how they are introduced in Barton.  If you aren't, then I suggest you work with the tutor on the sight word lists, timing and scheduling and the Barton technique so that you can be practicing the sight words with her, too.

 

FWIW, Level 4 is a lot more challenging.  If she continues on to complete Level 4 she will really have been exposed to a large portion of the rules and sight words in our language.  As mentioned, sight words are continued in Level 4, along with more spelling rules, but it is a difficult level since you leap up exponentially from Level 3 in many ways (just like going from Level 1 to Level 2 is a adding a whole new layer of learning, and going from Level 2 to Level 3 adds in even more layers of learning, going from Level 3 to Level 4 adds even more layers of learning).  Whoever is tutoring her with Level 4 will need to be prepared to go fairly slowly and maybe repeat lessons.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

Work on the phonetically regular sight words and give her a list with rules for the rest, eventually she can learn the rules, 7 is still young. Here is how and why to teach the sight words phonetically and what rules they follow if they are not completely phonetically regular:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

It is normal for spelling remediation to lag reading remediation. I would do a some nonsense words with my game over the summer and do no outside reading over the summer, just work through words and word lists, this helps overcome the problems caused by sight words.

 

My free phonics game:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

[Lecka]

I have another thought -- can you ask at school for her to have different spelling lists?  

 

I have asked for various things for my son.... I have not gotten separate spelling for him, his teacher thought a) he was getting something out of it B) he would mind doing something different than other kids.  

 

However -- I have gotten other things for him.  

 

If she is in Tier 3 -- I think you are within your rights to ask to speak to her teacher, and if you want her moved out of sight words, they might do it.  They might even be happy you asked for it!  But it will depend.  

 

I honestly do not always agree with the sequence at school and sometimes guess what, I work on what I think is a priority at home, not just doing what school sends home.  Guess what -- it is not going to make them think I am a "bad parent" any more than they already do.  If your daughter is concerned for herself or wants to practice -- that is different, that was not my situation with my son.  But it is something to think about.  

 

Barton may be better for your daughter than the school program, it is possible.

 

But hopefully there are lots of good things about her school program.  If you can talk to her teacher maybe you can coordinate in some ways (using barton practice sheets or something) as she makes progress in Barton and probably things fit with school better.  

 

Imo -- with progress it gets easier to fit things with school.  Early on -- they are like -- maybe going to think it is a waste of time, they don't realize it is needed.  (I say this as someone who is very satisfied with my son's school and finds 95% of the people there to be intelligent, hard-working, knowlegable, and really wanting my son to do well..... they just do not see many kids who have his difficulties I guess.)