Spelling Programs for the Natural Speller

[Cammie]

DD is 9. She is a voracious reader and I think, as a result, a natural speller (although I was a great reader and was/am a terrible speller!)

 

I have SWO E & F for her this year. Yesterday we went through the first 6! lessons in SWO E without a mistake - the words were definately too easy for her. I have looked ahead into Level F and I don't think that will be much of a challenge either. She also doesn't seem to need the "rules" as she knows how to spell the words without thinking about them.

 

What do you suggest? I am thinking of just switching over to a SAT 5000 word list and using them for spelling/vocab study. Is there any point in sticking with a more academic approach to spelling for this child?

 

Thanks!

[Cammie]

Anyone?

[Melissa in CA]

Well, since my ds is a natural speller as well, I don't stress spelling as a subject as much as others do. We are perfectly fine with CLE's Spelling included in their LA program. Could he handle harder words? Sure, but I really don't see the need.

 

What I would consider doing, and what I have considered in the past and may do in the future, is to take the vocabulary words he is learning, in whatever program, and making them also his spelling words. Take each day of the week and have him do something extra with the words; write 3x each, use them in sentences, use so many in a paragraph, use them in that online spelling program (Spelling city?) etc.

[forty-two]

It depends whether you just care about the end result - that your child is able to spell most words correctly - or whether it's important to you that your child understands the underlying logic behind English spelling, even if they can spell without it.

 

If all you want is that your child spells well, then I agree there's no point in continuing with formal spelling study with a natural speller. I'm a natural speller, and I've never had any trouble despite no formal spelling instruction; I never learned phonetic rules or word building rules - just had a weekly spelling list to memorize by rote (that I could already spell in the first place).

 

But now that I'm trying to sort out how to teach reading/spelling to my dds, I really feel my lack of formal spelling knowledge. My ad hoc intuitive understanding of English phonetics is just not up to the task. So I'm now working hard, at age 29, to teach myself what an average well-taught 9yo knows :glare:. Natural spellers or not, ALL my kids are going to learn the logic behind English orthography.