Spelling

[sditz1]

I know my dd is only 4(5 in November), but she was spelling words as soon as I started to teach her to read. So this year in k4 we started spelling, but we are very relaxed about it. I have an Evan Moor 1st grade spelling book. We only use the spelling list.

 

What I do is give her the words at the beginning of the week, there are 5 words and I add a bonus word. Throughout the week, she spells the word with the magnetic letters, we unscramble the word to spell it, she writes the words out, we play a game of catch and when you miss, you need to spell one of your spelling words and use it in a sentence, and we test using her magnetic letters or writing them on the dry erase board.

 

I know this is working now, but I worry about not having a rule base curriculum. This is working for now, but would like suggestions for future spelling program or how I can incorporate the rules into my own spelling list.

She is young and I am unsure how to tell if she is a natural speller or not. What is a natural speller, anyways?

Thanks

Susan

[Satori]

To me a natural speller would be one who reads and remembers how words are spelled just from reading. When I was younger, I read a ton and just remembered how words were spelled. With an insatiable appetite for reading, and a good education in phonics, spelling was always easy for me.

 

How to do this for my daughter who is really only a preschooler still? Before reading, or while learning how to read, there are many different combinations that sounds can be spelled. So we're at this point of learning the different sound combinations and applying them to the right words.

 

My daughter hasn't had a lot of experience yet in reading (she's just starting), but she asks me how to spell words all the time when she writes. She remembers sounds, like "oo" and using it to write a word called "tool", but then she tries to apply that to other words that are spelled differently, like "rool" for "rule" or "soop" instead of "soup". She'll learn a new spelling rule, like "ie" standing for a certain sound, and then try to apply it to her spelling words, and half the time it is wrong. So she makes the occasional mistake, but I don't mind, we're systematically learning it all.

 

I think that with fast-learning children, some might pick up on spelling naturally through their reading, but they would have to be reading a lot first. I want my daughter to know all the phonics rules before she reads difficult stuff, but this fall we'll be done with phonics and really into reading.

 

For now, and in the future (because I love it so much), we'll be using All-About-Spelling. It's been so effective as we learn to read and spell concurrently. My daughter loves it and it's been so effective for her.

[sditz1]

Our dd's are so much a like. I know that you love what you are using for spelling and it's working well. Which means it would probably work just as well for my child. I wish I could get over the price of it. I keep looking for something that costs less, but is somewhat comparable. If anyone knows as such a spelling program please tell me.

Thanks

Susan

[Halcyon]

My just 5 yo is the same. Loves reading, loves spelling, and just 'gets' how to spell words without effort. We thought about using a spelling book (particularly SWO) but for now, we are going to use McGuffey's Natural Speller (free!) for lists, and that's all, mostly because he loves to have "spelling tests" like his big brother.