Reading Lessons through Literature (Help)

[Msweetpea2]

Okay, at the risk of sounding totally silly... what is the best way to teach the same level at different paces?

 

I've read through the whole book. I totally understand the concept and both my daughters (8yo and 6, almost 7yo) know the basic 26 phonograms. I'm using RLTL for my DD6 mostly to help her learn to read and be more confident in sounding out words. I'm using RLTL for my DD8 mostly for spelling and as a toolkit for decoding challenging words (she she already reads well beyond her age/grade level).

 

I used ElizabethB's website to help review the basics (thank you again for the link!)

 

I'm super stumped how to start this though since I would be doing a slower pace for my DD6 and an accelerated pace for DD8. Do you just teach them at different times? Do I teach to DD6 first which will be review for DD8 and then extend her portion? We have a smaller area where we are doing homeschool and I will be writing stuff up on a chalkboard. I don't want to overwhelm or distract DD6 or make her feel inadequate (she already feels sad she can't read like her sister). I also don't want to drive DD8 bonkers by going so slowly she becomes uninterested.

 

Thoughts? Advice?

 

I'll be loosely using the author's suggestions for scheduling. DD6 will get 2 new phonograms per lesson with 12-15 spelling words per week. DD8 will get 4 new phonograms per lesson and 30ish spelling words per week (she may get more). I'm happy to do RLTL 3-4 times a week. I generally do 4 day weeks but can add on 20 min of this a 5th day until my DD6 is reading comfortably.

[MerryAtHope]

Reading was one area where I felt separate lessons really were best for my kids--so if it were me, I'd do them separately. And one of mine especially did not do well if the other was in the room, so I had something non-school related for the other to do during reading lessons. Something like that might help your youngest not be daily confronted with the differences (perfectly normal!) between her and her sister. I’d emphasize that everyone has areas of gifting, and think about the areas of gifting your youngest has–allow her to shine in those areas and build her up in those areas. 

 

Something I tell my kids is that there is always someone who is better than you at something–and always someone who is not as good.  Comparing ourselves to others is not healthy.  Instead, compare yourself to yourself–am I learning, making progress, growing, beating a previous goal or record?  Hey, that’s worth celebrating!  And we all should celebrate those things for each other.

 

I know it’s tough parenting through these kinds of situations, hang in there!

[coastalfam]

This is how I do it for DS6 (learning to read), and DS9 (needing remediation in spelling--did not learn to read the RLTL way). I do lessons as usual for DS6. For him, the pacing is reviewing known phonograms everyday & introducing new ones (usually 3 to 6 per week right now... we are almost through them), one RLTL Workbook worksheet per day (2 sided), half a spelling list a day on our whiteboard, and he reads about 4 or 5 of the spelling lists off my iPad (I enlarge the words on the screen). He is just getting to the stories, so I am still deciding how to work those in--perhaps cutting back on how many spelling lists we go through. So far he is reading one new one, plus reviewing one old one, per week, but I will soon pick up the pace on those, I think.

 

For my DS9, who did not learn to read the RLTL way but did have some spelling instruction through AAS, so knows a few of the phonograms, I have him sit in on our time reviewing phonograms at least two to three times a week. I taught him how to diagram spelling words the first week. Then, we just apply that knowledge to words he misspells in his writing, as I found the spelling lists were a little too easy in level 1. I might change that when we get to further levels... we'll see. What is working really well is having him do prepared dictation two times a week, along with using the Barefoot Ragamuffin Curricula Spelling Journal (which is free, I think, on Lulu.com). I also printed out and laminated the spelling rules, and the full list of phonograms, so we have an easy reference if we get stumped with a word. Often, we will choose a spelling rule and try to find words it applies to in a passage. I think what I like about RLTL for spelling is that it really lends itself to being used anywhere and everywhere once you get the phonograms and the skill of diagraming down. It's like spelling lessons never cease... but in a good way! :)

 

So in a nut shell, the only crossover we really have using RLTL is for the kids to be practicing the phonograms together. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by coastalfam

[Msweetpea2]

This is how I do it for DS6 (learning to read), and DS9 (needing remediation in spelling--did not learn to read the RLTL way). I do lessons as usual for DS6. For him, the pacing is reviewing known phonograms everyday & introducing new ones (usually 3 to 6 per week right now... we are almost through them), one RLTL Workbook worksheet per day (2 sided), half a spelling list a day on our whiteboard, and he reads about 4 or 5 of the spelling lists off my iPad (I enlarge the words on the screen). He is just getting to the stories, so I am still deciding how to work those in--perhaps cutting back on how many spelling lists we go through. So far he is reading one new one, plus reviewing one old one, per week, but I will soon pick up the pace on those, I think.

 

For my DS9, who did not learn to read the RLTL way but did have some spelling instruction through AAS, so knows a few of the phonograms, I have him sit in on our time reviewing phonograms at least two to three times a week. I taught him how to diagram spelling words the first week. Then, we just apply that knowledge to words he misspells in his writing, as I found the spelling lists were a little too easy in level 1. I might change that when we get to further levels... we'll see. What is working really well is having him do prepared dictation two times a week, along with using the Barefoot Ragamuffin Curricula Spelling Journal (which is free, I think, on Lulu.com). I also printed out and laminated the spelling rules, and the full list of phonograms, so we have an easy reference if we get stumped with a word. Often, we will choose a spelling rule and try to find words it applies to in a passage. I think what I like about RLTL for spelling is that it really lends itself to being used anywhere and everywhere once you get the phonograms and the skill of diagraming down. It's like spelling lessons never cease... but in a good way! :)

 

So in a nut shell, the only crossover we really have using RLTL is for the kids to be practicing the phonograms together. 

 

Can you expand a little bit on the prepared dictation? I'm guessing that's in further levels of RLTL.  Do the passages include which words are on the spelling list or do you just identify which words your DD9 needs to practice? Do you have him write them down individually or have him copy the whole passage? Does he then spell them out loud for you?





Sorry - I know you are busy so it's totally fine if you can't get back to me! I've definitely learned through just trying it out (I'm just trying to make it as smooth as possible for my DD8). I realized that I never had a lot of formal spelling, as vocabulary lists were used as spelling lists and since I have a photographic memory I would just look over lists a few time and visually remember how to spell them. (I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm realizing that because I'm very visual and so is my oldest, I haven't had to do as much 'work' with her, but I want to give her a good foundation. My DD6 on the other hand learns very differently and while she is young I want to give her all the right tools since she already gets frustrated that she doesn't remember things the same way.) 





It sounds like separating them for this subject will be best. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[coastalfam]

Can you expand a little bit on the prepared dictation? I'm guessing that's in further levels of RLTL.  Do the passages include which words are on the spelling list or do you just identify which words your DD9 needs to practice? Do you have him write them down individually or have him copy the whole passage? Does he then spell them out loud for you?





Sorry - I know you are busy so it's totally fine if you can't get back to me! I've definitely learned through just trying it out (I'm just trying to make it as smooth as possible for my DD8). I realized that I never had a lot of formal spelling, as vocabulary lists were used as spelling lists and since I have a photographic memory I would just look over lists a few time and visually remember how to spell them. (I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm realizing that because I'm very visual and so is my oldest, I haven't had to do as much 'work' with her, but I want to give her a good foundation. My DD6 on the other hand learns very differently and while she is young I want to give her all the right tools since she already gets frustrated that she doesn't remember things the same way.) 





It sounds like separating them for this subject will be best. Thanks for all the advice!

 

 

We use ELTL for  grammar and writing instruction, and it includes passages for prepared dictation from the corresponding literature. We do ELTL M,W,F, but save the PD for T, TH. I find that is sufficient at introducing words my son will be challenged by, as well as common words that it is important for him to encounter again and again to ensure the spelling is well engrained. I first learned about Prepared Dictation from a video on the Simply Charlotte Mason website, and for the most part that is the process I follow. There is an appendix in the back of RLTL about PD. And I think Kathy Jo has more information on the BRC website. Having taught him to diagram words, I find the simple act of diagraming words he gets incorrectly very effective at helping him correct himself in future. He picked up on the skill of diagraming very quickly, or we would likely be practicing with the RLTL lists until it made sense to him. My original plan was to take him backwards through the lists in RLTL1 until it got too easy, but I just did not end up needing to do that, so we jumped right in to PD since it was a part of our LA program anyway in ELTL. This is the first year we have done that instead of a spelling program, and it is working really well. DS9 is particularly prone to silly mistakes, so I think practicing all the "filler words" in a passage is helpful practice for him which we would not get if we did not do PD. If there is a word that he is really struggling with, I just make a note of it and him him practice an additional time. It really doesn't seem to take much for the proper spelling to start to make sense. Anyway, that is our process. Because we use the BRC Spelling Journal alongside our PD time, I sometimes preview the PD passage and pick out a certain spelling rule or phonogram I notice in it, and have him find all the words that apply to put into the spelling journal that day. Other times we just put words into it that are especially challenging, or that he got incorrect during the dictation portion of the exercise. 

[coastalfam]

As for having the kids separated, it is kind of easier. However, with both learning the same skill of word diagraming, it bleeds into other parts of the school day as we encounter words we need to pronounce or spell for other subjects, and very much feels like we are part of the same program after all. It's a really neat approach.