Spelling help please: We have trie R&S and Sequential Spelling

[JadeOrchidSong]

Ds7.9 again is in tears too often for spelling time. We used to do R&S 2 and he cried every time we did it when he couldn't spell the word right after a week's study.

We finished R&S 2 and d then did Sequential Spelling 1 until Day 140. We took a break to go back to R&S 3 because we have the book, and he got 99% of words right each time I dictated the words to him. I didn't let him do any of the worksheet in the book and only used the spelling list of each week for him to dictate and it seems he did it with ease. Now when we went back to Sequential Spelling, he cried badly and said he didn't like Sequential Spelling. It is hard to gauge if his spelling has improved with this program. But R&S does seem to be easier for him this time round, so maybe he has improved due to Sequential Spelling?

I like the dictating way of doing spelling because it seems to save time.

What should I do now? Spelling is one thing I am not sure of. Can you share your experience and the program you use after trying R&S and Sequential? I wonder if I should go on to R&S 4 since it is easy for him or go on with Sequential Spelling or find another way. Thanks for listening.

[DB in NJ]

Just a thought: if he seems to do well with the spelling words from R&S but doesn't want (or apparently need) to do the worksheets, why not just stick with it, but use the student book from Spelling Power? It has pre-printed recording sheets where he would write the words you dictate (from the R&S book). You check what he writes, and if it's wrong, you give him the correct spelling (again, there's a place for that) then move on to the next word. On the facing page, there's a 10-step study form for each of his misspelled words. This way, he's only studying the words he doesn't know, as opposed to doing the worksheets in the R&S spelling workbook where he'd been studying ALL of the words, whether he needs to or not.

 

Like I said, just a thought :)

[JadeOrchidSong]

thanks, DB. That is what I am inclined to do. I don't use a student book, I just use the two line writing paper sold by Handwriting Without Tears. I still have him do his writing related subjects in the three ring loose pages, which works well for anything that requires writing.

Then I need R&S 4 now since he's done with 3. Now I regret buying two levels at a time. I have Sequential Spelling 2 sitting on the shelf.

Any other ideas from other users of SS or R&S?

J

[Ellie]

R&S isn't about the spelling lists. It's about the activities.

 

The second and third grade books are very simple, but Spelling by Sound and Structure really picks up the pace with fourth, and again at 6th.

 

You could just wait until next year and start the fourth grade book. It will be fine if he doesn't have anything Official for spelling.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I don't feel like continuing SS or R&S. So I am thinking about Megawords. I like the dictation about SS, and I see Megawords have this component. Do you think this will be a good fit?

J

[Dancer Girl]

Have you ever considered useing the Phonics Zoo Program?

[coffeegal]

Apples and Pears Spelling is another program you could look into. It's done wonders with my dd who simply could not learn to spell with any other program. :001_smile:

[MerryAtHope]

I don't feel like continuing SS or R&S. So I am thinking about Megawords. I like the dictation about SS, and I see Megawords have this component. Do you think this will be a good fit?

J

 

Megawords is for 4th grade and up. I'd look at the others recommended in this thread, and also All About Spelling, and see if one of these is a better fit for your son for now. Sorry he's struggling!

 

Merry :-)

[siloam]

If he is crying it isn't productive. He has already shut down.

 

Also at this age it is not the end of the world if they have spelling issues. :blink: Yes, it is easier if they can spell well, trust me I know. My oldest was a natural and my 3rd dd is dyslexic and because I have spent the last year working on behind the scenes issues rather than a program she is still in AAS level 1 (though just about done now). She is 4th grade spelling at a 2nd grade level, but that is better than last year when she was 3rd grade struggling with 1st grade spelling.

 

In my dd case she couldn't hear the difference between short i and e, nor could she hear both sounds in blends. A word like bend would end up spelled bid. She would promptly read what she spelled and be in tears because she knew it wasn't right, yet didn't have any idea how to correct it. I first did LiPS with her, which develops the ability to hear, see and feel how the mouth moves to make letter sounds. That solved her problems with distinguishing between sounds. Then I pieced together that my 2 older dd's would just "see" a word in their mind and be able to spell a word from that. Neither myself (and I am a notoriously bad speller) nor my 3rd dd had that ability, or the ability to see words in our minds at all. Thus we have been doing a program called Seeing Stars to develop that ability. I didn't need the whole package but just the manual. I apply the methods to AAS, which means AAS is taking longer for us to get through, but she is making rapid progress in spelling now that these pieces of the puzzle have been filled.

 

Megawords is a strong workbook program. Apples and Pears is also a very strong program. My choice would be All About Spelling. It is multi-sensory so it works well with a variety of learning styles and learning difficulties. It focuses more on the why of spelling instead of lists.

 

Heather

[JadeOrchidSong]

If he is crying it isn't productive. He has already shut down.

 

Also at this age it is not the end of the world if they have spelling issues. :blink: Yes, it is easier if they can spell well, trust me I know. My oldest was a natural and my 3rd dd is dyslexic and because I have spent the last year working on behind the scenes issues rather than a program she is still in AAS level 1 (though just about done now). She is 4th grade spelling at a 2nd grade level, but that is better than last year when she was 3rd grade struggling with 1st grade spelling.

 

In my dd case she couldn't hear the difference between short i and e, nor could she hear both sounds in blends. A word like bend would end up spelled bid. She would promptly read what she spelled and be in tears because she knew it wasn't right, yet didn't have any idea how to correct it. I first did LiPS with her, which develops the ability to hear, see and feel how the mouth moves to make letter sounds. That solved her problems with distinguishing between sounds. Then I pieced together that my 2 older dd's would just "see" a word in their mind and be able to spell a word from that. Neither myself (and I am a notoriously bad speller) nor my 3rd dd had that ability, or the ability to see words in our minds at all. Thus we have been doing a program called Seeing Stars to develop that ability. I didn't need the whole package but just the manual. I apply the methods to AAS, which means AAS is taking longer for us to get through, but she is making rapid progress in spelling now that these pieces of the puzzle have been filled.

 

Megawords is a strong workbook program. Apples and Pears is also a very strong program. My choice would be All About Spelling. It is multi-sensory so it works well with a variety of learning styles and learning difficulties. It focuses more on the why of spelling instead of lists.

 

Heather

Heather,

Thanks so much for your detailed answer.

I looked at Apples and Pears once or twice but couldn't really understand it. I always read good reviews about AAS, but have never considered it because there are so many manipulatives to use and I just want spelling to be simple. So I don't know. I might have to purchase AAS. At this point, we are taking a break from spelling until I find the right fit. I really pray that we will find the right one and don't have to change anymore.

 

Thank you all for responding.

J:banghead: (Younger ds asked me to put this in for some fun).

[Wildiris]

I have a 7.5 year-old DD. We tried Spelling Workout last year and it just didn't work. I was disappointed. It worked so well for her older sister who spells very well. In my search for "The Spelling Program" I came across Steck-Vaughn's Core Skills Spelling. This book groups spelling words by sound, but what I like best is the section where the student uses the spelling word in context by reading a passage and finding the spelling word for the blank. This simple exercise works on reading, reading comprehension, using words in context and spelling. The spelling words themselves are ease, so my DD feels good about her accomplishments, hence no tears. She actually wants to do spelling every day.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I have a 7.5 year-old DD. We tried Spelling Workout last year and it just didn't work. I was disappointed. It worked so well for her older sister who spells very well. In my search for "The Spelling Program" I came across Steck-Vaughn's Core Skills Spelling. This book groups spelling words by sound, but what I like best is the section where the student uses the spelling word in context by reading a passage and finding the spelling word for the blank. This simple exercise works on reading, reading comprehension, using words in context and spelling. The spelling words themselves are ease, so my DD feels good about her accomplishments, hence no tears. She actually wants to do spelling every day.

It looks a little similar to R&S Spelling with saying the sound and looking for the sound and writing the words that have the same sound. Looks very systematic. Thanks for sharing. It definitely inexpensive.

J