Worried about my son's spelling and writing abilities

[Cheeky]

Hi everyone,

 

My son is halfway through second grade and he really struggles with not only spelling, but with writing as well. He doesn't like to write so he rushes through it, has very sloppy handwriting and makes many spelling and grammatical errors. I don't quite know what to do about it. It's hard to gauge how much of it is because of carelessness or him truly not knowing. Having him practice writing doesn't seem to help much (he just rushes through it every time) and I'm feeling a little worried about his level, he definitely seems below where he should be. I just started homeschooling last fall, so it's all still relatively new to me and I don't know if it's something he might just grow out of as he gets older and more mature (he's 8 and will turn 9 in May).

 

Does anyone have any tips on what I can do to help improve his writing and spelling abilities? Is this something that does improve with maturity as well? 

 

Thanks so much!!!

Edited February 24, 2018 by Cheeky

[Kiara.I]

For spelling you could start a spelling program that explicitly teaches rules for spelling.

 

For handwriting, you could require small amounts done carefully. I'd do copywork for that, not his own invented sentences, so that the spelling and grammar is correct.

 

Does he have any fine motor issues? Any core strength issues? Those could affect handwriting.

 

(And this is totally idle curiosity, is he in the normal age range for grade 2 in your area? My son just turned 9 and where we are he's considered on the older end for grade 3.)

 

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[Cheeky]

Thanks for your reply Queen Bee! I don't think he has any issues with fine motor skills, in fact, he's quite meticulous when it comes to putting things together (he loves building) and art/drawing. I just recently ordered a workbook for copying sentences, and didn't realize until after it arrived that it was cursive, lol. But he does enjoy copying cursive. He's a little older for second grade. He started kindergarten when he was 5 and we took him out after a month and started him again when he was 6 (when he was still in public school). So he was always about a year older than the other kids in his class. 

[fralala]

I find with my 8 year old, handwriting, spelling, grammar, and the ability to put thoughts down on paper are not yet integrated skills. We have to focus on each thing individually. When she writes for pleasure, her writing is barely legible but fills pages. I think for a sentence of copywork, one can expect neat handwriting and proper punctuation and spelling. But for original writing at this age, those should not be expectations if the goal is to encourage the development of original thoughts and the ability to join them into sentences (rather than the particular skills of spelling, penmanship, or mechanics).

[OneStepAtATime]

I find with my 8 year old, handwriting, spelling, grammar, and the ability to put thoughts down on paper are not yet integrated skills. We have to focus on each thing individually. When she writes for pleasure, her writing is barely legible but fills pages. I think for a sentence of copywork, one can expect neat handwriting and proper punctuation and spelling. But for original writing at this age, those should not be expectations if the goal is to encourage the development of original thoughts and the ability to join them into sentences (rather than the particular skills of spelling, penmanship, or mechanics).

This.

 

Integrating all of the many, many skills that go into writing can take significant time.  And we develop in fits and starts and leaps forwards and steps backwards.  For now, target specific things with specific tasks.  Help hone individual skills.  Integration may take time.  And work on the concept of proof reading and editing.

 

Also, how well does he read?  Silently?  Out loud?  How well does he read phonetically based nonsense words?  I ask because there is the possibility he is dyslexic/dysgraphic.

 

 

For now:

 

1. You might consider using something like Fix-It Grammar for improving grammar and punctuation because your child won't be struggling with handwriting (the physical act) or writing (creating thoughts that then have to get out on paper) or spelling.  Just grammar and punctuation.  Words he is seeing are spelled correctly so that will hopefully help reinforce the visual image of properly spelled words.  Lessons are :15 a day, take no time to set up, and are only 4 days a week.   http://iew.com/fix
2. Then also look at the materials you are using for spelling.  He may need something very phonetically based and broken down into smaller pieces, moving at a slower pace than what you are currently doing.  What are you currently using?
3. When he wants to do content output, scribe for him.  He talks, you write.  Then go back with him and focus on proofreading.  Is what you wrote down what he intended to say?  You want him learning how to get those thoughts out without his lagging spelling/writing skills bogging him down.  
4. For the physical act of handwriting, do copywork.  You could pair Fix-It with this since the sentence the student edits each day is then copied into their notebook to create a story over time.  Get paper with the guiding lines.  You can find paper like that in many different widths.  If he doesn't like or no longer needs the super wide lines you could shift him to paper that has narrower lines but still has the guide lines incorporated.  Work on the quality of each letter.  Have him focus on what looked good in his copywork.  Maybe he can go back through and circle or highlight letters/spacing that came out looking sort of close to the original.  I find focusing on what was done fairly well keeps them trying harder to improve instead of getting demoralized and feeling like they will never write well.  And if cursive is working then keep doing that too.
5. Consider doing some fun word games, too.  Do Mad libs and maybe brainstorm a story together on a dry erase board.  Help him see the fun in words without getting bogged down in the mechanics.  Also, keep lessons short for now.  Quality vs. quantity, with positive reinforcement as you try to get these skills honed.  Over time his stamina and accuracy should improve so output length can increase over time.

[ElizabethB]

For handwriting, work on the letters in isolation first. Don Potter has some good videos, I will find and link them.

 

For spelling, I would quickly take him through my syllables program and then choose a good spelling program. He probably missed a lot of the phoncis and spelling rules.

 

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

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1296s&v=hPXjpgOldfg

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wlwpgNocong

Edited February 26, 2018 by ElizabethB