What happens if I DITCH the O-G/Spalding method?

[abrightmom]

Will my kids end up not reading, not reading well, spelling horribly or being academically maimed for life?:D

 

I have spent too much time trying to figure out WRTR, SWR, PR, AAS . . . . wondering if the time spent in these early years is really NEEDED. Can we use something like Rod & Staff spelling for now and then fix spelling problems via AAS or some other super intense program down the line if it's needed?

 

I soooooooo want to make this easier if I can but I'm afraid! I'm afraid to take a lighter approach to spelling because I think they might read better with the grounded spelling help.

 

But, I honestly don't know. There is so much information, so many methodologies, so many approaches . . . and there are enough Moms NOT using these crazy busy programs to teach spelling that it begs the question. WHY teach this way and do MY kids NEED it? What happens if I opt for something easier like R&S?

 

:confused::confused::confused:

[Tabrett]

Honestly, unless you dc is having sever problems in spelling and reading and you think this is the only program that will correct problems, I would ditch it if I didn't like it. If I don't like a program, I don't teach it well. It would be better to use a good program that you enjoy teaching than to use a program that other people say is the best and you dislike. R&S spelling is a good program and if your dc do well with R&S they will probably be well ahead of their peers.

 

I couldn't stand RS math. I tried, but it wasn't for my family. Way too hands on and not enough written work for us. Do I feel my dc are going to lose out? No! I am a much better teacher using a curriculum that has more written work. So my dc are actually receiving better instruction.

[boscopup]

I was originally planning to use AAS, but then I realized that my son has been making 100s on his spelling tests at school, and we rarely do more than a quick oral test at home, if we even study it at all. So I decided to go with R&S spelling. If one of my kids has spelling problems, I'll give AAS or another O-G/Spalding method a try. But for now, my son seems to learn spelling easily once he learns the phonics. He learns a lot like I do, and I never was taught all the spelling rules. I spell very well (at least when not typing on my iPod). My son seems to be going the same route.

 

I did get the book The ABCs and All Their Tricks so I can explain "why" if I need to.

[Ellie]

Millions of children learn to read and spell without every having heard of Spalding. If you ditch it, I'm sure your dc will be just fine. :-)

 

FTR, Spalding teaches children to read by teaching them to spell. IOW, it isn't only a *spelling* method. Just sayin'. :D

[HappyGrace]

Depends on the dc AND the teacher.

 

Tried SWR with older dd-turns out she's a natural speller (plus she HATED it, and she's not picky), dropped it quickly

 

PR is working GREAT with ds7 though.

 

I hear you, it is hard to "break up with" O-G! But go ahead-YOU have to like it as a teacher!

[blessedmom3]

With four kids , I gave up with AAS very soon. I use a combo of copywork/dictation and workbook. We like Building Spelling Skills by CLP . Does a great job, easy and independent . I do use spelling rules from SWR and flashcards only if needed. My kids are excellent readers and spellers , even if one has a LD /speech delay.

 

Make it easy for you , they'll be ok :)

[abbeyej]

I think those programs are FABULOUS for certain kids. And *extreme*overkill* for many others.

 

My children both learned with Phonics Pathways and Explode the Code, plenty of informal practice drawn from various sources, and piles of books. They are excellent, voracious readers and natural spellers. It's not that I did anything miraculously wonderful with them, they just didn't *need* anything more than that. I'm convinced that either one of them would have been bored silly (that's a terrible phrase -- more like bored homicidal) if I had tried to use WRTR or any of those others...

 

That said, if I ever had a child who was like my little sister, I'd absolutely use those programs.

 

If your kids are learning and progressing though? Feel free to go with something simpler.

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

It all depends on you and your children. What are your goals for your students? What is important to you? What does each individual student need?

 

The only thing that I would ask you to consider is that many times it is difficult to determine what younger students need. Often times, spelling issues become a problem around the 4th-5th grade. Whatever curriculum you use, I would encourage a program that is systematic and provides ample practice and review. (Building Spelling Skills comes to mind. If you are still in the phonics age, then Adventures in Phonics by Christian Liberty Press is very effective and inexpensive.)

 

Our family decided the time investment involved with SWR was worth it. It was the only program that worked for one of my students. In the sixth grade he was spelling at a third grade level. With SWR, he gained three grade levels in one year. So for us, the time involved is necessary. I use it with all of my children, but the time spent is not that bad. My middle schooler and my highschooler are taught together for 15 minutes a day. My youngest daughter SWR lesson takes another 15 minutes.

 

Now all of that said, we choose not to use other time intensive curriculum. We focus on the basics and choose to learn history/science using textbooks supplemented with read alouds. We read aloud everyday discussing everything along the way. We're big on acquiring skills and spend a bulk of our time learning how to do something. (For instance, my daughter is learning how to hand-sew right now. My middle son is learning guitar, my 11th grader is learning how to use a router in woodworking and my college student is trying to figure out how to build an aquaponics tank in the back yard.

 

Those are our priorities. Each family will have different priorities. So I would encourage you to decide what yours are and then choose programs that support your goals. I hope taking a peak into our situation helps in some way.

 

Sometimes time intensive programs are necessary, but sometimes they just clutter up life. Each of us has to decide what is worth the investment and what is not.

[susankenny]

Yes, we ditched it & my daughter isn't a natural speller. We now use Spelling Plus & Dictation Plus. It's the best decision I've made.

 

Susan

[Honey Bee]

Hi Katrina,

 

It's funny, I was just looking at my old posts, all my struggles with PR, Rightstart, and history, there for me to see when I want to be reminded how much things change :D.

 

What you can't see is all my notebooks with "time" charts I made showing me how many minutes I would save by going with XYZ curriculum instead, and even further, I have the pros and cons list too.

 

All that to say, I had to walk away from PR before I really appreciated it. I think you ought to give yourself a break and work with something else YOU feel would simplify things till you figure it out. I really hear you saying you want things more simple. You have a few options.

 

 

• Some time ago you mentioned Spelling Wisdom, what if you used it for a while?
  
• You could keep the SWR rules and ABC and All their Tricks handy and as he makes spelling errors he can writing it in his notebook WTM style.
  
• Other options are AAS or workbook options like CLP spelling book.
  

 

One of the things about copywork/narration is they don't do much writing "on their own." So its hard to see where they are in spelling. The SWR has a "test" in the back that you could give him to help you tell what grade he's spelling on.

 

When I finally came back around to PR (and I ditch it twice), things came together and they have been going good ever since. I did have to ditch it a few times :D to figure it all out though. I'm not saying PR is right for you, but that teaching our children is more that just a learning experience for them, its for us too. With PR we are learning something we've never been taught before, but we've been doing our whole lives, and having to be student and teacher, well can make me a little cooky :willy_nilly: at times. I found myself asking the same questions as you and struggling just the same. I'm just here to testify that if you keep reading and keep praying things will settle out. I also found taking a break from the forums help tremendously until I solidified my decision. In other words, I had to get alone with my thoughts about my kids, what I knew, and where we should go.

 

:grouphug: Melissa

[siloam]

Will my kids end up not reading, not reading well, spelling horribly or being academically maimed for life?:D

That is not a loaded question at all. :D

 

I went through public school as a dyslexic. I wasn't severe enough to qualify for help, but never did learn how to spell or do grammar. I still survived in the real world.

 

That said part of the reason why I hs is because I want my kids to have a better foundation.

 

I have spent too much time trying to figure out WRTR, SWR, PR, AAS . . . . wondering if the time spent in these early years is really NEEDED. Can we use something like Rod & Staff spelling for now and then fix spelling problems via AAS or some other super intense program down the line if it's needed?

 

It depends on the child. Most will be fine. If there is an LD present then you might find that long term you have to come back and pick it up again.

 

I soooooooo want to make this easier if I can but I'm afraid! I'm afraid to take a lighter approach to spelling because I think they might read better with the grounded spelling help.

 

But, I honestly don't know. There is so much information, so many methodologies, so many approaches . . . and there are enough Moms NOT using these crazy busy programs to teach spelling that it begs the question. WHY teach this way and do MY kids NEED it? What happens if I opt for something easier like R&S?

 

:confused::confused::confused:

I know my kids need it. I see the evidence all the time. I have been covering phonics with ds 7 since he was 5. Now at first it was with LiPS using it as speech therapy, but soon I was working with a formal LA program. He did Get Ready, Set, Go for the code twice because the first time through he couldn't hear the sounds at all and I had to basically show it to him. Now he has it mastered...most of the time. :D He still has auditory processing problems that means he has recall problems. I can give him a word for spelling, one we worked with just the day before, and he will start to write it and pause. When ever he pauses I know he is struggling. He knows what is in his head is not correct but he can't find the right answer. Most of the time I have to step in and help because he can't find it on his own. Poor guy is frustrated, and I is hard on me too, not knowing how long we will have to work on this till he has mastered it. Previous experience does tell me he will have mastery someday, so there is that.

 

I know from personal experience of teaching phonics for 7 years that many typical dyslexia problems can be overcome, but it does take time. I used to have b/d confusion, now I don't. My dad used to write words backwards and I would read the word he intended and not even notice it was backwards. Now I see when words are written wrong. I use to not be able to hear the difference between short i and e or vocalized and unvocalized th, but now I do. I didn't have the ability to see words in my mind to spell from, and now I have developed that ability and am learning to use it more and more. Time and hard work pay off, but that is assuming there is some sort of learning/processing problem to begin with.

 

If you don't have any known LD's then feel free to step back. As I said before the worst that can happen is you will discover that they do need it. At that point the child will know they need it (be on board), and will be more mature so you will be able to cover more in a shorter period of time.

 

Meanwhile do what you need to do to run the race long term. It does you no good to do the ideal, but burn out and give up.

 

Heather

[MerryAtHope]

:auto: The OG police will come for you! :D

 

Seriously...either your kids will be fine with another method, or a year or two down the road you'll see that they really need it (or maybe after a break you'll decide it's what you want) and you'll come back to it later. I didn't start AAS until the end of my kids' 3rd and 5th grade years. I wish I'd found it sooner, but we also had problems earlier. If you're not noticing any problems yet...maybe you won't. Or, maybe you'll end up deciding you need it later. Not the end of the world.

 

It's close to Christmas. Maybe take a break for now, pray about it, and then decide in January whether to pick it back up or try something else for one or both kids.

 

Sometimes as homeschoolers we can get sucked into a "grass is greener" type of syndrome and want to switch curriculum up all the time, looking for perfect. Other times something just isn't working for us but we're so afraid of messing up that we don't want to risk a change. You sound like you may be struggling with the latter.

 

I really think we need freedom to fail as homeschoolers. Because only in the freedom to fail do we also find the freedom to take risks and succeed. So...give yourself the freedom to fail. Tell fear and guilt that they don't get to make this decision. If you could shut up fear and guilt in a box...what would you do? If you could put away any voices you are hearing in your head from the Polly Perfect Homeschooler or the "You're going to mess up your kids" type voices...what would you like to do?

 

Sometimes your ideas will totally flop. So what? Now you know something that won't work for you & your kids. Who discovers what will work the first time they try something? Not many!

 

AAS has helped us immensely, but it's not something every child needs. If you don't like it and aren't sure your child needs it, then feel the freedom to give something else a try. But, take a break and then decide in a bit. No sense adding this stress to the Christmas season, which is already hectic for most people! Do some baking with your kids. Read Christmas oriented stories. Do crafts if you want or take baked goods to neighbors, visit a shut-in, build a snowman if you have snow...Enjoy some relaxed "schooling" for a few weeks with maybe some obligatory subjects if you want or need--I always did this when my kids were younger.

 

:grouphug:

 

Merry :-)

[daughterofsarah77]

Totally asking the same question here!!! We are not that far into AAS 1, and I am just not feeling it...I feel like we are learning "the method" rather than learning spelling, LOL !!!!!

I actually just sold it and am planning on going to R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure...and hoping I am not permanently damaging my child!

[abrightmom]

:001_smile: Ladies,

 

Thanks for all of the helpful responses. I don't dislike the method at all! I am fascinated and I do enjoy what we are doing. It's just SO time intensive and when I'm teaching spelling to a kid who can spell (or who remember how to spell a word after trying it once) it begs the question, "Why are we spending this much time on spelling?". He loves PR but I think it is due in part to the fact that it is easy right now. I like marking words but I'm asking him to mark words and think about words he can already spell!!! Hmmmmmmm. I'm still working through this. The point isn't "marking". The marking is a tool to help him analyze a word. I guess I'm not sure if he needs to do the marking because he can already spell the words.

 

:lol::lol: Ack!

 

Even today. . . . we are doing the work but goodness gracious who knows why?! The kid can spell (at least for now :D). I'm very tempted to shift him to Rod & Staff because I don't think he needs rules based spelling like AAS or PR. I'm just not sure if what we're doing is busy work (as in not needed) or fruitful for him. I'm sure learning something :D so that makes it a little easier to press on for now.

 

Thanks again for your help!!!! I'm going to continue on our path (AAS for one, PR for the other) and keep stewing over these questions. I'm so glad it's Christmastime. There are other things to occupy my time and attention. School can take a backseat for a couple of weeks.

[jenL]

This is an excellent question! I've been stewing with this as well, and hanging on to AAS due to fear. I'm so afraid my son will not spell well unless I teach it by breaking it down into the small parts as AAS does. However, he's a very visual child, so seeing something once often cements it to his brain. My husband is the same way. I have no idea what I would switch to though... I'm going to take a peek at R&S. We're loving it for grammar, so I wonder if it's a good fit for spelling... Lots to think about!

[johnandtinagilbert]

Can we use something like Rod & Staff spelling for now and then fix spelling problems via AAS or some other super intense program down the line if it's needed?

 

 

 

:confused::confused::confused:

I've been avoiding this thread, but as of this morning, I feel led to share something.

 

My dd#1 read early. She spelled early. She whizzed through math early. She participated in history and science early simply b/c her 2 older brothers were doing it, so why not her too? As a result of all this "early" I assumed she was gifted and skipped phonics instruction. We went the RS spelling route after 1 year in Spelling Power. She is a diligent student and did great until late 4th grade when I realized she was incorrectly reading a lot of words I thought she should know. Turns out, it was a phonics problem. Our early ditch of 100EZL and ditch of phonics programs didn't show up until that time.

 

I know you've agonized over this decision. I know you want what is best for your son. The "bad calls" I made may never be the case for your son. I'm just sayin' what appears to be now, may not be the same later and the bolded quote from your original post is not something to take lightly. Filling gaps is a PAIN. A pain for the teacher, who will in the future have more dc in school, requiring more time to teach basics; who will have a child whose self image takes at least one solid punch as it's not easy to hide remediation (I took the route of blaming myself out loud so they would know it wasn't their fault); who will Need to be preparing for middle school, but is instead still focusing on early elementary.

 

Remediation IS possible, my older 3 are case and point to that, but it is MUCH easier to do it right the first time. I know you're not taking this lightly b/c I've read all your agonizing posts, I am hoping to encourage you to do as Merry suggested, step away and enjoy December, but really be in prayer. God will show you what to use. He's done it for me. I've prayed and asked for specific answers to home schooling and He's given them to me down to daily scheduling.

 

Whatever route you take, I encourage continued phonics instruction and a keen eye on his reading aloud. The connection between spelling and reading is a real one. Just be mindful of it, no matter what approach you use and don't forget, even RS requires a great deal of your time when you have 4 kids using 4 grammar and 4 spelling texts. Also remember, the little ones will be big and keeping them all in school is often times easier than juggling the littles AND juggling school.

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited September 23, 2023 by SilverMoon

[abrightmom]

I've been avoiding this thread, but as of this morning, I feel led to share something.

 

My dd#1 read early. She spelled early. She whizzed through math early. She participated in history and science early simply b/c her 2 older brothers were doing it, so why not her too? As a result of all this "early" I assumed she was gifted and skipped phonics instruction. We went the RS spelling route after 1 year in Spelling Power. She is a diligent student and did great until late 4th grade when I realized she was incorrectly reading a lot of words I thought she should know. Turns out, it was a phonics problem. Our early ditch of 100EZL and ditch of phonics programs didn't show up until that time.

 

I know you've agonized over this decision. I know you want what is best for your son. The "bad calls" I made may never be the case for your son. I'm just sayin' what appears to be now, may not be the same later and the bolded quote from your original post is not something to take lightly. Filling gaps is a PAIN. A pain for the teacher, who will in the future have more dc in school, requiring more time to teach basics; who will have a child whose self image takes at least one solid punch as it's not easy to hide remediation (I took the route of blaming myself out loud so they would know it wasn't their fault); who will Need to be preparing for middle school, but is instead still focusing on early elementary.

 

Remediation IS possible, my older 3 are case and point to that, but it is MUCH easier to do it right the first time. I know you're not taking this lightly b/c I've read all your agonizing posts, I am hoping to encourage you to do as Merry suggested, step away and enjoy December, but really be in prayer. God will show you what to use. He's done it for me. I've prayed and asked for specific answers to home schooling and He's given them to me down to daily scheduling.

 

Whatever route you take, I encourage continued phonics instruction and a keen eye on his reading aloud. The connection between spelling and reading is a real one. Just be mindful of it, no matter what approach you use and don't forget, even RS requires a great deal of your time when you have 4 kids using 4 grammar and 4 spelling texts. Also remember, the little ones will be big and keeping them all in school is often times easier than juggling the littles AND juggling school.

 

:001_smile: Thanks Tina! That issue of struggles showing up later on is always in the back of my mind . . . and I agree wholeheartedly about the connection between spelling and reading. That is actually my motivator for teaching my oldest this way. I'd like to help him with bigger words (he has grappled with multi syllable words quite a bit). He reads aloud to me daily from the Bible and a chapter book. I wasn't doing this for awhile and then I realized that he was stumbling over "big words". Now we're dilligent with the reading aloud.

 

We are going to keep with our current path (we haven't left it even in the midst of asking 100 questions about it) because it is working and working WELL. My DS8 LOVES PR and he told me that if I was going to "quit spelling" we'd have to have a boxing match! Every time I watch a DVD (I'm doing the DVD-a-thon right now and getting toward the end) I'm more impressed.

 

AAS is working well for my young younger :D and it is laying lovely groundwork for him in a big slower, gentler fashion. The approach is laid out so well and it is easy for me to teach him 3 times a week.

 

I just love to ask questions . . . I usually think on something for awhile and then I MUST ASK!! :001_smile: It's enjoyable to "discuss". I have always wondered why MORE Moms don't use this approach if it is heads and shoulders above . . .

 

One last tid bit (for anyone who might actually be reading): OhE says to stick with what is working. You only fix what isn't working. Merry says to pick what is excellent (not perfect, but excellent).

[3lilreds in NC]

:auto: The OG police will come for you! :D

 

 

That's what I was going to say! :lol:

 

I was going to say that AAS doesn't make you figure out much. I looked at SWR, and it hurt my brain, so I decided we would use something else for spelling. I have AAS, and I love it, but we haven't been using it. My 3 year old make school difficult, regardless of the subject, and I can't keep him out of the magnets.

 

We're supposed to be using Spelling Wisdom from Simply Charlotte Mason. I love CM and in my ideal world we'd do everything her way. We haven't been doing that either, though, so I may pull AAS back out and try to do it when Schmooey is sleeping or something.

 

I have one natural speller and one who just isn't. I haven't figured out what works best for my less-natural speller yet; I am hoping CM will work.

[abrightmom]

I have no input on the many O-G programs listed in the OP, but I wanted to comment on R&S spelling. R&S's Spelling by Sound and Structure is phonics based, and does teach the rules. It is easy to use, and very teacher friendly. The second grade book doesn't get into rules; it focuses on hearing the sounds and getting them down on paper. From third grade on up it focuses on one or two spelling rules a week. The word lists are often considered to be on the easy side, but the exercises more than make up for it. These books aren't about memorizing an arbitrary list of words. You wouldn't be leaving phonics rules behind if you went this way.

:lol: See . . . this is why I'm questioning . . . it "seems" like it should be just fine for him (my oldest who, darn it all, loves Phonics Road). We used the 2nd grade spelling and I loved it. Then, my heart was stolen by the O-G method but it is a demanding program.

 

Moon, are your olders using it now? Have they used R&S all the way through? Any concerns about their reading and spelling abilities? Have you experienced hiccups along the way? :001_smile:

 

Part of the reason I chose the O-G method was to help with reading. Is this the right approach (this O-G spelling method)? If my son struggles to read multi syllable words maybe we just need to practice reading them. . . hmmmmm. I am an Over Complicater I think . . .

Edited December 7, 2010 by abrightmom

[mothergooseof4]

I am living out part of Tina's story right now. I thought my 5th grader was a natural reader since he pretty much taught himself to read before K. I knew better, but with other stressful things going on in life, I let it slip. I started SWR in 1st, but didn't stick with it. Then we did a couple of levels of AAS, but inconsistently. I have not done much else with him in the last couple of years. Now, I have seen in the past year, that while his desire to read has taken off, he cannot sound out longer words and will guess at them.

 

We just started PR1 to go back and fill in holes. He is moving quickly through it, but in order to get his skills up to par, we have ditched all other LA. He should be fine tuning writing skills, but instead, we are starting from scratch with phonics. I know he will advance quickly, but it would have been so much easier to do it up front when I was schooling fewer kids.

 

Just something to think about.

[abrightmom]

I am living out part of Tina's story right now. I thought my 5th grader was a natural reader since he pretty much taught himself to read before K. I knew better, but with other stressful things going on in life, I let it slip. I started SWR in 1st, but didn't stick with it. Then we did a couple of levels of AAS, but inconsistently. I have not done much else with him in the last couple of years. Now, I have seen in the past year, that while his desire to read has taken off, he cannot sound out longer words and will guess at them.

 

We just started PR1 to go back and fill in holes. He is moving quickly through it, but in order to get his skills up to par, we have ditched all other LA. He should be fine tuning writing skills, but instead, we are starting from scratch with phonics. I know he will advance quickly, but it would have been so much easier to do it up front when I was schooling fewer kids.

 

Just something to think about.

 

This is a powerful testimony for me!! Oh boy. I think you are saying it's worth the time/effort to lay that strong foundation. :001_smile:

[siloam]

Technically o/g started out focused on the hearing, saying, writing of sounds and words as the multi-sensory approach. Thus, depending on how R&S does their spelling, or how you might modify it, it can be done in an o/g fashion.

 

Tiles were added later. I personally think they are helpful in two ways. Some kids are visual and they "see" it better when laid out in the multi-colored tiles. Second it helps kids who struggle with recall by giving them a choice of letters instead of having to remember it with not hints.

 

IMO the marking up in SWR, WRTR and PR are similar to the tiles. It is a way to create a visual distinction. Personally the color with the tiles is more impacting to me, BUT the markups did help a lot too. Both are great tools.

 

Movements used in the various programs were not, to my knowledge, part of the original program. They really click for my ds, but he is a kinsthetic learner. Other learning types may not need them. Even that said my ds would have eventually learned to read without them. It would have just taken longer. The movement helped him focused instead of having half his attention on the lesson and half on the object he was playing with in his hand.

 

Can R&S work just as well. Yes. In your specific case? Don't know. :D Sorry! If you do decide to move in that direction remember you can modify. Have the child repeat the word to you, have them spell it orally as well as on paper, use air writing, visualization, ect... all these can be used to keep the program multi-sensory without doing a full o/g program. Many of these can be done by the child alone if you can get them into a routine.

 

Heather

 

 

[Honey Bee]

I'm glad to hear you say your sticking with it PR for now, I think PR is truly a great program and like Mrs. Beers told me at a convention, it is designed for homeschoolers. You have a great product in front of you! I sure wish I could see your year 3, I can't wait. We are so close to finishing year one and I am so anxious to start yr2. But we are at a good stopping point and will just have to start in January though. Thanks for asking great questions!

[SilverMoon]

abrightmom said:

 

 

 

Quote

 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by SilverMoon

[abrightmom]

My older two are using it, and I intend for them to finish the series. They didn't start with R&S, regrettably. Joy just started it this year, but Justice has been using it for some time now. At the beginning of this school year Joy was miffed with me for taking away her puzzles in Spelling Workout. Now she concedes that R&S does teach how to spell much better than SWO did. It's carrying into her writing already. SWO never did.

 

Justice is a natural speller who read at 4yo. He was good enough I was considering just dropping spelling before ordering R&S for him. R&S has stretched his skills and I'm very glad we chose it. :001_smile: Joy spells fairly well and didn't read until 7yo. It's taken regular rule work to get her there, but she learns it quickly. Both are "ahead" in reading and have pretty good decoding skills. The affix building in R&S is great for working on big words. (FWIW, Justice taught himself to read and Joy learned with Phonics Pathways.)

 

I don't care to fix what isn't broken. Both are solid choices and would give a strong phonics base. You'll have to determine if the time investment required for the one you're using is a deal breaker or not. :001_smile:

 

Thanks so much for replying Moon. It really helps me to hear a story from "the other side" :D. My oldest (he's only 8 right now) learned to read and I'm not sure how . . . . I would say he almost taught himself. He's also a natural speller. Reading seems to improve his spelling. He sees words and remembers how to spell them.

 

What do you think about the struggles with multi-syllable words? I thought that improved spelling skills (phonics skills) would help him. Learning to analyze words might aid him in seeing the syllables and sounding them out properly.

[abrightmom]

I'm glad to hear you say your sticking with it PR for now, I think PR is truly a great program and like Mrs. Beers told me at a convention, it is designed for homeschoolers. You have a great product in front of you! I sure wish I could see your year 3, I can't wait. We are so close to finishing year one and I am so anxious to start yr2. But we are at a good stopping point and will just have to start in January though. Thanks for asking great questions!

Thanks Melissa! I'm struggling so much with "deciding" (UGH!!!) that I'm not going to DO anything other than ask and "stew". DS8 is flying through Year One. I'm only having him write a few words from each week because he spells most of them without a struggle. He is doing the building codes (which are really cool). We'll stay the course for now . . .

[abrightmom]

Technically o/g started out focused on the hearing, saying, writing of sounds and words as the multi-sensory approach. Thus, depending on how R&S does their spelling, or how you might modify it, it can be done in an o/g fashion.

 

Tiles were added later. I personally think they are helpful in two ways. Some kids are visual and they "see" it better when laid out in the multi-colored tiles. Second it helps kids who struggle with recall by giving them a choice of letters instead of having to remember it with not hints.

 

IMO the marking up in SWR, WRTR and PR are similar to the tiles. It is a way to create a visual distinction. Personally the color with the tiles is more impacting to me, BUT the markups did help a lot too. Both are great tools.

 

Movements used in the various programs were not, to my knowledge, part of the original program. They really click for my ds, but he is a kinsthetic learner. Other learning types may not need them. Even that said my ds would have eventually learned to read without them. It would have just taken longer. The movement helped him focused instead of having half his attention on the lesson and half on the object he was playing with in his hand.

 

Can R&S work just as well. Yes. In your specific case? Don't know. :D Sorry! If you do decide to move in that direction remember you can modify. Have the child repeat the word to you, have them spell it orally as well as on paper, use air writing, visualization, ect... all these can be used to keep the program multi-sensory without doing a full o/g program. Many of these can be done by the child alone if you can get them into a routine.

 

Heather

 

 

 

Thank-you Heather! :001_smile::001_smile: Lots to grapple with. You are so AWESOME at educating all of us. You bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Bless you for taking the time to write as much as you do!

[boscopup]

Since I'm one of the early posters that said "Yeah, I'm using R&S Spelling instead of O-G/Spalding", I do want to point out that yes, you should make sure your child has been taught PHONICS, or they may have trouble with reading later on. Most of the PPs that have talked about issues have been talking about a lack of phonics instruction. That is very important, IMO. My son was an early reader and skipped all the phonics lessons. We're going back NOW and teaching phonics. His teacher at school is doing phonics with them, and when he homeschools next semester, I'll take him through OPGTR. We will very likely finish that book before second grade is over, and he will have a good foundation in phonics and be ready to read all those big words in 4th-5th grade. ;)

 

For SPELLING, I'm doing R&S Spelling, which as a PP mentioned, does teach the rules. It even gets into Latin and Greek roots and such in the later years (looking at samples).