Frustrated with Spelling

[dixiebuckeye]

We started with AAS spelling probably about a year ago. DD was reading (and had been reading) for a while even then, (even though my siggy says that she's 6, she's about to turn 7) so, level 1 went by pretty quickly and she seemed to get the rules fairly well. I did spend extra time on things that she had a little more trouble understanding (like CK, doubling f,l, and s, whether to use s or es for plurals. I was careful to do all of the review that we were supposed to do, which the cards on phonograms and the various rules, etc.

 

We started level 2 with this school year. I was spending a week on each step with this level. It was coming more slowly than the previous year, but I expected that. I was still doing all the review that I was supposed to do. I started to notice with the dictation sentences that her retention from previous steps were starting to fall apart. I would find myself reteaching the lessons in the middle of the new lesson. Obviously, not what you want! In my frustration, I scrapped AAS and decided to just try something different. She was frustrated, I was frustrated, etc.

 

A friend recommended Spelling +. It has a completely different way of doing spelling, at least from the standpoint of AAS, not particularly different in general, so I thought, "hey, let's go with it and try something new." Spelling + is very list based and focuses on repetition to learn the words. From reading in the beginning of the book, I learned that the philosophy there is that since not all kids are natural spellers, some just NEED the repetition. This idea somewhat made sense to me, because while I am a natural speller and always have been, my husband is a dreadful speller. Well, now the tears have begun with this spelling program, and only 3 weeks in!

 

I don't know whether to try to go back to AAS and start somewhere in the middle of Level 1, try something new, or what! HELP PLEASE!?!:confused:

[...................]

Personally, I love AVKO Sequential Spelling. You won't find many moms here that love it, but I do. My son went from being a total non-Speller to being able to spell many words correctly, and at least his guesses were understandable. He loved it at first because there were no failed lessons, and then the honeymoon faded of course.

 

My dd who is a natural speller, also thrived with it and I'm putting her back in it next year too.

 

It's not too expensive and it's gentle and easy to use. It requires only 15 minutes per day. And there are ways to customize the lists, if you need to, at the AVKO website.

 

It just makes total sense to me. Why would we memorize 20 words when instead we can do more 100 words per week, and thus, possibly learn 100 words per week, and what's more...with SS the children are learning spelling patterns so that they naturally choose the correct spelling later on. But those 100 words are far less stressful than the 20 words, because the children are not tested at the week's end and given a longer list the next week, or a depressing grade.

 

And they aren't having to memorize rules either.

 

I can't wait to go back to it next year. It just makes sense.

[Kathleen.]

Instead of buying another program why not not go back to AAS and see where your child seems to be forgetting the spelling rules, or where she seems frustrated. A week per lesson seems pretty standard according to posts here and blogs I've read.

[NotSoObvious]

If it makes you feel any better, my 9 year old is just now finishing up AAS 2. It really does build upon itself and it's not unusual for kids to need a review of skills from time to time.

Sometimes we do one lesson per week, sometimes two, and sometimes we spend three weeks on a concept, until it's really mastered.

[dixiebuckeye]

Instead of buying another program why not not go back to AAS and see where your child seems to be forgetting the spelling rules, or where she seems frustrated. A week per lesson seems pretty standard according to posts here and blogs I've read.

 

Yeah, I don't really question the week per lesson, just the fact that the retention seems to not be there. Ugh, since I have AAS I might as well try that, and if it seems to be a bust again, maybe I will look at this Sequential Spelling.

 

In all honesty, I want to just find what works for her within every subject and stop this constantly questioning and wondering if I'm doing the right stuff!:glare: Today has been a rough day schooling-wise at my house. :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks!

[kandty]

We are using Spelling Plus and it can be boring! I have come up with other ideas to help with all the studying of the words. I would think an almost 7 year old wouldn't really be happy with the type of studying this program does. My 7 year old didn't like it and he is a natural speller so I switched him to something else that wasn't so intense. My 10 year old has been using it for a few months and I have seen great improvement in his spelling. (We used AAS for 2 years and made no progress and wasted 2 years!) Anyway, here are some things we do to help the spelling plus method seem like fun instead of "studying": write the words with dry-erase markers on the glass door (instead of on paper) while doing the daily practice, or have them paint the words, or spell the words with tiles (Banangrams game). I also have his list on spellingcity.com so that he can play games. My son loves using the computer and so he gets through the daily practice easier knowing that he gets play on the computer aftewards (even if it is more spelling). To make dicatation not seem so stressful I say that it won't be "graded" and we are doing it just for fun. He just corrects anything that is wrong and he doesn't stress about it because it is "ok" if it's wrong. :tongue_smilie:

[MerryAtHope]

Since she's only 6, she may just not have been ready to move on so quickly, even though she appeared to understand things at the time. She may just need a bit slower pace. I've known kids to need 2 weeks on some steps, so don't worry if some take longer. Short sessions over more days sometimes accomplishes more.

 

With AAS, you want to keep the cards in the daily review until she can answer them with little or no hesitation, and without self-correcting, etc..., any time of the day. And then later when you do the mastered reviews, she should still know the cards that well. Instead of thinking of the review in AAS as "doing what's required," think of it as something to customize--to add in as much review as your daughter needs. I add in weekly reviews for my kids after the daily review, to make sure concepts and words are really solid. If they still know a card on a weekly basis for another couple of weeks, then I move it to mastered. Sometimes I catch ones that they were just "guessing" on this way though, and then I put them back in the daily review.

 

When she misses something in dictation, can she find the mistake if you say, "There is one spelling error?" Or, if you say, "____ word is misspelled, do you know how to correct it?" can she come up with what's wrong? Another way is to say, "Can you think of a rule that would apply to ____ word?"

 

If she can correct it with some leading on your part, she probably has the concept understood, she just may not have mastered the word yet, or she may need the phonogram/key/sound cards back in review along with the word card.

 

There's a difference between needing the concept retaught (she didn't master the lesson the first time around--she doesn't understand the concept) and really owning & mastering the cards.

 

When you go through the lesson, can she demonstrate on the words and explain the concept back to you? If she can teach it back, then she understands the concept. If not, then you may have moved past the step too quickly. The steps can be deceptively easy, especially if the early part was easy--she may have memorized a pattern in the words or something instead of really grasping the concept. So, if you find that's the case, make sure she can explain the "why" back to you on the words when you reteach the lesson.

 

Here are some additional ways to practice the words that can make the review a bit more fun:

 

Tactile activities

Kinesthetic activities

 

HTH some! Your daughter is young at only 6, and she may just need a bit of time. Hang in there! Merry :-)

[Haiku]

I don't know anything about the programs you mentioned, but I will say that, on the advice of some kind moms here at TWTM, I bought Apples and Pears for my ds8 who was an abysmal speller (and couldn't decode well when reading). We are about 20 lessons in and the improvement I have seen is nothing short of dramatic.

 

It's relatively quick and painless and incorporates dictation.

 

We're loving it, and ds feels successful.

 

Tara

[julikins]

I bought Apples and Pears for my ds8 who was an abysmal speller (and couldn't decode well when reading). We are about 20 lessons in and the improvement I have seen is nothing short of dramatic.[QUTOE]

 

Hi Tara, Can you elaborate on this? What makes it work? What's different about it? What kinds of results and how did your kids progress with it? Thanks :)

[dixiebuckeye]

Ok, I've gone back to AAS and just started testing her on all the words in level 1. She actually knows a lot more than I thought. And words she was messing up on she seems to have figured out. Maybe the rules needed some time to stew??? I don't know. I haven't gotten through all of the words for level 1 again, just because it takes so long to go through and just ask her to spell them, but she's through lesson 18 with maybe 5 words gotten wrong. So, well see! Thanks for the advice all!!!!

[Shellers]

I love Apples & Pears. It just works and it's so easy to do.

 

I recommend checking out their website where you can see examples. You will need the student workbook and the teacher's notebook.

[morosophe]

Instead of thinking of the review in AAS as "doing what's required," think of it as something to customize--to add in as much review as your daughter needs.

 

:iagree:I, too, would recommend more review using your cards. Don't forget to review the key cards, too--those are the "rules," after all, and there are a lot fewer of them than word cards, so if you need to remind her of an old rule she's not applying, reminding her of the appropriate key card could really help.

 

Also, I usually introduce the cards in the lesson they pertain to. Then I put them in the "review" category, mixing them up with those from previous lessons. When I'm several lessons ahead, I go ahead and do ten cards, which will hopefully be from different lessons. Any that are wrong go back in review. Any that are right go in mastered. This way, there's a little more application of the actual rule required before I can say my son has mastered his spelling.

 

Also, as a previous poster pointed out, six is very young. Second-grade teachers at schools have to deal with the fact that most of what a kid learned in first grade is completely forgotten over the summer and needs to be retaught. Was there a long time between Level One and Level Two? Might you be dealing with something like this?

 

(In support of this position, this review of the data points out that the summer-break effect is "most detrimental for math computation and spelling.")

[3peasinapod]

We are working on AAS level 2 with our 8yo (3rd grade), and we won't finish until she is 9. She is halfway through and not a natural speller. Even though some people go a week a lesson, not all do, and it might not be right for your DD. I say slow it down some and let it stew as you mentioned. She'll get to the other levels in time, and it is more important for her to internalize the spelling instead of flying through and review, review, review. I work 15 minutes and where ever we are, we stop. It doesn't matter if we just went through the word list with the tiles. If it takes 15 minutes to only review the words she has missed and review the key cards, we stop there and might not even begin the next step.

 

I actually was in the same boat as you when our oldest DD was in 2nd (we started AAS mid year). I thought I should change her to something else, as she wasn't retaining the rules and not applying the rules to writing outside of spelling class. I thought it wasn't a fit for her. I decided to keep at it, review as much as needed without worrying that she isn't as far as someone else's kid (see above explanation), and she is getting better! I am thrilled! I see her applying rules she has learned and she may be able to fly through some steps now. It all evens out in the end.

 

Anyhow, I hope that helps. :001_smile: