Thanks for the input. Do you mean you would rather the rule be on the sheet for the student to copy instead of the teacher dictating the rule out loud? Or do you mean you'd rather the rule be on the sheet and the student not be instructed to copy the rule?

Thanks for pointing this out. I will pay more attention to leave outdated words like troublous out of the exercises. :)

I did consider doing without the student pages. They aren't really necessary, as you say. Mostly they would save the kids from drawing and labeling columns for some of the exercises and keep everything tidy so it will be easy for me to look over their papers quickly. I don't intend to print the teacher pages. I plan to add in various exercises that aren't in the vintage book as well. Basically it will just be a bit easier to implement with the student pages. I will be able to use it with three kids, so it seems like it will be worth the initial effort to me. You are absolutely right that the student pages could be done without. I have actually already done some exercises with the kids to get the feel for how I want to do this in the long run. I wrote the exercises out on index cards and they've been using a notebook. :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to look ladies! :) I'm going to keep plugging away at the worksheets. It is going more quickly now that I have the feel of the format and software I'm using. I think I'll be happy I put the time in to do this when I'm done.

After much research and thinking I've begun to make my own Spelling to use with my kids. I don't have the $ to put into an expensive program, but I want something open and go that teaches the rules. I have completed the first two weeks! I put them up on google docs as free pdfs if anyone is interested in checking them out. I'd really love feedback before I progress. There is a student workbook and a teacher book. It is based off a vintage, public domain Spelling book with lots of changes. Please let me know what you think!

I'm done buying for next year. I will need to get our next History books, but I'm in no hurry as we won't be starting them until mid-year. I'm hoping to find them used at a good price between now and then. This will be our least expensive year yet, by necessity. I didn't buy an extras and bought as much as possible secondhand. I was very careful with what I purchased. Overall- I'm thrilled! :)

After much research and thinking I've begun to make my own Spelling to use with my kids. I don't have the $ to put into an expensive program, but I want something open and go that teaches the rules. I have completed the first two weeks! I put them up on google docs as free pdfs if anyone is interested in checking them out. I'd really love feedback before I progress. There is a student workbook and a teacher book. It is based off a vintage, public domain Spelling book with lots of changes. Please let me know what you think!

I have a question about comma usage. As far as I can tell there is more than one correct way to list objects with commas. Example- Bugs, bats and spiders are all gross. Bugs, bats, and spiders are all gross. Are these both correct? Is one *more* correct for American English?

Bumping just in case such a site exists and someone knows about it! :)

I would love an open and go, mostly independent, geared towards the older student study/activity guide for the SOTW books. We are using SOTW along with other resources this year with 4th and 6th graders and I am incorporating the tests this go around. We are not using any of the activity pages this time around as they really are geared towards the younger grades. I am still using the ?s in the activity guide after reading each section and it is also useful to have the page numbers handy of a couple of the other resources we are using. I am supplementing with MapTrek maps as they are better for older students. It would be very useful if there was a guide that had questions asked of the students after each section with lines for written answers as well as direction of a second and/or third resource with page numbers to read and directions of how/what to outline and more detailed instruction for the maps geared towards the older student. It could be fairly general and still be very useful as far as outlining, directing the student how to pick a section, etc.

I'm looking for a website where one would be able to search a specific word and the site would say the typical grade level the word would be used for. Does such a thing exist or am I daydreaming? :) For example I am picking words that follow a certain rule, Final e is dropped when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added, words- pleasurable, guidance, assurance, endurable. I want to be able to search those words and see if they are appropriate by grade level for my kids. I have a good idea where they are at with spelling, but I would still find this info useful. TIA!

I'm making up some spelling worksheets for the kids. I plan to save them as pdf and print as needed. I'm not sure what font to use? What font would you use? I want something easy to read and compatible with pdf.

Have you seen this on structured drill by the creator of Math Mammoth? Using this method(slightly tweaked) really helped my kids. On top of the whiteboard work I added in them copying the facts on paper 3 times each day, then they went to orally reciting them to me 3 times each day. When they did this well we moved on to the next set.

So far? The Phantom Tollbooth as it had us all laughing out loud quite a bit. :) It was fun.

Friday is our easy day. So long as we've completed everything on my planner for Monday-Thursday that isn't optional, they do only one Math review worksheet, a chapter in their assigned read alone book, a dvd piano lesson and piano practice, and art of choice. Much less involvement and work on my part than a usual school day, but they are stilling adding to their schooling hours. They can, for the most part, get these things done without my help so long as they have my planner to look at for a reminder of what needs done and a question or small conversation here and there. We need 900 hours a year and we'd all rather not school year round. We did one year and we prefer a summer off as we like to get out a lot.

So would none of the words in the OP need a double l as the accent falls on the first syllable?

How do you teach spelling words ending with l when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added? Do you teach all with double l, all with single l, that either is correct for all, or as two lists, some spelled correctly with single l, some double l? Ack! I've always thought I was decent speller, but I swear it has me pulling my hair lately, lol. Examples- counsel quarrel level ravel revel carol dial cancel tunnel chisel panel shovel equal pencil How would you teach spelling these when adding -ed and -ing?

Iucounu- The Spelling reference book I'm looking at breaks it down like this- nouns with ie, oo, rf, ff, gh, add s to pluralize (thieves as exception) nouns with long e, long i, and the el sound change f or fe to ves to pluralize words patterns don't cover- calves, loaves Does that sound right? I'm trying to figure out the easiest to understand summary to help them. Of course that doesn't cover the words you included with long a, such as safes and waifs. So maybe add to the above nouns with af and ai add s? Would that work? Hmmmm. Too complicated! lol :)

Would a 4th grader be ready for that book? I thought it was for an older age? I did look at it awhile back, but remember thinking it a tad too much for where ds is at right now. I'll take another look at it, thanks. :)

No. I don't require they finish a book, even an assigned one. I expect they give it a good go, say at least 4 chapters. Then I expect to discuss with them why they aren't enjoying the book. If it is something like the chapters are too long they can try to continue the book with 1/2 chapters assigned daily. If it something like the book is too sad, dry, boring, hard to understand, then another book will be assigned. If it is hard to understand I may try to revisit it at a later date or include it in read alouds. It isn't as though they are trying to get out of reading. They will be reading daily regardless of the book. I consider it a benefit of homeschooling that they don't have to finish a book regardless of interest. They have plenty of other assignments with no choice such as Math, Science, Writing, etc. It is important to me to foster a love of reading. I'm not saying I think having to read a book would dampen the love, but I do think for some children it could. I do understand if you put quite a lot of $ into buying specific books you'd really feel the need for them to use them. I buy books secondhand and cheap as possible to avoid feeling trapped into using them.

I forgot to add, I did purchase this book. It will probably prove useful to me, but I'd really like something more open and go, workbook style. I will need to read through the entire text, then go back and make activities mostly on my own. It does have some activities included, like one for each main theme it seems.

My ds is in 4th grade. We did use WWE in the lower grades. He still needs help with summarizing, only I'm not sure exactly how to help him. He definitely has trouble picking main and important ideas from text. I have him summarize a chapter from a fiction book each day orally but he tends towards the same things; run on sentences, including too many details, and beginning sentences with and or because. I go over these things with him daily but it just isn't sticking. Is there a student workbook that specifically helps students gain the needed skills for summarizing? We are currently working through a book on outlining, which I would think might help in the long run with being able to pick out main ideas. I'd really like a book centered on summarizing though.

Thanks ladies for chiming in! :) I didn't see how it could be a *rule* as there would just be too many exceptions imo, but the Spelling reference book and several websites, as well as a vintage Spelling book I've been looking at, all listed it as a rule. Thus my confusion!

I've begun teaching the kids some spelling rules. I'm considering the pluralizing of words ending in f or fe. In reading online and a reference book from the library I notice that the rule is usually written as words ending in f or fe change f to v before adding es to pluralize, then some exceptions are listed. My problem is I see a lot of exceptions to this rule and I'm wondering if it is valuable presented as a rule? This seems like you really need to lists of words, one with change needed, one without, then they will need memorized. Is there more to this rule? Examples: f or fe to v then add es thieves leaves knives lives elves shelves calves loaves wolves halves just add s: gulfs roofs safes proofs cliffs plaintiffs puffs sheriffs waifs chiefs handkerchiefs And what's up with hoof, scarf, dwarf, and wharf? I've seen them all spelled both ways as plurals seemingly correctly.

Have you tried upping your protein intake and eating less more often? I feel a lot better when I eat like this. I've read this is good for losing weight and maintaining blood sugar levels too, but I'm no dietician. From my experience I have lost weight and felt better as far as energy and blood sugar levels. I tend to not eat often enough and man it can seriously affect me. Some easy good protein foods are chicken breasts(you can buy these frozen and just pop them in the oven to bake at 425 for 35-45 minutes), cottage cheese(good with applesauce or canned fruit in juice), cheddar cheese slices or cubes, peanut butter(spread on apple slices or crackers), yogurt(check labels carefully), tuna(good as tuna salad on a lettuce bed, no bread needed for yum), and a healthier lunchmeat choice like Hormel all natural turkey(you can do an open face oven toasted sandwich or just roll up meat and cheese slices to cut down on carbs).