Spelling Curriculum Ideas?

[Pine Ledge Academy]

What are some thought on spelling... we have been using Spelling Workout and it is ok, but not that challenging. We have used Phonetic zoo A since I found it used and cheap, but I don't want to pay the full price for level B. has anyone used spelling power? any other ideas? Thanks. maureen

[Closeacademy]

We like Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. You do have to learn the phonograms and the spelling rules but it helps greatly. I have always been a terrible speller but it is getting better for me the more I work with the program to help my children learn to read and to spell.

 

We have spent the past 2 years just focusing on the phonograms and next year when my oldest starts 3rd we will start working with the lists and I have typed up all the charts and enrichments into worksheets she can use to really work with the words each week.

 

Just an idea but you probably want something more pick up and go.:001_smile:

[homewithtrinity]

Before your student starts Spelling Power, they take a couple spelling tests. This allows you to place them in the correct list. The lists consist of one sound. The first week the lists are usually really easy for the student but as you progress the words become more difficult. The key to learning the words is daily test followed by kinestheitc activities to practice missed spelling words.

 

If this doesn't seem to be your cup of tea, you might try sequential spelling. I liked that this program had long lists for different chunks found in words. (in, fin, begin, beginning) This allowed me to use the same chunk with both students but to give my natural speller harder words.

 

Hope this helped.

[Sweetpeach]

We like Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. You do have to learn the phonograms and the spelling rules but it helps greatly. I have always been a terrible speller but it is getting better for me the more I work with the program to help my children learn to read and to spell.

 

We have spent the past 2 years just focusing on the phonograms and next year when my oldest starts 3rd we will start working with the lists and I have typed up all the charts and enrichments into worksheets she can use to really work with the words each week.

 

Just an idea but you probably want something more pick up and go.:001_smile:

 

Hi there, tell me how much of a time committment was it to turn the SWR text into worksheets. I like the concept of SWR, we work with the phonograms and use the spelling ideas, but worksheets -- I need worksheets so I can say to older -- here, you do this while I work with youngers . . .

 

I find it tough to manage in the run of our day.

 

Tricia

[Guest]

All About Spelling is MUCH easier and cheaper than SWR. Also, Evan Moor Building Daily Spelling Skills, Rod and Staff, Calvert school Spelling Cds..... We found Spelling workout to be nothing but busy work.

[TracyR]

We do like Calvert spelling . The spelling CD is about $20 . I don't think you can purchase the spelling book seperately though . But you can check through Scott Foresman its called Everyday Spelling .

You don't need the spelling book for the CD though .

[Guest]

I think you can purchase the Everyday Spelling workbook directly from Scott Foresman. When we used Calvert, we just used the CD. As the other poster said, the book and the CD are completely independent of each other. Both are complete alone.

[tiffanyl]

.

We like Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. You do have to learn the phonograms and the spelling rules but it helps greatly. I have always been a terrible speller but it is getting better for me the more I work with the program to help my children learn to read and to spell.

 

We have spent the past 2 years just focusing on the phonograms and next year when my oldest starts 3rd we will start working with the lists and I have typed up all the charts and enrichments into worksheets she can use to really work with the words each week.

 

Just an idea but you probably want something more pick up and go.:001_smile:

 

:iagree: This worked wonders for my kids! They were 9 & 11yrs. at that time. We have used it for 2yrs. It has a little learning curve at first, but the results made it so worth it!!

 

 

Tiffany

[Closeacademy]

Hi there, tell me how much of a time committment was it to turn the SWR text into worksheets. Tricia

 

It took a couple of weeks working here and there (probably 3-4 hours a week for 3-4 weeks). I made worksheets for lists A through M because that is as far as I think we will get next year.

 

Basically, I made charts for each letter and phonogram, charts for rules that did not go with a certain phonogram, charts for things like numbers, months of the year and such.

 

Then I went through those little helps at the bottom of the pages of the WISE guide and turned them into worksheets. If there wasn't enough stuff there then I made fill in the blank sentences. There are a lot of great ideas at the bottom of the page--like homophones, analogies, antonyms, etc. So we will be able to cover a lot of language arts concepts while working with the spelling words.

 

Hope this helps.:001_smile:

[sweetbaby]

We have Natural Speller but if your child is a great speller, Spelling Power would probably work best. Rod and Staff's spelling is very thorough also.

[bella_gitana]

I had not heard of All About Spelling, and was thinking about using Spelling Power next year. We tried Sequential Spelling, but it just wasn't for us. Where do I find AAS? I Googled it and all I get are reviews. Is there a website? And how does it compare to SP?

TIA,

[Karen in CO]

We use Rod and Staff spelling. The exercises are short and to the point. My dd is a good, natural speller, but I needed a logical, simple approach to introducing new spelling words to her. I pretest her and she can skip the lesson if she spells the words correctly.

[amyable]

I had not heard of All About Spelling, and was thinking about using Spelling Power next year. We tried Sequential Spelling, but it just wasn't for us. Where do I find AAS? I Googled it and all I get are reviews. Is there a website? And how does it compare to SP?

TIA,

 

Can't compare it to SP, but here's the website: http://www.all-about-spelling.com/ :)

[eve]

I floundered a bit trying different variations of WRTR and then complete switched to Rod and Staff for one month, and then I found Spell to Write and Read (SWR), and I love it. It really made the principles and methods of WRTR homeschool friendly.

[DeeDeeMarie0]

We have tried Spelling Workout, Phonetic Zoo, and Spelling Power and none of them seemed to work with my spelling challenged boys. Then I found Sequential Spelling by AVKO. It was designed for children with dyslexia, but is now the recommended spelling program in the Sonlight catalog. It does seem to be helping. I didn't notice any improvement until about 3 to 4 months into the program.

[ayau]

I have Spelling Power, and having the Activity Cards can help with the learning. My kids love being able to jump rope the words.

[probablytracy]

Use their readers to get spelling words. And add ones they mispellin writing!!!!

[Beth in Central TX]

We use R&S spelling too. It has been a great fit for our homeschool, but we do all of the lessons every year.

[Handmaiden]

We LOVE Sequential Spelling. Saved us from major spelling woes!

 

Here is another thread discussing spelling:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=267720#post267720

[Another Lynn]

Hi there, tell me how much of a time committment was it to turn the SWR text into worksheets. I like the concept of SWR, we work with the phonograms and use the spelling ideas, but worksheets -- I need worksheets so I can say to older -- here, you do this while I work with youngers . . .

 

I find it tough to manage in the run of our day.

 

Tricia

 

 

There's also a product SWR sells called "My Wise Grammar" where someone else (one of the trainers?) made worksheets of some of the enrichments. You might find this helpful. It saved us some time this year. (It does not have ALL the enrichments for each list, but at least 1 or 2). We sometimes dropped the enrichments altogether in favor of dictation - sentences I made up using as many list words as I could.

[arcara]

I vote for AAS (of course, I've never tried most of these other programs, so I can't compare).

 

We've just started using this program, but I love it! My kids love it, too! I love that it teaches phonograms and rules, so it teaches them how to spell more than just 10-15 words per week. For instance, when it's teaching you the rule about using 'k' or 'c' at the beginning of a word, they practice words that use both, instead of a whole list of words that begin with only a 'k.' so they have to learn to apply the rule. The end of the "chapter" review/practice (kinda like the test), is about 8-10 sentences that you dictate to you dc. They include some of the focus words of the chapter, but also other words that use the rule for that chapter and words from previous lessons. My dc love using the magnets on the board and love not having a workbook.