Questions about Spelling... 6th grade....

[sweetsouthern]

i have dd doing megawords, shes almost done with book 1, but she just told me she hates it! lol! she asked if that was the end of it and i said no lol!.

 

what other options are there that i can look into? she like to be VERY independent and thats why i purchased mw to start with.

 

also, what grade do you stop spelling around?? or what would i look for in order to stop?

 

thanks so much! :lurk5:

[JenneinCA]

I don't know about independent spelling programs, but I do have opinions on when to stop spelling as an official class. I will stop when my child can write a paragraph on most topics without making too many spelling mistakes.

 

In practice, I don't do spelling with my dd12. I haven't done spelling with her officially ever. She just knew how to spell. It is crazy, but she is really really good.

 

My ds10, I am using Spelling Power this year after doing Apples and Pears last year. He finished Apples and Pears, we didn't stop because it stopped working. Anyway, he is now at grade level in spelling, but is only just there. I can't see stopping spelling with him anytime in the near future. He will be doing spelling as a sixth grader next year for sure and unless something magical happens for years after that too.

 

My ds6 is much like my dd12. He can spell really well. He is doing Spelling Power and is a few lists behind ds10. That is, he is spelling at at least a fifth grade level and advancing quickly. I fully expect that we will stop spelling as a subject for him before fourth grade. He will be able to spell anything he wants to and after that I don't see a need to continue.

 

Spelling Power is NOT independent. It is short. We spend no more than five minutes on word lists and no more than ten in total per day. I like it because it is open and do and seems to be teaching my boys to spell. I hope that helps.

[Kate in Arabia]

My oldest is a natural speller, and does spelling completely independently. He has used Spelling Workout, and is on the last volume of that now as a 12 yr old in 7th grade. I intend to move him into a vocab program after this, although much of these later volumes have been more about vocab than strictly spelling anyway.

[sweetsouthern]

:)

[christine in al]

PC, cdRom program. I was given this cd( or DVD, or CDRom, ,, what ever it is) and I have grades 9-12. I recon' this could be completely independent.

 

We are just using the appropriate spelling list in SWR Wise Guide, they've been throurgh a few years of the program and are on auto pilot now, ( not a stellar way to use it, but it's something)

 

I'm going to get WORD POWER for my literal-minded, independent second child for vocabulary building. that may also work for spelling.

 

~christine in al

[robsiew]

In order to stop focusing on spelling as a separate subject I would look for few spelling errors in any writing your dd does. Also, I would make sure there are no spelling patterns that trip her up all the time (for example, always spelling words that should be ie with ei instead).

 

My ds10 is on level 5 in AAS. I figure he'll finish the series somewhere around end of 5th grade, beginning of 6th (he's a very strong speller naturally, but really has benefited greatly from AAS). At that point I'm actually considering moving him into the latter levels of Spelling Workout because I've heard they concentrate more on vocab than spelling rules. That might be an option for your dd.

[regentrude]

I don't do spelling with my 6th grader.

I did some in 5th when I had pulled him out of school, but he hated it and it was pointless since he always could spell the words just fine and all the practice was just busy work.

He writes stories, and on a whole handwritten page of creative writing (first draft, no re-reading or editing) he has at most two spelling mistakes. If he types, he has none - spell check marks the words (we do not use auto correct!) and he corrects the occasional misspelled word immediately.

So I'd say, if you child makes no or very few mistakes, a formal spelling program is no longer necessary and it suffices to correct misspelled words in her work.

[jec3113]

My kids LOVE Phentic Zoo. You can purchase it from Institute for Excellence in Writing. Once they graduate out of Phonetic Zoo, they also have spelling for older kids that is thematic. Plan on using it all the way through.