greenmamato3 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 if you have a highly visual-spatial learner, and particularly if he's a boy, what have you found that works for the language arts and latin? i'm really interested in hearing experience. there was a post from harmony fine arts mama about her youngest son being V-S learner recently, and it's made me realize how many of our daily "struggles" during school time might just in fact be related to this core issue. also ..... anybody got any great resources (books or online) for evaluating learning styles/modalities? i have cynthia tobias' "the way they learn" but have always been a bit disenchanted with her terminology, unable to really delineate even myself .... nevertheless my children! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mother Superior Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 My 9 year old daughter is PG and highly visual-spatial. She likes FLL because of all the diagramming and memorizing poetry (she says she can see the words to the poem in her head while she recites it). For reading and comprehension, we use a lot of materials from Engine-Uity: http://www.engine-uity.com. The book folders here allow her to be creative while demonstrating comprehension on levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 For Latin, my VSLs have enjoyed GSWL, and that would work with the ages of your older two. One of my kids has moved on to Henle and is enjoying that. Both GSWL and Henle involve learning through translation and are heavy on grammar. You can start GSWL with any child who is reading well - lots of white space on the page, one word learned per lesson, 10 translation sentences per lesson. For the rest of language arts, we're still too new to hs-ing for me to recommend something for VSLs. For a while I was interested in MCT, but then once I finally printed out the samples, I lost my enthusiasm - my kids don't like the story format. I may change my mind down the road, but for now, especially considering my kids' weaknesses in the area of language processing, I prefer the grammar, writing and vocabulary instruction to be straight up, traditional. I recently bought a diagramming book but I haven't started it with dd9 yet. However, she has done a bit of diagramming in Latin in Henle. Given the choice, she'd rather diagram than translate, which doesn't really make sense because she ultimately translates while diagramming :D. If you haven't already, see the articles at http://www.visualspatial.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 For Latin, my VSLs have enjoyed GSWL, and that would work with the ages of your older two. If you haven't already, see the articles at http://www.visualspatial.org/ remind me again what GSWL stands for. i googled "growing strong with latin" and it didn't brng up anything. i just finished looking over that website. thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnlvr Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 GSWL=Getting Started with Latin We use it here with my visual/spatial DS9 and it is a hit. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 We are using MCT for Grammar. It is a perfect fit for my VSL. I've been amazed at my son's retention. We use WWE for writing, which is just the right amount of writing for him. He has a really difficult time with writing. We use AAS because his spelling is horrible! I have really seen an improvement in his spelling-I think because the curriculum has them memorizing spelling rules, then applying them. This is perfect for him beccause he is very gifted at memorization and 'visualizing' things he has previously read. (A characteristic of VSLs) He is very strong and has a great interest in learning languages. We use Prima Latina. Honestly, I'm not sure why this works so well for him, but it does! I think because it is slow moving, minimal writing, and a lot of review. Also, the pages are not very cluttered, but pleasing to his eye. He gets overwhelmed if working on a page that is too cluttered. We use the audio CD to listen to pronounciations, and have the DVD, though we don't use it. I also made big visual-aids for grammar, Latin and Greek (another language he begged to learn!) using foam-core presentation boards. He is able to process information best if he is looking straight ahead instead of down. Strange I know, but I read this and it really applies to him. I can put the (tri-fold) presentation board in front of him while he works and he can quickly look up to find a vocabulary word or definition. You can see some pics of the presentation boards on my blog in a few different posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 My visual-spatial learner is only in preschool, but so far he is doing well with HWT and Montessori-style language arts. He also tags along with his sister's SSL and enjoys that as well. Some things that I have planned for the future are: AAR, AAS (which I already use with my oldest), MCT, Prima Latina/Minimus combo (for my oldest but he'll probably tag along; we'll be using the videos for more visual input), and LFC. I've done WWE 1 with my oldest and I plan to use the CW series for her as well, but I'm not sure if it will work for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I wanted to add one more thing. You are referring to your 8 year old I believe? Be patient. VSLs are often 'Late Bloomers' when it comes to Language Arts. My son is 10 and I have just started expecting regular LA work from him. He would not have been able to handle most of this two years ago. That being said, he is catching up very quickly and is is really beginning to enjoy reading and writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 My 14 yo is extremely VS. She loved Rod & Staff grammar and would ask to diagram more sentences than I assigned. We did a lot of the exercises orally, but she loved diagramming. She also liked Winston Basic Grammar. It is multisensory, but not as thorough as R&S. I used the first workbook of Ridgewood Grammar before starting R&S, and it was good for her because there is plenty of white space on the pages. We used Classical Writing, which has both pros and cons. The teaching is very clear and explicit, but it's also too wordy for a VSL. If I could do it over, I would have tried to be better prepared in advance and then taught the lessons in a more abbreviated way than the book taught them. She loves Vocabulary Cartoons and didn't realize they were schoolbooks. Spelling was a real bear for her in the early grades because visual input is stored in the brain randomly while auditory input is stored sequentially. My VSL has mild auditory processing disorder, so she relies heavily on visual input to the exclusion of auditory input. This translated into her choosing the right letters for spelling, but not being able to put them in the correct order to save her life. We finally tried what is now the old version of Calvert Spelling on CD when she started 4th or 5th grade, and it worked like a magic pill for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Spelling was a real bear for her in the early grades because visual input is stored in the brain randomly while auditory input is stored sequentially. Do you mind sharing how you discovered this or where I can read more about this? Is this typical visual-spatial? I'm still trying to figure out my son. He wrote me a note today asking for help and spelled help like "hlpe." :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Do you mind sharing how you discovered this or where I can read more about this? Is this typical visual-spatial? I'm still trying to figure out my son. He wrote me a note today asking for help and spelled help like "hlpe." :tongue_smilie: I first heard it from Andrew Pudewa at the VA conference about six years ago. I think it's very common with VSLs based on what I've heard from other parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I first heard it from Andrew Pudewa at the VA conference about six years ago. I think it's very common with VSLs based on what I've heard from other parents. Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moniksca Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 The book Upside Down Brilliance by Linda Silverman (my library had it) was like a textbook about my son, I learned a lot from this book. Right brained child in a left brained world was also a good read. We're using WWE for writing and since he has started doing his writing on the computer, he really enjoys creative writing now, so I've taken a break from IEW ATF&F. We used Imitation in writing, which I liked. I was think Writing tales would be a good fit for him. For grammar I'm looking at Winston grammar for next year and possible MCT (not sure yet). We haven't done much formal grammar yet and we're using Abeka right now, you would think it would be a bad match but I do some of it orally, and I don't make him do all 20 q's on one topic. We're doing Song School latin right now to get him interested in latin which is going well and will go onto GSWL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 The LA that we had difficulty with was writing. Visual organizers are helpful, then move to outlining. I had to show the pattern of the paragraph and the essay explicitly as my v-s child is not a linear thinker. The light bulb for the essay came on when I used the lawyer or House analogy of presenting the case in a particular sequence - the opening statement, the evidence and how it proves the point, the witnesses and how this info proves the point & the closing statement being analagous to the intro w/thesis, citing facts to support the thesis, bringing outside info in to support the thesis, concluding paragraph. Oh such a good idea! My own VSL will "get it". He's had so much trouble understanding the why/how of writing structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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