Megawords - how to implement?

[half-dozenroses]

Could someone please give me a play-by-play of how you would implement megawords for a 6th and 7th grader? Is it meant to be spelling lists for them? Do they just fill in the workbook or is there more to it?

Thanks much!

[holdoll]

Well, the first day, we go over the list and the new spelling rule. Memorization of the rule is the key for us, because once my girls memorize the "rule", they can spell words they've never seen before. Then each day they fill in the workbook one letter at a time, ie 14a, 14b, 14c, etc. At the end of each series, we do a verbal review of what words they will be responsible for spelling and then the next day a test. Afterward, we review spelling rules from previous lists. We haven't had to do any list over yet.

[half-dozenroses]

Thanks, holdoll. How many words do you test on? It looks like each lesson has lots of words!

[holdoll]

Last year for 5th grade we did 20 words for younger dd. I will probably do 25 this year. Oldest will do 30. Honestly, she doesn't have to do spelling anymore thanks to Megawords. She likes it though. :001_huh:

[RhondaJK]

Well, the first day, we go over the list and the new spelling rule. Memorization of the rule is the key for us, because once my girls memorize the "rule", they can spell words they've never seen before. Then each day they fill in the workbook one letter at a time, ie 14a, 14b, 14c, etc. At the end of each series, we do a verbal review of what words they will be responsible for spelling and then the next day a test. Afterward, we review spelling rules from previous lists. We haven't had to do any list over yet.

 

Do you need the TM? I can't really get a good idea of what the exercises actually look like--I can only get the TM sample pages to load and not the student pages. The TM seems very detailed and the sample goes all of the way to 2s, this would take a while one letter at a time. How long does each unit usually take?

 

I would be starting in the 1st book with a rising 4th grader, she did spelling with K12 last year and I was planning Spelling Workout for this year but I really like how this program seems to teach how to apply the rules to every word they encounter, not just memorizing a list each week.

[nmoira]

Do you need the TM? I can't really get a good idea of what the exercises actually look like--I can only get the TM sample pages to load and not the student pages.

You can do without it, but not easily. There are one or two exercises per list which involve dictation. Having the TM also makes checking the work a snap. :) IIRC, in the second edition books high frequency words are only noted in the TM.

 

The TM seems very detailed and the sample goes all of the way to 2s, this would take a while one letter at a time. How long does each unit usually take?

DD the Elder has completed 5.5 books in 2.5 years doing:

 

 

• one page per day, probably averaging out to between 3.5 and 4 days per week over the course of the year

• writing all the sentences from dictation on the last page of each list, usually over the course of 2 or 3 days

• dictating all the words from each list (25 per day, with troublemakers added to the review list at the end of the book)

 

[EKS]

Do you need the TM?

 

Yes. There are some exercises that you absolutely need the TM for and many others where the TM will save your sanity. I tried to go TM free several years ago and it was a big mistake!

[RhondaJK]

Thanks, Kai and Moira. I'll be ordering both.:001_smile:

[half-dozenroses]

I am back to this post of mine...

 

So - those who use megawords for spelling - say you pick 20 words from the list that they will be responsible for testing on - do you go through the entire sets of lessons for that rule before actually having them practice with a list of words? In other words, you don't have them copy spelling words along with the exercise pages? I hope I am phrasing my question in a way that makes sense.

I am still wrapping my mind around how to do this - if I were to allot 15-20 minutes per day for spelling.... Would they just do the exercises, and when they were done with the lesson then make them a spelling list to review and test on?

[half-dozenroses]

:bigear:

[Hedgehogs4]

:lurk5:

[kalanamak]

I got this book two years early, and we have started using it as a change of pace for vocab. I don't have kiddo (8) write or try to memorize how to spell it, but to look over the rule, pronounce it, and recognize it in the future. Sort of a Read to Spell and Write rather than a Spell to Read and Write!

 

I really like this book.

[momtolgd]

:lurk5:

 

I was coming on to post pretty much this same question...and did a search first to see if I could find the answer. Bumping this post back up hoping for more replies because my oldest ds will be starting this next week and I am trying to figure out how to schedule it. :confused:

[half-dozenroses]

This is how I am planning on working it:

First, take the pre-test and see which lessons dd can place out of.

Then, for all the lessons she needs to do, start with solid explanation/review of the rule for that week. Work on workpages for 15 minutes/day. When it gets to the sentence dictation page , have her do all the sentences, as much as she can in 15 min per day til they are done.

Then assign 25 words from the lesson list that she will be tested on. Give her 2 days to practice this list. Then test on the list.

In between each lesson, I will assign a list of "personal spelling words" that I have noted from misspelled words from her other work. She will again have 2 days to practice on this list, then will be tested.

After successfully testing, then back to the next lesson in Megawords.

 

That is my plan, for now. We will see how it works once we get going!