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Writing Road to Reading. I'm totally confused.


amselby81
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I bought this book because we do Classical Conversations, and Leigh Bortins recommends it. I don't know how to use it! I'm so confused. Is it because there aren't really lessons in it? All I see are suggestions in it. And the suggestions seem to be out of order...and I'm just clueless. And I feel like I shouldn't be confused! I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, for crying out loud! This book has such great reviews, so why I feel like a complete idiot b/c I don't understand it.

 

I think I'm going to put this book in the free pile at C.C. The best thing I can say about it is that it has a good list of recommended books for each reading level.

 

Please tell I'm not the only person who doesn't understand this thing.

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I've been studying the manual for a year, as well as it's clones and offshoots and...whatever you want to call them.

 

It's like opening the bible or a knitting book for the 1st time if you've never been introduced to them before.

 

Don't throw it away!

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I am using Phonics Road, a spin-off of the Spalding method. Reading WRTR helped me understand the "why" of what we were doing in PR, but I think it would be a little hard to implement a program just from the book.

 

Another Hive member led me to The Logic of English--a homeschool mom takes the Spalding ideas and makes them open-and-go. I started reading the book sample on Amazon, and she has created a curriculum to implement the ideas as well.

 

HTH!

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You need to talk to Ellie! She is the expert here. When we first started I felt the same way. Now I can't believe I made it so hard when it really is so simple. I think OhElizabeth has a quick start up guide too or that may have been to SWR, but might still help you as they are very similar.

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Check out Spell to Write and Read. It is basically the Writing Road to Reading put into a user-friendly format for teaching. Although, the guidebook definitely could use more work to make it truly user friendly. It took spending many hours on the SWR yahoo group before it all clicked for me. I do love the program, I think it is a fantastic way to teach reading and writing and gives children a solid foundation. I'm glad I stuck with it.

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I bought this book because we do Classical Conversations, and Leigh Bortins recommends it. I don't know how to use it! I'm so confused. Is it because there aren't really lessons in it? All I see are suggestions in it. And the suggestions seem to be out of order...and I'm just clueless. And I feel like I shouldn't be confused! I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, for crying out loud! This book has such great reviews, so why I feel like a complete idiot b/c I don't understand it.

 

I think I'm going to put this book in the free pile at C.C. The best thing I can say about it is that it has a good list of recommended books for each reading level.

 

Please tell I'm not the only person who doesn't understand this thing.

Yes, there are lessons. :-)

 

Have you seen the samples on the Spalding web site? The teacher decides how long each lesson is and what it will consist of.

 

You teach the first 45 phonograms (script, sample dialogues in the manual).

 

You do daily drills (that's in the manual, too).

 

When dc know the first 45 phonograms, you begin teaching the words in the Extended Ayres List (script for the first few words; after that you just do the same thing with every other word; extras to discuss/teach are in the manual).

 

With dc 3rd grade and up, you teach the Rule Pages and the dc write them in their spelling notebooks. Spelling words are also written in the notebook.

 

Keep teaching the phonograms, with the daily drills, until dc know all 70.

 

That's pretty much it. :-)

 

The fourth edition of WRTR has a chapter that discusses how to teach different levels, how many words each week, etc. This information is also in the grade-level teacher guides, but the manual is less expensive; you could buy the fifth edition of the manual for all the charts and sample dialogues and whatnot, and buy the fourth edition just for chapter 5, and you'd be ahead.

 

Spalding is my favorite method for teaching children to read and spell. I measure all other methods and publishers by Spalding. (Spalding is the method; WRTR is the manual.)

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Please tell I'm not the only person who doesn't understand this thing.

 

You are not. :-) I had to read the book twice through to understand it. Then, I re-read chapter called The Spelling Lesson.

 

I'd suggest you re-read the spelling lesson a couple of times (referring back-and-forth with the spelling rule reference pages and the spelling list).

 

Is there anyone in your CC group who has used Spalding and can guide you step-by-step?

 

Otherwise, if you can borrow Spell to Write and Read from the library (or from another homeschooler) it will help you to understand WRTR and then you'll probably find the Spalding method easier and simpler to implement.

 

Of course, you can also ask your questions here. :-)

 

All the best!

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