How do I use How To Teach Spelling?

[JaniceO]

I just bought How to Teach Spelling and How To Spell Workbook 3 but I'm confused as to how to start. I will be using it with a 4th grader who is a terrible speller (I swear spelling is heriditary and he gets it from his father, lol).

[Gwenny]

I'd love to know this too.

Gwen

[8filltheheart]

I have never used the workbooks, so I don't know how to use them.

 

With my children (who already knew the phonograms), I started at the beginning of the book and simply worked our way through. They had a spelling notebook in which they would write the rule at the top of the page. We would review the words that were appropriate (I simply selected words that were at skill level). I would then dictate the words for them to write under the rule. Repeat the next day. Next day phrases. Next day sentences. Repeat with next rule. etc. Obviously, progression is dependent on understanding and incorporation of rules. In sections with nonsense words, we would spend time on those but not incorporate them into their spelling book pages. I wanted the pages to also be a reference tool for them. (exceptions to rules were incorporated into their notebooks.)

[jeri]

However, I just dove in. We had already done AAS levels one and two so I felt that they were ok with basically letter sounds. However, if you have never done this with your 4th grader, I would start here! It's very important that they *know* that "s" can make a /s/ and /z/ sound, for example. I like the way that this book has them spell nonsense words. This really helped my spellers (especially the ESL child) to focus on sounds. Then I would start with the easy words/sentences like on p. 6.

 

Then, since mine are 4th (bjut ESL) and 2nd, I am not having them keep a notebook. But I do write the rules down on a white board as we go through them and review frequently!

 

I haven't found this to be as complete as I hoped, although I do love the rules! So, I would make sure that I reviewed the words on p. 11 since this is all there is, for example, on the "ea" sound. In general, I have been following the book in the order the lessons are presented, but I do make changes adn I have picked adn chosen depending on my kids' learning levels. I.e., Your 4th grader will probably know a lot more words on the open syllable page (25) than my kids do. So we just brushed on this and kept going. On the other hand, they are using an old Calvert spelling disk for 2nd grade and it's covering the doubling of letters right now so we have jumped ahead to page 62 for the time being. I also have them keep sight word lists in a notebook, usually 10-15 at a time. I do go back almost every day adn pick either phrases or sentences from previous lessons for review.

 

In general, I would have to say that I love this book for the rules and the sight word lists. I do find that I am concurrently using other spelling lists from other sources, partly for the review and partly because I am compulsive :). I have The ABCs adn all of their Tricks, SWR and SP from prevous children and now I pull them out and just go through the lists for any words we have already learned rules for so that they can write them in their notebooks. I find tht the rules must be reviewed and reinforced often since they can be lost from their little minds very quickly! Also, for copy work I really try to find something that they've already learned the rules for. Spelling Wisdom ( I use this with another child) might be good for this since you can locate words alphabetically in the back. Basically, I am trying to inundate these two youngests, along with another 4th grader I have, with a variety of spelling sources to constantly reinforce rules so that they become more intuitive spellers.

 

Hope that this random post helps! And please overlook my spelling erros since I am just typing quickly!

 

Jeri

[Jen500]

I have found using the teacher's book with the workbook the easiest way to implement HTTS. (Although I tried to just use the teacher's book first, w/o the wb). The teacher's book has lots of word lists for each lesson (for all grade levels), so I don't have the need for another spelling program.

I would just start at the beginning, with the sounds, then move on to syllables and rules. (I think that's about the sequence in the wbs) Once we got started, I found HTTS very easy to implement.