blessedmom3 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Or our children can learn spelling as well through reading lots of books? I am not English/American native and I just moved to USA a few yrs ago . However , I've been told my spelling is better than many English native (including my sweet American hubby) . I didn't study any grammar or spelling book. Just read books , newspapers,etc. My 5 yrs old son who is reading at 4th grade level and spells pretty good too , hates workbooks and rules. But he loves reading. So do you think spending time with spelling programs is necessary or we better spend that time reading? Having 4 kids under 5 I must organize my time efficiently . I bought All about Spelling but he is going through it fast (almost the whole book in 3 weeks) and didn't learn anything new . Now I just dictate him words from Building Spelling skills by CLP and he gets most of them right . Can he learn from just dictation & reading ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfinbaby Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I've always felt guilty about not doing a spelling program with my 10 yr. old. He is an avid reader and has been since he was very young. His ability to spell words correctly is uncanny. Out of my guilt I got the workbooks recommended in WTM a few years ago but they were ridiculously easy for him. So the next year we pretended we were studying for the National Spelling Bee! Those words were really challenging. About a year ago, I tested him using the placements tests in Spelling Power. He was about 8 or 9 I suppose and he tested at the 11th grade level, almost made it to 12th. Like I said, he's a great speller and it is strictly from be well read and having a wonderful memory. We might give the Spelling Bee a go this year. Who knows? Since your ds is so young, I wouldn't recommend a spelling program regardless. Just stick to the basics. Maybe the time will come when you incorporate spelling into your curriculum but, for now, I certainly wouldn't worry about it. Nurture his love for reading. That's the most important thing you can do at his age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I think copywork and dictation are excellent methods for teaching spelling, especially if your child is a natural speller which it sounds like he is. If you feel you need something more structured you could look at Spelling Wisdom when he's a little older. http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/spelling-wisdom/ My 2 cents, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Well, I think it just depends on the kid. My daughter reads at an adult level, voraciously, both excellent quality literature and a bit of fluff. She's a terrible speller. We havent' done a great deal of Spelling, though, b/c I always assumed she'd get it by osmosis. Alas, that didn't happen. We're begining in earnest this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Can he learn from just dictation & reading ? I think this is basically how Charlotte Mason had children learn spelling. I found resources here: http://bushnell.net/~peanuts/faq1.html Charlotte Mason worked first with oral sounds - the children had lots of stories read to them before they ever looked at letters. Letters were taught with the sounds. Once a child knows their letters, begin with single words written large, such as with black wipe-off marker on whiteboard. Have the child look at it, spell it out, and when they are sure they know it close their eyes. You wipe it off, then they attempt to write it correctly. If they make a mistake, wipe out the error and let them attempt to fix it. You could also use large flashcards and paper, but fix mistakes quickly. There is no reason to memorize every rule, or even to have rule for every word. Only use regular mistakes and difficulties for the spelling sessions, which should not last more than ten minutes a day.(LBH) You will find a fuller description of this in: Catherine Levison's "Charlotte Mason Education", pages 28-30. Karen Andreola's "Charlotte Mason Companion", chapter 22 Clarkson's "Educating the Whole Hearted Child", chapter 5, page 95 Charlotte Mason's Series, Vol. 1, "Home Education", pages 199-206, and 240-242. as well as these blog entries that show it in action: http://thecookfamilyzoo.blogspot.com/2008/02/charlotte-mason-and-spelling.html http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/08/teaching-spelling-cm-way.html http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/09/teaching-spelling-through-studied.html http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2007/10/dictation-lesson.html as well as http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-should-i-expect-from-my-five-year.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Depends on the kid. My dd10 is a voracious reader, reads for hours upon hours every day and has since she was 6. This has given her an extensive vocabulary and lots of background knowledge, but by no means has it made her a good speller :D And copywork? Yep, lots of it, to very little effect. She is sloooowly improving but definitely needs a spelling program (well, not a program per se, she just studies a list of words each week; we did do a program when she was younger). My dd8 is more of a natural speller, but she does have a list of words each week - - it takes very little time and she enjoys it. They just read their words out loud at the beginning of the week, spell them out loud, and write them once a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Sounds like they are doing great! I think if you see progress every year and they are spelling well in the context of copywork, dictation, or writing, they'll probably be fine. If you start to think they need something more, then you can look into it. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Some children are "natural" spellers; others need help. Spelling rules are not always obvious (such as when adding suffixes to base words), regardless of how much reading one does. It's ok to evaluate your dc's needs and decide whether he needs formal spelling instruction or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 My oldest dd? Natural speller. We gave on a Spelling curriculum as she learned to spell at a speed far beyond the sequence of spelling curriculums. It seemed a pointless waste of our time. Second child? Needs every one of those rules and lots of practice! They were both taught to read phonetically, both read well, both enjoy to read and read in their spare time often.... But they definitely are different. I think it completely depends on the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I don't think that all children need a spelling programme. Mine don't, but they enjoy competing at spelling once a week for fun. If they misspell anything, it goes on the once-a-week list. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I think copywork and dictation are excellent methods for teaching spelling, especially if your child is a natural speller which it sounds like he is. If you feel you need something more structured you could look at Spelling Wisdom when he's a little older. http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/spelling-wisdom/ My 2 cents, :iagree:Love, love it. SW has a wonderful, eclectic mix of challenging selections. It makes my life so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandamc0017 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I discovered with my children, especially my oldest, that I needed a spelling program. She learned phonics easily and is an amazing reader, reading constantly. However she is not a natural speller. I didn't try dictation and I may this year. But I made the mistake of thinking that if she read well she would also be able to spell. Now we're struggling to catch up with spelling. This is probably my biggest homeschooling regret so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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