At what age did you start formal spelling instruction?

[MelanieM]

At what age/level did you start formal spelling instruction with your child(ren)? Does anyone have thoughts on formal instruction compared to a more Charlotte Mason approach to spelling with young children?

 

I have a 6.5 year old daughter that reads quite well (about a 4th grade level) and is at age level (I think?) for spelling. She has been asking for help to improve her spelling skills, so I'm now considering a more formal program than what we'd been planning on (which was more in line with the CM approach).

 

Also, would you say that All About Spelling is a good choice for a child of this age with amazing recall and keen interest? Is there something else I should consider for her?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

[arcara]

I start spelling in 1st grade. And, I think AAS is great for this age. Just go at her pace. My 1st grader got through Level 1 and the 1st 10 steps of Level 3 this year. She'll pick it back up here in the August.

[AudreyTN]

I wait until my children are reading fairly well. My dd is not using a spelling program, she's a natural speller. I just have to tell her how to spell a word and it's never wrong again. My ds7 is using Spellwell. My upcoming first grader is just learning to read so it will be a while before he may need spelling.

[NavyWifeandMommy]

I haven't done a formal spelling with my oldest. I am currently putting together a folder with rules and examples. Then my daughter will just make up list to add to her folder. More like a three ring binder I think. She does the workbooks from thestore and from Rod and Staff but she never seems to remember the words after we finish the lesson. Hoping this other way of doing it will work.

[Quiver0f10]

I wait until they are reading fluently. We have used SWR in the past but are now using AAS.

[memmerrill]

:lurk5: I was wondering the same thing myself. I wasn't sure if 1st or 2nd grade was a more appropriate time to begin. Correlating it with reading level seems to be good advice.

[Chris in VA]

I used Spelling Workout with dd when she was in First Grade. She was reading fairly well, then really took off that year; sounds like yours is doing great, too!

 

I think of spelling as applied phonics, in a way. So, I knew my dd didn't need any more phonics rules in order to read, but she did need to know how they related to spelling, so I picked a program based on the rules they offered and the logical progression of the words in the lists. I didn't know about Spelling Power at that time, or I might have gone with that--it's great!!!

 

I've heard very positive things about AAS, too, so I don't think you can go wrong.

[SilverMoon]

It's been first or second grade for my kids. I start a phonics based spelling when they're reading well enough they don't need constant phonics instruction anymore. I don't run phonics and spelling at the same time.

[MamaBlessedThrice]

We started spelling about halfway through kindergarten, applying spelling rules to the spelling list for that week (We use SWR--Spell to Write and Read--pretty true to its name).

 

I think AAS or some other program with spelling rules taught in conjunction with phonics is vital. I've never understood why to delay spelling, because in the meantime when the child is misspelling words, she is visually imprinting the misspelled word each time on her memory. Charlotte Mason, I believe, stressed that children's misspelled words should be immediately erased and corrected before they can really "see" them and make a mental memory of the word spelled incorrectly, causing confusion. At the same time, I've heard people also say that CM advocated formal instruction in spelling be delayed--so I'm not sure how those two ideas are reconciled.

 

But I think the early spelling rules instruction pays off. I watched my 6yo daughter sit in church and take notes on the pastor's message, in complete sentences, without making a single spelling error (although the offbeat theological interpretations she was writing down are open to question--pretty funny :)).

[In the Rain]

We started AAS when dd was 7 and reading fluently at about a 4th grade level.

[Angel]

I didn't read the other responses, but I waited until dd was 8 (mid 2nd grade) before beginning spelling. She was reading at a late 3rd/early 4th grade level (my cousin tests her using the ps Dibbles test). Before beginning spelling she was average in spelling for her age and still sometimes spelling phonetically. I was ok with that.

 

When we started spelling, we began with AAS Level 1. She flew through it and we'll be starting Level 2 in the fall. Before that, all dd was doing was ETC.

[MelanieM]

I think AAS or some other program with spelling rules taught in conjunction with phonics is vital. I've never understood why to delay spelling, because in the meantime when the child is misspelling words, she is visually imprinting the misspelled word each time on her memory. Charlotte Mason, I believe, stressed that children's misspelled words should be immediately erased and corrected before they can really "see" them and make a mental memory of the word spelled incorrectly, causing confusion. At the same time, I've heard people also say that CM advocated formal instruction in spelling be delayed--so I'm not sure how those two ideas are reconciled.

 

My daugher is a bit of a perfectionist, so she won't put anything on paper unless it is spelled correctly. If she's not sure, she'll ask for confirmation of the spelling before proceeding. So I'm not too concerned about her learning the words incorrectly due to her own mistakes.

 

As far as the CM method goes, I think the idea there is that a child (in the early years) would learn spelling through copy work, and they should only write as much as they can do perfectly. So I can see how she would recommend correction even while not undertaking formal spelling instruction. Also, it seems this would be in line with what some others have said on this thread about waiting for fluent reading before teaching spelling. That seems to be the case with CM as well. (Anyone is more than welcome to correct me on this! I have had limited exposure to her work, so it's certainly possible I'm misunderstanding some of the approaches.)

 

Thanks to all for your input! Very much appreciated. :)

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

At what age/level did you start formal spelling instruction with your child(ren)? Does anyone have thoughts on formal instruction compared to a more Charlotte Mason approach to spelling with young children?

 

I have a 6.5 year old daughter that reads quite well (about a 4th grade level) and is at age level (I think?) for spelling. She has been asking for help to improve her spelling skills, so I'm now considering a more formal program than what we'd been planning on (which was more in line with the CM approach).

 

Also, would you say that All About Spelling is a good choice for a child of this age with amazing recall and keen interest? Is there something else I should consider for her?

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

Well, I could have written this post about my ds6. He's also reading well and wants to work on spelling. In fact, he started spelling before he started reading. He was asking me how to spell a zillion words every day. As someone who loves CM philosophy, that threw me for a loop. I mean, I had a plan! But that saying about teaching the child, not the curriculum is spot on. I am starting to feel a great deal of confidence in the truth of it. As long as you keep that idea in mind, I don't think you can go wrong. My son is ready for spelling so I'm going to teach spelling. I'm using AAS because it's a great program and ds loves rules. There you go. DS would not respond well to CM's method...

 

"The eye 'take' (in a photographic sense) a detailed picture of the word; and this is the power and habit which must be cultivated from the first. When they have read 'cat,' they must be encouraged to see the word with their eyes shut, and the same habit will enable them to image 'Thermopylae.' This picturing of words on the retina appears to me to be the only royal road to spelling."

 

Um, maybe...for some kids...but it sure does seem like it could be a very slow road. I watched the end of the National Spelling Bee last night and it was clear that the winner did need to spell words out to be sure she was seeing/spelling correctly. But she also worked from rules, etymology, context and, I'm certain, a vast history of reading. Spelling is not just about imprinting. I'm sure it can be for some kids but not all. So, if my kiddos want to learn rules, I'll teach them rules. I find it very liberating to mentally free myself from declaring allegiance to one method or philosophy. After all, that's one major reason I homeschool at all...because I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all education.

[Melissa in CA]

We didn't start formal spelling until 4th grade. Shocker, I know! :w00t: we did use Abeka when he was in k-2 though and it did include Spelling at some point, but I disliked it and we rarely did it. Instead we focused on phonics and reading in the early grades and used copywork. Lots and lots of copywork. I would have him copy the same paragraph M-Thur and then on Friday I would dictate it to him and he would write it from memory. He learned all the basic spelling words that way: the, should, could, may, yes, use, but, be, maybe, don't, etc. etc., along with much more substantial words. It worked wonderfully! Rarely did he get a word wrong, no matter how difficult, and he always had his punctuation and capitalization right. ;)

 

In 4th grade I started feeling guilty for not using a "program" so I started using Spelling Power. It was OK. I have been using Sequential Spelling the last two years and love it. It's quick and it seems to work. My son picks up on words rather easy though. I don't know if this is from Abeka's excellent Phonics and Reading instruction in K-2, our years of copywork/dictation, or because he is a natural speller.

[siloam]

Melanie,

 

I start in K (5yo) here, but we use a spelling based phonics programs (AAS or SWR).

 

Heather

[sagira]

Interesting to hear what people have to say. I think I'm going to delay a formal spelling program and doing copywork and dictation.

 

Hmm.. I wonder.. is there a book of spelling rules and such for teachers?

[Terabith]

The ABC's and All Their Tricks

[siloam]

The ABC's and All Their Tricks

 

Agreed, I own a copy too. Great resource!

 

Heather

 

[MelanieM]

Interesting to hear what people have to say. I think I'm going to delay a formal spelling program and doing copywork and dictation.

 

This is what I've been thinking of doing. At this point, I may try it this way for a while and see how she likes it. If she's enjoying the process we'll stick with that. Otherwise, we'll branch out and get her something more formal.

 

My husband and I were talking about this last night and I can honestly say I don't recall much about formal spelling when I was in school. I know we had lists of words to memorize each week in grade 2 or 3 (?), and I even remember the look of our spelling text book - it had a brown cover, and I loved it. :D But whatever we learned about phonics rules and such must not have stuck, because while I'm naturally quite a good speller, I couldn't explain much about the rules if pressed. For me, the idea of imprinting being the primary method of learning how words are spelled really has been true. (I will often ask someone to spell their name for me when we first meet as that mental picture of the word greatly increases the chances I'll remember the name later.) I'm really looking forward to watching how this compares to how my own kids best learn!

 

Thanks again for all the fabulous conversation! This is helping so much!

[Lovedtodeath]

My plan is to get all the way through a phonics program at a fast pace and then ass spelling back in.

 

AAS is great for beginners. If you want something more economical after that, then you could switch to How To Teach Spelling. It utilizes all of the rules and dictation the same way AAS does. (It is not as fancy.)

 

It also has a great teacher's manual with all of the rules K-12.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[Mommy22alyns]

I started spelling when Becca was 5. She was already reading fluently at a high level and phonics instruction was boring her. She was writing her own little notes and asking how to spell words left and right, so we chucked ETC and went with spelling. We plowed through SWO A, but it was just busywork, so then we went over to AAS. We're over halfway through level 2 right now.

[mlbuchina]

We will be starting spelling this year (1st) with Spelling Workout level A. My dd6 is reading really well, and over half way through OPGTR. She was reading before I found OPGTR, but I decided to go through it anyway to make sure she had the phonics down. (I think she learned to actually read from watching Between the Lions! lol)

[KarenNC]

We did Explode the Code then Spelling Power. She finished up ETC level 5 or 6 (can't remember now for sure) in mid first grade (6.5) and I thought we would go ahead and switch over to SP as she was reading very well. We tried it for a couple of weeks but she wanted to go back to ETC, so we finished out the series, then switched in 2nd grade at age 7 to SP. It's been going quite well and her test scores for spelling are very good. Takes very little time and she only works on the words she can't already spell. She was also reading well above grade level, similar to your child.

 

We do modify it a bit in that I do the pretest orally (often while she bounces around the room on a bouncy ball :)). I haven't found a need to do many of the extra activities, and we do the exercises on regular notebook paper, not the forms in the back of the book. New it's pricey (though you only buy one book for the whole program so that's not so bad), but I find it a lot used. I got a 3rd edition for $15 (edition before the cd was added that has the forms and exercises on it in addition to them being in the book), but I haven't missed the cd. If you wanted the cd in particular, it can be ordered from the publisher for about $5

http://www.castlemoyle.com/shopping/10thcd.htm. The cd was the only change from the 3rd edition of Spelling Power and the 10th anniversary edition. There are some additional things in the 4th edition (which came out after I had bought mine) but you'd have to look and see if it was worth the difference in price (new is $65). The dvd can also be had separately for $10 if desired http://www.castlemoyle.com/shopping/spelling/spellingpower.htm

 

We found the tips on using SP at Paula's archives to be helpful. http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/SPmenu.htm

 

I believe that AAS is somewhat similar in theory at least to SP, but it came out after we already had SP and I haven't actually seen it. I have to say the price was definitely right for us for SP, since the one book covers to adult. We have added in Vocabulary Vine this year to do Latin and Greek roots http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/latin.htm, which SP doesn't really address.

Edited May 29, 2009 by KarenNC

[ElizabethB]

I started in K, we did Webster's Speller and I had her read most of the words and spell a few each lesson.

 

This year, we reviewed phonics with PP and Webster and did rule based spelling.

 

I found that spelling some of the phonics we were working on really helped her cement the phonics in her brain as well as helping her learn to spell. She wrote well, but we also did some oral spelling. A child who is not yet writing well can do more oral spelling and do "written" spelling with magnetic letters.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

We started pre-reading/pre-spelling (similar to the first few steps in AAS) at age 3 and dd was spelling simple phonetic words shortly before age 4. We began AAS level 1 a few months later. So dd spelled her way into reading. Very successful here and I plan to do it again with my younger children. DS has recently started on the pre-reading/spelling activities that I did with dd.