Enough Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'm looking at my HS schedule for the fall and trying to streamline it as much as possible. I lean heavily on the "keep it simple!" side of things as it is :) and my son's reading ability is advanced enough that I'm wondering if he even NEEDS vocabulary work right now. (And by 'vocabulary work' I mean using a vocabulary curriculum or workbook. We already tackle vocabulary questions whenever they come up in life/his reading and will continue to do so.) He is a rising 3rd grader, reads high school/college level books frequently and easily. Most of his other subjects will pose enough of a challenge for him that I'm not really looking to give him MORE work just for the sake of doing work. He will be doing spelling (Spelling Power) this year, if that makes any difference. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 No need for vocabulary work, IMO. :) I'm sure he'll develop an excellent vocabulary just from reading and conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Is he doing Latin or Greek? I think it's worth doing a roots-based vocab program if he's not currently studying a classical language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I don't add vocab to my advanced reader. But she is studying Latin, which gives her that. We do spelling. I didn't start her in any spelling until 3rd and she was fine. It is quick easy work for her, but worth it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 You can do vocabulary informally through read-alouds. We always talk about words they don't know when reading or even in daily conversations. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enough Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Is he doing Latin or Greek? I think it's worth doing a roots-based vocab program if he's not currently studying a classical language. I don't add vocab to my advanced reader. But she is studying Latin, which gives her that. We do spelling. I didn't start her in any spelling until 3rd and she was fine. It is quick easy work for her, but worth it to me. Whoops, forgot to mention that he'll be doing Latin (LfC A) in the fall. Does that cover our bases? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenjenn Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 No. Whether advanced or not, I think vocabulary is developed with extra time spent reading, and spelling is developed with extra time spent writing. You do have to make sure vocabulary is discussed while reading and that spelling is discussed and corrected while writing, but I think this contextual, pragmatic approach to vocabulary and spelling results in much greater retention and thus far the results with my own child has shown this to be true. I used to use a formal spelling program, anyways, and the results stunk. Oh yes, she did so fantastically on her spelling tests, but the words were not retained once the exam was over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I think it depends on the individual kiddo. Some advanced readers pick up vocab like crazy from their reading. Others need a bit more explicit instruction, or they quickly end up in a situation where they can *read* the words, but they struggle with comprehension because they just don't know the words. Some advanced readers naturally intuit spelling patterns and have great visual memories for correctly spelled words. Others can read at a very high level but are completely befuddled when it comes to correctly encoding words. *shrug* I'd say if he's really reading and *understanding* high school level books as a rising 3rd grader, you can skip vocab for now. You'd have a tough time finding a vocab program that will challenge him without being too much work in terms of writing or other demands (or possibly even inappropriate content-wise, since middle and high-school programs sometimes try to "appeal" to students that age and can end up rather crass). As long as he's learning vocab through reading/discussing good literature, I wouldn't worry about it. I'd consider spelling a separate issue entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'm no expert, but for now we are only doing spelling. I feel the way you do, lots of reading will build the vocabulary. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I actually was pondering vocabulary yesterday while I was out for my morning walk. It seems like the perfect subject to drop from our schedule. DS is an advanced reader and has an incredible vocabulary. We are studying Latin, so he gets a lot of vocab through that. In the end I decided to keep vocabulary. Why? Because my son loves it. It is an hour or so a week in our school schedule - a small amount of time in reality, compared to how much DS enjoys it. Spelling? No clue about that one. DS can pick out a misspelled word easily but can't begin to tell you how it should be spelled. :glare: We'll be muddling through spelling for a long time to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in CA Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'd give him a few more years to complete Spelling Power and learn some foundational Latin before beginning a vocabulary program. As he's reading books, his vocabulary will also naturally improve. I recommend a roots program like English from the Roots Up, or Vocabulary Vine, starting around 7th or 8th grade. Because he'll already have had exposure to Latin, and years of reading, I think the root study will be enjoyable and effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'd give him a few more years to complete Spelling Power and learn some foundational Latin before beginning a vocabulary program. As he's reading books, his vocabulary will also naturally improve. I recommend a roots program like English from the Roots Up, or Vocabulary Vine, starting around 7th or 8th grade. Because he'll already have had exposure to Latin, and years of reading, I think the root study will be enjoyable and effective. :iagree: I think a good spelling program should help strengthen vocabulary in the early years, making vocab at the same time redundant. As they get older, I switch to a primarily vocabulary program and insist on correct spelling while working on it (ie, my advanced reader 10YO completed the Spelling Workout level H, so I let him drop spelling, and he started Vocabulary Workshop. He hated spelling, but likes VW, and the exercises in VW are, dare I say it, really good test prep as well as great vocab builders). A good vocab program will help even a strong reader become a better reader, speaker, listener, and writer, because it will teach connotation and not just denotation. I love that about VW; sometimes they put some words in a group that have some similar meanings, or sentences in which more than one word could fit, and we have great conversations about word choice. For that reason, I think vocab programs as a standalone are almost lost on a kid younger than about 10/logic stage. As several PP have suggested, Latin or Greek roots in the spelling will help though! Spelling Workout and other spelling programs that are even more popular do a nice job with that. Jen http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 In third grade I would keep the spelling, but not worry much about the vocab this year, especially if you're also doing Latin. In the future I would recommend doing a roots based vocabulary study, regardless his reading ability. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 We don't do formal vocabulary at all. I have found that reading aloud with informal discussion of advanced vocabulary along with Latin gets the job done very well :). I imagine that in your son's case, even more so with all the reading he is doing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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