spelling workout question

[trafal]

Hi,

 

I am new to WTM forum. This is my 1st post! I have a dd age 9 who is a very visual learner and a strong speller. I am attempting to start a classical education approach. Previously, we have used Bob Jones exclusively. BJUP worked very well in some respects and not so well in others. DD is spelling on a 7th grade level. Which level of Spelling Workout would you recommend? I understand some of the higher levels are more like word studies than actual phonics based spelling lists of words. Do I

1- start at a lower level to review the spelling rules?

2- start at a higher level since she is a strong speller?

3- Skip spelling and move onto one of the vocabulary resources recommended in WTM?

Thanks so much for your input!

 

Trafal

Edited November 30, 2009 by trafal
misspelled word

[trafal]

bump

[lionfamily1999]

If she's a strong speller, then go with the vocab recommendations... Just my opinion ;)

[StephanieZ]

SWO works just fine for us; I am very happy with it.

 

But if your dd9 is spelling that well, then *I* would advise that you stick with whatever you've been doing so far!! ("If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is one of my golden rules!)

 

FWIW, SWO only goes to level H (8th grade), so if you were to switch her into SWO, then you'd only have a couple levels before completing the series (at which time most of us either switch to a vocab program or just drop spelling/vocab for the time-being).

 

You could order SWO level G (7th grade) from a local bookstore (Barnes & Noble, etc.) that has a good return policy, take a look at it, then decide whether you want it. OR, start a new thread here asking for sample spelling lists from SWO F, G, & H (e.g., lesson 14 from each of them) to compare difficulty level and choose the appropriate level. You'd be able to resell SWO easily on the swap board if you buy the wrong level and can't return it, so you won't lose tooo much. (I buy my SWO from amazon or rainbow resource, but either one would be a pain to return. . .)

 

Also, each SWO level tends to repeat the spelling rules (there are only so many, lol) just maybe adding a bit more complexity at each level. I definitely wouldn't waste your dd's time on a spelling program when she already knows all/most the words. Even one or two years of SWO will cover nearly all the rules, and teach some handy other skills as well (proof reading marks, homonyms/synonyms/antonyms, analogies, etc.), so it may be worthwhile to put her in G or H and go from there.

Edited December 1, 2009 by StephanieZ

[trafal]

Stephanie,

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I will order SWO level G and H and then shoot for formally starting vocabulary next fall or winter. I am somewhat familiar with the format of SWO but was unsure as to what level would be appropriate. Truthfully, I cannot take much credit for her excellence in spelling. She is such a strong visual learner that seeing/ reading words allows her to intuitively spell them. FWIW, we have always used BJU spelling. And I , on the other hand, am a terrible speller.:001_smile:

 

Trafal

[StephanieZ]

That sounds like what I'd do if I were in your shoes.

 

FWIW, my ds10 is a natural speller and SWO works just as well for him as it does for dd12 who is not. Sometimes I will cross out certain exercises in the lesson if the child gets 100% (or close) on the pretest. . . Omitting the few sections obviously just for spelling (sort the words according to spelling rule) and leaving the rest that have other value (definitions, homonymns, analogies, etc.). It goes fast and is painless.

 

We use SWO just as written, with no teachers manuals, just giving a pretest at the start of each lesson (noting the words missed and copying each 5 times) and then the post test at the end (adding any missed words to an ongoing Trouble Words list in the spelling notebook -- which we try to review/retest occasionally on other spelling tests.)