two2homeschool Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I really don't know what to do about spelling- even after spending hours and hours reading posts, reviews, website descriptions! I have been using Sequential Spelling with my soon to be 8 yr old and it is not going well. We are on book 1 day 80 and his spelling went from good to worse. He is a fairly fast learner with most things and last year when we did dictation he did very well. With phonics I used Phonics Pathway and that went well because it usually answered his "why" questions. I thought SS would be a good fit because he is an auditory learner and picks up most things quickly. I thought he would be able to "see" it in his mind but he is once again getting hampered by the "why's". So I try to answer these with PP and ABC's and all their tricks, but this just doesn't seem to be working. I think he needs something more phonics based- I'm not sure. I *know* that I need a program that has more explanations-not just lists of words! I looked at Spelling Power but I don't think it will be a fit either because I think he would get frustrated with the grouping of words (as far as I can see they are grouped according to sound). I think he would find that frustrating because there are several ways to spell a sound and once again, there is no explanation as when to use one type of spelling or another. Also, I really think that he needs dictation to go with the spelling program. That was the other thing I don't like about SS. He might get the word correct in his list but later in his own writing he would get the word wrong. So I have been looking at Spelling Plus and it has word lists with explanations for the parent (ie: spelling rules that are helpful for that particular list). Then the child does dictation sentences that pertain to the particular list they are working on. It seems like a great combo, so has anyone tried it? Thanks so much, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland_Mom Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I'm interrested in this program, too. Anyone familiar with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I used SWR for a while, and while I REALLY like the rules and phonogram approach, we were getting into words that a 9 yo had no need to know, never used, and therefore, didn't retain. All that to say, I am using (and loving) the Spelling Plus dictation book along with the SWR rules, markings, etc. The Dictation book has all the spelling lists from the program in it. My dd is now learning words that she actually uses, and also learning them in sentences, which for some reason, helps her remember how to spell them much better. You could do the same thing with the ABC's book you have. Just look at the list, figure out and explain what rules apply, and go from there. I have never looked at anything but the Dictation Book though, so I hope someone here can tell you something about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karie Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 It's not a program many people use or are familiar with. I've used this as my only program for both my boys. They are in 2nd and 4th. The problem I noticed in the past was that they could spell the word correctly on the pretest, but then couldn't spell it correctly in context of a sentence. This program has really helped with that. I give them 20 words each week, and then do 15 dictation sentences over the course of 3 days (5 each day), and then they have the final test on Friday. I use only the word book and dictation book. The dictation book is nice so I don't have to come up with so many sentences on my own. It's not a program like Spelling Power that goes on for a long time. We will finish this up this year with my 4th grader. I add in a lot of personal words, too, so that half his words are from the book, and half come from words he's misspelled in writing, etc. It takes about 5 minutes of my time each day with each child to do this spelling. I also give them their words each week and they have to study them. I don't think they learn their words just by writing them a few times-it takes work to remember some of these words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frelle Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 we use spelling plus and dictation plus, and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Well to answer the why's, you're going to need to first get SWR or WRTR and learn the phonograms, learn the rules, and learn how to apply them to words. Once you do that, then you could do Spelling Plus. Haven't used Spelling Plus yet myself, but I've looked over it and like it quite a bit. Right now we're on baby break, waiting, waiting, so we're just doing spelling on computer. Normally though, dictation is what my dd does best with. I finally changed how we use SWR to dictating the sentences for the word lists, and that's been great. However I also like the practicality of the words and the spiral review built into the sentences for Spelling Plus. The other thing I could see happening is that a dc who really wants to know the why's and is that driven is probably already a very good speller or is going to want more advanced words. He may test out of Spelling Plus (which doesn't actually go that high, the real reason I didn't buy it last spring at the convention when I was looking over it). SWR and WRTR are going to go much farther, and SWR has more words, along with very challenging sentences to dictate, than WRTR. So I suggest you get WRTR from the library, read it to see the basic method, and then decide whether you'd like to use WRTR or SWR or Spelling Plus. If he's beyond a 6th grade level on spelling, you'll need WRTR/SWR. The words in Spelling Plus tend to be more useful, interesting, and age-appropriate, but they may not scratch his itch. It just really depends on the kid, kwim? And I think you'll find the explanations in SWR/WRTR more thorough and satisfying for him than those of Spelling Plus. Once you've learned how to explain words with WRTR/SWR, then you can carry that over to Spelling Plus, no problem, if you prefer those word lists or the spiraling of the sentences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland_Mom Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I have the Spelling Plus book, but it sounds like the Dictation Resource book is the missing link I need! Thanks for the input everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Not sure if anybody mentioned this, but the sentences "spiral," meaning you will continually review a word once it is introduced. Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I am using Spelling Plus with great success with my 8yo dd. Be sure to get the dictation book that goes along with it. Another book I am using from Susan's series is the "Homophones" book - very simple fill in the blank sentences that help tell the difference between homophones - for example "be" and "bee"; "whether" and "weather"; etc. ~D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two2homeschool Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 I wrote the orginal post a while ago and since then went ahead and bought Spelling Plus- and I LOVE it! It is easy to use, gets the job done without taking up a lot of time, and has "notes to the teacher" that petains to each list. For example: Happened-because the e in -ed is not pronounced, this word may be misspelled happend". It has other spelling rules under "notes to teachers" that may help you as well and they are on the same page as the spelling list you are working on so you don't have to flip back and forthe. It also has a page where it lists spelling rules and spelling guidelines, so you do have it in one place (instead of only on the spelling list pages)-hope that makes sense. I would definetly use the Dictation Book as well. I think you only really get an idea whether or not the child can actually spell the word when they are writing it in sentence form. The dictation sentences are all numbered so that if you are working on a particular list you can easily find a sentence (or paragraphy as you get further along) that has the words you are working on in it. The only thing that I wish is that I had bought the homophone book as well! Good luck, Trish in Ontario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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