Please help me with spelling...

[michaeljenn]

I am allowing spelling to drive me bananas!! Ok.. we were using Rod and Staff Spelling for grades 3, 5 and 6. My 5th and 6th grader HATE this spelling. They think it is hard... not so much the words, but the exercises. My 3rd grader loves Rod and Staff though!

 

So, I bought Spelling Wisdom, but am finding that it is not getting done. Mainly because we just don't "get" to it. I am finding that if I don't have a prepared, go sit and do it program, then it will NOT get done. We do go over misspellings in their compositions, but I don't make them write it 5x or anything like that.

 

I just don't know what to do. I have thought about getting Spelling Workout, because the exercises seem FAR more simple, and easy.

 

I would love some advice here. If I do switch, should I start them at the beginning of the 5th and 6th book, or go ahead and advance them a grade? Or.. should I just make them grind out Rod and Staff and think about switching next year. We have gotten to lesson 13 in Rod and Staff. SIGH

 

Oh.. I should add that spelling is by far, the weakest subject for my children.

My son scored in the 90th percentile in everything on his SAT's except spelling... which he scored in the 40th percentile:eek: My daughter scored int the 50th:eek:

 

Also... would it hurt them to just drop spelling? I feel like it would... any experiences you can share with me??

 

Jen

[Zee]

First, I definitely wouldn't drop spelling since you have already noted that this a weak area for your children. Second, the best spelling program is foremost, the one that gets done. I love SWR, but there were many days I avoided it because it was so teacher intensive and I already have a load of teacher intensive subjects. It was too easy to miss and my son, being a weak speller, could not afford to miss lessons. So, I would say that if the spelling is getting done with Rod and Staff and if it is WORKING, then I would not worry about their complaints. Now, if the spelling excercises are not helping because they are too hard, I might consider moving back a level or two. In fact, my son currently works a combo of Megawords and R&S Spelling 3. He's in 5th. I'm using the Rod and Staff as a review of those easier words that he often misses. Because the excercises are easy, we are doing them at a rate of a lesson a day. We will be folding SWR back in the mix at some point, but we needed a break from it, and spelling is gettting done. Megawords is for 4th and up. It gives ds the appropriate grade level challenge, but the Rod and Staff is giving him the review. I'm not advocating doing anything convoluted like I have done. I am only saying that if spelling is getting done and they are LEARNING then I would stay put (or back them down a level or two, if needed). If they aren't learning anything, then it is time to look elsewhere or you will have to have a firm talk with yourself about being consistent with Spelling Wisdom. :) HTH

[Lori D.]

- Spelling is a must if it is a weak area.

- Do the program that gets done; if it is hated, then all the mental energy is spent in getting over the mental hurdle rather than being invested into actual learning.

 

- Megawords is a great alternative -- can be used as a stand-alone spelling program, or as a spine. Most of it is done by the student independently; takes the student about 8-10 minutes a day.

 

Like Zee, I don't use Megawords alone, but that is because I have a struggling speller. Rather than using Megawords with another formal program, we spend about 10 minutes a day outside of Megawords working with words in various ways; the following 3 things have been very effective:

 

1. Practice spelling the words out loud (4x a week, 3-5 minutes/day)

First you clearly say the word aloud, then spell it (syllable by syllable if that helps), and toss the child a beanie toy; then the student says the word/spells it correctly back to you, and tosses the beanie back to you. The beanie toss helps keep him focused and mentally prepared. Immediately stop and correct any misspelling by spelling it aloud correctly several times and have the student spell it correctly by looking at it and reading it letter by letter several times. Hearing the letters in correct sequential order really helps cement correct spelling in the mind.

 

2. Work with words on the whiteboard (3x a week, 5-10 minutes/day)

- reinforce vowel patterns, syllabication patterns, etc. from the lesson

- write out root words and practice adding endings, prefixes, etc. (ex.: "hope" -- since the word ends with a vowel, and some endings begin with a vowel, they "butt heads", so you drop the "-e" at the end of "hope" and then add the endings such as "-er" or "-ing"; adding endings such as "-ful" or "-less", or prefixes such as "-un" are not a problem)

- work with homophones -- see the different spellings, and draw a picture or tell a little story to help the difference stick (ex: "meet" and "meat"; it takes 2 people to "meet" and there are 2 "e"s in "meet"; draw the letter "a" to look like a heart and say "I love to eat "meat" -- and see, the word "eat" is IN the word "meat"; etc.)

 

3. Dictate sentences with spelling words (1-2x a week; 5-10 min./day)

Dictate 5 sentences, (slowly, one at a time) each with 2-3 spelling words in them for student to practice simultaneous thinking/writing/spelling.

 

 

BEST of luck in your spelling journey! Warmly Lori D.

[michaeljenn]

Thanks for these suggestions! I will definately look into megawords.

 

I just wanted to give a quick update of my morning.. I just did a review test with her, and she got 31 wrong out of 80:eek: So, something is amiss. I have really taken a backseat to spelling... I need to do something.. what I don't know yet.

 

I don't know if Rod and Staff is the problem or not. I usually have had them just do it independently, and maybe they have not totally understood the lessons... or I think maybe they were just trying to get the lesson done instead of any "active" learning taking place?????

 

Thanks again

[Zee]

Jennifer,

I thought I'd let you know that with my son, I take words he missed and make worksheets for them. For instance, he might miss a number of words in Megawords and a few in Rod and Staff. I will put 20 of those words together and make worksheets for them. Usually the activities include writing the words in sentences (he can put more than one word in the sentance), alphabatizing and writing the words several times. At the end of the week, I will test on these words and see if there is improvement. Sometimes this is in addition to the workbook lessons that we are doing and sometimes we just stop the train for a week and concentrate on the missed word list. If I only have a few missed words, I still make worksheets for them and they are added to the weeks lesson in Megawords or R&S. I know they say writing words over and over isn't helpful, but I think it is to a point if you have a visual learner like mine. The sentences are a big help. Also, I have ds do unstudied dictation 2x a week, most weeks. This is seperate from spelling, but I find that it is helping him to stretch his spelling muscles. I hope there is something in here you can use. BTW - Megawords has really helped us a lot and we are only in the 2nd book. It's worth giving a try. :)

[coffeefreak]

We found a free website where you can put your child's spelling words in and it reviews, tests, and plays games with your child.

 

http://www.spellingcity.com

 

It's been great! Also, I like Edhelper.com. You pay $20 for a year membership, but they help you make worksheets, wordfinds, puzzles etc with your spelling words (among a million other things):D

 

HTH!

Dorinda

PS we use Spelling Power after using Spelling workout and Rod and Staff and we really like it, but it all depends on the child! :rolleyes:

[Lolly]

We have used several spelling programs over this last 9 years. None of my kids are very good spellers. One is average; two are horrendous; and one is okay.

 

Rod and Staff is a good program. We liked it until the kids got a little older (like yours). Spelling Workout I disliked intensely. Megawords helped, but was above my kids for a spelling program. Spelling Power: I like it, but it just doesn't really work for mine.

 

The only program that we have had success with has been Sequential Spelling. It has taken my dc WAY farther than any other program. My ds started in it this year for 4th grade, and he has made leaps in his spelling that I really did not think were possible. It really helped my girls; just not to the extent it has helped him. After using SS, my eldest could actually read what SHE had written. Before, she could not read her own sentences because her spelling was so off. (She is dyslexic.) I highly recommend that you take a look at their website. You could put both of your older children into one painless 15 minute spelling slot. It makes it really easy to do spelling everyday! Since the younger one is only in 3rd grade and happy with what she is using, you may want to just let her continue with it. People do use SS with that age, but I don't personally recommend it until 4th.

[Kathy in MD]

Sequential Spelling. No fuss, no muss and no stress, for either you or your dc's It will take about 60 lessons for the spelling to show up in their other writings, but it works. :D

 

http://avko.org