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Is anyone here using Megawords for spelling?


lea1
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We are half way through AAS level 3 and we will probably go ahead and finish it.  But i happened to see something in one of my WTM forum searches about Megawords so I have been trying to find out more about it.  From looking at the 4th grade book, it looks as if it is covering a lot of stuff we have covered in AAS 3 or we will be covering soon.  It looks like it would be pretty simple to switch over to it but it would be nice to hear from people who are using it.  Most of the threads that come up when I search are on the older side so I wanted to see if anyone is still using it.  From what I have read, it can be a bit more independent than AAS?  Can anyone compare the two?

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I hVe used it and really liked it. Book 1 is for 4tb graders. I haven't used AAS so cNt compare there. It is pretty independent except maybe for the occational dictation. You can prob do it either way ... Independent or teach a lesson then give the wkbk pages.

 

I wish I could use this with my 4th grader this year but I don't think she is ready for it.... But I will use their assement first to check.

 

Another option is How to TeAch Spelling with the How to Spell wkbks.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Does anyone do any of the assessment stuff at the end of each unit like the writing components, reading/spelling skill check, word proficiency, passage comprehension and fluency. These take forever and not all that independent. Megawords...not completely independent. 

But how do you schedule it. Where do you stop for a session?

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I've never used AAS, but we used Megawords 1-8 years ago.  Here is my review:

 

We completed Megawords 1 through 8 in 5th through 8th grade.  We completed anywhere from 1.5 to 3 books per year.  Since we started a bit “behind†in 5th grade, we used Megawords the entire school year, but in 6th-8th grades, we only used it 2nd semester.  Each book took 2-3 months to complete.  We generally completed 4-5 pages a week.  He tested out of much 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.

 

Megawords was simple, painless, not-teacher intensive, and uniquely complaint-free.  I liked the pre-test and post-test and the variety of activities.  I liked 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 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.  Near the end of Megawords 7 (fall 8th grade), he took the KTEA and scored post high school.  After completing Megawords 8 at the end of 8th grade, he scored grade level 13+ in spelling and vocabulary on the ITBS.

 

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.

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We are only on lesson 3 in book one, so I can't speak speak too much about, and we also haven't used AAS. What I can say is my kids are loving it so far, and we are getting a lot more out of this approach than LOE, which both my boys loathed last year. It isn't completely independent and teacher books are necessary, at least for us. We are doing two pages a day.

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We used book 1 and most of book 2 after having done AAS 1-4.  We ended up dropping it because I could tell that none of it was sticking with my ds.  She'd do fine while working on the unit, but it still wasn't reflected over to her regular spelling.  One thing I think I could have done differently was skipping sections based on the pretest you give them.  I made her do everything, and I think she grew to dislike it from that.  I really can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it.  I really wanted to (so much so that I own up through book 5) but it just isn't a style that I could teach well (though there doesn't have to be much teaching) or my daughter learned well from.  (She doesn't sound things out well, so syllabication really doesn't help her, which is the focus of the series.  She adds all sorts of extra syllables where there shouldn't be.) We've switch to Apples and Pears and it's going much better.

 

As for your questions, definitely independent.  The pretest will help you place them and let you know what sections you can skip most of.

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We use it and I also discovered it on a WTMF search and took a chance on it. I don't have much to add to what Sue in St Pete said except that I think it's a strong program for natural spellers to bring out their potential. The reading/ fluency exercises are the key to the program IMO and I also think the TM is essential. *Some* of the exercises are tedious - but no more so than most spelling programs. In our house it gets done quickly and has improved my ds's sense of spelling and ability to "decode" a word. Personally I think it's fantastic for its simplicity. You can probably pick up a used one on HS classifieds for not too much to try it out.

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