Thoughts on spelling u see

[lulalu]

Thoughts on spelling u see?

[Butter]

We love it.  We've tried so incredibly many spelling curricula and SYS is the only one that has translated to improved spelling outside of the subject of spelling.  I reviewed it on my blog about a year and a half ago.  https://thefamilywho.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/spelling-you-see-review/  We're still using it and will continue with it next year.

[Jame]

I'm interested to know as well! We've used AAS and are currently using Spelling Workout. Neither have been a great fit. I'm thinking of SYS or Sequential Spelling.

[lulalu]

Great detailed review Butter. Thanks.

 

I am torn as I look at samples as to how easy I could do this myself and save the money. But I like the simplicity of it.

[Butter]

Great detailed review Butter. Thanks.

 

I am torn as I look at samples as to how easy I could do this myself and save the money. But I like the simplicity of it.

 

You most definitely can do it yourself, but it's not expensive to buy.  Really, I'd weigh time cost to do it yourself vs. monetary cost to buy.  If you have more time than money right now, do it yourself.  If you have more money than time, buy it.  The concept it really what is important :)

[lulalu]

Haha! I have neither time nor money! Which is my constant struggle. Having an open and go workbook would be nice, but I also could take a few weeks and type up stuff for a full year. However, I am sure there are skills in there that I would miss.....

 

Why can't there just be a magic button for picking curricula? 😄

[ReadingMama1214]

So would leve B be good for a student who can form most letters and can read at a 2/3rd grade level? I'm having a hard time gauging starting point

[Butter]

So would leve B be good for a student who can form most letters and can read at a 2/3rd grade level? I'm having a hard time gauging starting point

 

Most likely, possibly level C.  http://spellingyousee.com/getting-started/  There's a sort of placement test for level C.

[forty-two]

So would leve B be good for a student who can form most letters and can read at a 2/3rd grade level? I'm having a hard time gauging starting point

 

I think so.  The placement assessment a pp links gives a good sense of the reading and writing levels involved in each level, but I had difficulty placing my kids when their reading level and their spelling/writing level were far apart.  With my then dd8.5, her reading level was past the highest SYS level, but her writing stamina and her spelling were Level B.  I wavered on Level B or C, but went with C because she was interested in the animal tales.  It worked out pretty well - a bit rough at the beginning, but she settled into it well.  (I only did seven or eight weeks of it, enough for both dd and I to learn the marking system, and then dropped it for some homemade phonetic spelling and using the marking system on WWE dictation.  But it was completely worth the money to learn the marking system :thumbup:.  I'd wavered, because in theory I could have done it myself, but in practice I needed to see it done for me first.  Also, it was *very* nice to have it completely open and go; if I hadn't had the equally open-and-go WWE copywork/dictation to use the marking system on, I'd probably have continued with SYS proper.)

 

But in your shoes, with a younger student who hasn't done any spelling, I'd start with Level B.  SYS starts with strictly phonetic spelling in Level A and the beginning of Level B - where you practice spelling from what you *hear* - and work on the skills of breaking words down into phonemes and spelling each phoneme (where you only use one, most common spelling for each sound).  Level B starts moving beyond just phonetic spelling-from-what-you-hear into visual spelling: where you learn *which* phonogram to use for a given sound by building up your visual memory of what the word *looks* like.  It assumes you already have mastered the skills involved in spelling by what you hear and doesn't work on it anymore past the middle of Level B.

 

My middle dd is reading on a 2nd/3rd grade level, and if I do SYS with her, I'm definitely doing Level B, because even though she reads phonetically, she needs practice breaking words into sounds and then applying her phonics knowledge to writing those sounds.

[ReadingMama1214]

I think so. The placement assessment a pp links gives a good sense of the reading and writing levels involved in each level, but I had difficulty placing my kids when their reading level and their spelling/writing level were far apart. With my then dd8.5, her reading level was past the highest SYS level, but her writing stamina and her spelling were Level B. I wavered on Level B or C, but went with C because she was interested in the animal tales. It worked out pretty well - a bit rough at the beginning, but she settled into it well. (I only did seven or eight weeks of it, enough for both dd and I to learn the marking system, and then dropped it for some homemade phonetic spelling and using the marking system on WWE dictation. But it was completely worth the money to learn the marking system :thumbup:. I'd wavered, because in theory I could have done it myself, but in practice I needed to see it done for me first. Also, it was *very* nice to have it completely open and go; if I hadn't had the equally open-and-go WWE copywork/dictation to use the marking system on, I'd probably have continued with SYS proper.)

 

But in your shoes, with a younger student who hasn't done any spelling, I'd start with Level B. SYS starts with strictly phonetic spelling in Level A and the beginning of Level B - where you practice spelling from what you *hear* - and work on the skills of breaking words down into phonemes and spelling each phoneme (where you only use one, most common spelling for each sound). Level B starts moving beyond just phonetic spelling-from-what-you-hear into visual spelling: where you learn *which* phonogram to use for a given sound by building up your visual memory of what the word *looks* like. It assumes you already have mastered the skills involved in spelling by what you hear and doesn't work on it anymore past the middle of Level B.

 

My middle dd is reading on a 2nd/3rd grade level, and if I do SYS with her, I'm definitely doing Level B, because even though she reads phonetically, she needs practice breaking words into sounds and then applying her phonics knowledge to writing those sounds.

Thanks! That helps a lot. She can spell Cvc words fairly well and words with certain digraphs well. So A would definitely be a bit too easy. She can write when she wants. So B sounds perfect. Thanks!

[vaquitita]

Thanks! That helps a lot. She can spell Cvc words fairly well and words with certain digraphs well. So A would definitely be a bit too easy. She can write when she wants. So B sounds perfect. Thanks!

Then b should be a good fit. It had then spell CVC words for the first 7 weeks, then moves on to blends. First beginning, then ending, then both. It also has copy work, which A doesn't have. I started my 6yo in A, but it was so easy I've bumped him up to B and he is much happier. He reads on a 2nd/3rd grade reading level.