Run out of remedial spelling courses! Suggestions?

[Second Time Around]

I have a dyslexic boy who will be entering 11th grade next year. I keep picking up remedial spelling courses for high school students, and we do make some progress, but I think his spelling range is still hovering around the 7th/8th grade level. I re-test on the words he gets wrong until he gets to 100%, but we still uncover problems when we go on to a new text. I'm wondering if we need a totally new approach next year, such as a vocabulary course, or just combing through is writing and focusing on the errors it unearths.

 

What have been your best remedial spelling courses for high school age?

 

Thanks in advance.

[TippyCanoe]

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[Second Time Around]

Thank you so much for your response. I will definitely take a look at Jeffery Freed's book, and try what you suggest. From my perspective, I have noticed great leaps of progress. But there is still some distance to travel!

[Annie Anne]

Can you list what you've already used?

 

 

 

:bigear:

[Second Time Around]

I'm not sure I can remember all the programs we've done over the years. We were doing lots of programs for learning disabilities at one time that involved eye tracking and 'brain skills' types of tutoring. We also did A Measuring Scale for Ability in Spelling (Ayers) early on, but that became too stressful so we switched to Sequential Spelling (Avko). That helped somewhat but was progressing too slowly. I switched to Spell of Words and Spell Well. One year we just made our own lists of spelling words from his writing, but that just wasn't systematic enough for him at the time. It might work better now since he has cleared up many of the major problems. For now, having just repeated Spell Well for the second time (reviewing all the words he had missed or had trouble with there) we are going backwards through "Measuring Scale" (see above) trying to catch all those words that have fallen through the cracks of the other programs.

 

I know he will never be a great speller (nor am I). But I do know that people do tend to judge others as unintelligent and uneducated if they see basic typos and spelling mistakes. He has been trapped so long within his dyslexic brain that I want everyone to see the highly intelligent, thoughtful mind behind the rocky spelling. He can write beautifully, and lyrically, but up until last year, you couldn't see that until you had read through his work twice and recovered from all the errors.

 

His dad was also dyslexic. Still sometimes has some misspelled words, but things fell into place for him when a young adult and learning French in Quebec (French was his mother tongue, but he did not really know how to read, write it etc.).

[Ann@thebeach]

I've read some good reviews of Painless Spelling (A Barron's guide) that I think I'm going to try since you can get a used copy for around $5 on amazon.

[TracyR]

Have you tried All About Spelling? Its not just for young children, its also for children who have difficulty spelling and adults as well. It uses the Orton Gillingham method which is used for dyslexic students.

This is my new approach with my 14 yr old that is a not so very good speller herself. I wished it had been around when we first started homeschooling for her. But I'm using it with her little sister so am including her in at least listening and watching because it teaches the rules too. Its very hands on, visual, and auditory all at the same time.

[Mesa]

I'm not sure what I'd use for an 11th grader.. I know time is of the essence.

 

If I were in your shoes I'd go with AAS.. yep.. I know, I know.. It's aimed for younger students. HOWEVER, I have learned so much with AAS in just the first 2 books that I am amazed at how little I had been taught about spelling rules.

I'm sold.. it's AAS all the way.

[Julie of KY]

I also recommend All About Spelling. It has been used successfully with many dyslexics.

[KathyBC]

FWIW, I second Megawords.

[Lori D.]

Mildly ("stealth") dyslexic DS here (now 18yo and in 12th grade), who has always manifested with real struggles with writing, spelling and abstract math. For this late in the game, I would suggest that yet another spelling program is going to be less effective, while teaching your DS some visual methods for learning are more likely to give you the "biggest bang for your buck". Visual techniques such as those in Jeffrey Freed's "Right Brain Children in a Left Brain work", and similar techniques on Dianne Craft's website. (You might also find her article on teaching a student with dyslexia helpful; see it here.)

 

One reason I really like these visual techniques, is that:

- visual techniques are useful across the board -- for subjects MORE than just for spelling

- pictures go straight to long-term/permanent memory -- so the student retains the info for good

- the student takes ownership of his/her own learning by drawing his/her own picture that will make brain connections for him/her

- this technique is a fabulous way for students who struggle to write/spell to take powerful, detailed, memorable notes from a lecture; see this article

 

 

Also helpful for our DS has been:

- typing

- online "chat" or blogging, in which he has to type his thoughts (he really notices the misspellings of others, and works to spell his own comments correctly)

- the nutritional supplements (for our DS, specifically fish oil in the evening and 5-HTP in the morning) that help focus/concentration/brain hemisphere connection, listed on Dianne Craft's website

- the writing 8s exercise and other physical exercises Dianne Craft outlines to strengthen left/right brain hemisphere connection

- Callirobics (big help with DS's handwriting; not necessarily a help towards the spelling)

- Megawords (help in breaking words into smaller chunks and then spelling by vowel pattern and/or syllabication rules)

- out-loud spelling practice to strengthen the weak auditory-sequential aspect of dyslexics (see Andrew Pudewa's session on Spelling and the Brain)

 

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Lori D.

[Lolly]

I am going to suggest a different route. Drop it. Instead of focusing on spelling, which he isn't going to ever be able to do well, focus on coping mechanisms. Teach him to use spell check, recognize particularly troublesome words for him, have someone always proof his written work. Make sure you have your documentation of disability ready for colleges. They do make accommodations. These are the things that will allow him to have more success in college and the real world. In high school he needs to have more time to focus on subject matter, not spelling.

 

Mom to two (probably 3/one not tested) dyslexic dc.

[BlsdMama]

I am going to suggest a different route. Drop it. Instead of focusing on spelling, which he isn't going to ever be able to do well, focus on coping mechanisms. Teach him to use spell check, recognize particularly troublesome words for him, have someone always proof his written work. Make sure you have your documentation of disability ready for colleges. They do make accommodations. These are the things that will allow him to have more success in college and the real world. In high school he needs to have more time to focus on subject matter, not spelling.

 

Mom to two (probably 3/one not tested) dyslexic dc.

 

 

Lolly, do you not believe the brain can be retrained?

 

We are currently using If It Is to Be, It Is Up to Me" - the guide by AVKO for adult learners. We've just begun, so we'll see.

[JudoMom]

I have a dyslexic boy who will be entering 11th grade next year. I keep picking up remedial spelling courses for high school students, and we do make some progress, but I think his spelling range is still hovering around the 7th/8th grade level. I re-test on the words he gets wrong until he gets to 100%, but we still uncover problems when we go on to a new text. I'm wondering if we need a totally new approach next year, such as a vocabulary course, or just combing through is writing and focusing on the errors it unearths.

 

What have been your best remedial spelling courses for high school age?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Sequential Spelling has a book Sequential Spelling for Adults.

[Lolly]

Lolly, do you not believe the brain can be retrained?

 

We are currently using If It Is to Be, It Is Up to Me" - the guide by AVKO for adult learners. We've just begun, so we'll see.

 

My kids have used it as well. It helps. It does not make the problem go away. At some point, they need to learn to deal with not being good spellers. They need coping techniques. In high school, my kids have stopped studying spelling as a subject and devoted their time to learning more meaty subject matter. At this point, I really start to focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. They need to be aware, not that they aren't naturally!, and take steps to correct and keep on top of their spelling; but to continue to put it as a major focus of study just hasn't worked at my house.

[Greta Lea]

My 8th grade son is a struggling reader and speller. He's been using Megawords for 2 years now after completing All About Spelling's first 3 levels.

 

It's really helped his spelling and reading.

[Nan in Mass]

We are a family of bad spellers. At some point, I gave up. I decided that rather than spend tons of time making them slightly better bad spellers, we would spend the time making them good at something they had some possibility of being good at. First, though, we had to get to the point where there were only a few spelling errors per paragraph. We did spelling as a subject when they were little, and then after that, they used spell check (which they both say did more to help than anything else) and I worked on a more practical level, a little bit at a time. Just teaching them to spell the question words and the pronouns, making them rewrite 20 times anything common that they spelled wrong, making them make their tall letters tall and their short ones short, and teaching them how to add ed and ing and ly fixed a huge number of errors. And it only took a few months. In high school, I had them go through this list of rules and memorize them: http://www.dyslexia.org/spelling_rules.shtml We worked with the rules, with me reminding them which applied to any spelling mistakes they made. It took about 5 or 10 minutes a day for a few weeks. We did it several years. This helped a whole lot, too. If your son really is spelling at 8th grade level, you might consider doing something like this? Mine aren't diagnosed dyslexic, so no guarentees...

 

A trick that helped was making mine close their eyes and spell the word backwards for me. When they could do that, I considered the word memorized. It might not stay memorized, but at least they had it for the moment. If they couldn't do that, they didn't really have the word; they were just reeling it off.

 

Nan

[Ellie]

Spalding. Yes, it does a great job even with high school-age people. Yes, I've done Spalding with high school-age people. :-)

[Paige]

My son used Apples: Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students last year. It is cheap and easy and focuses on common misspelled words and patterns for remedial students. I doubt it would be as effective as Spalding or AAS but if you don't want to spend a lot of time on it and still want him to have some help it could be a good option. The only issue is that it is very Christian oriented. It uses a lot of Bible verses in the sentences and if that is a problem, you wouldn't want to try it.

[Book Nut]

My son used Apples: Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students last year. It is cheap and easy and focuses on common misspelled words and patterns for remedial students. I doubt it would be as effective as Spalding or AAS but if you don't want to spend a lot of time on it and still want him to have some help it could be a good option. The only issue is that it is very Christian oriented. It uses a lot of Bible verses in the sentences and if that is a problem, you wouldn't want to try it.

 

I was going to recommend Apples. My ds likes the fact that one rule is focused on for five days and there is consistent review. It may not be as thorough as AAS, but it also is geared toward secondary students so it isn't demeaning to him. I see him gaining proficiency and confidence.

[Jugglin'5]

I tend to agree with Lolly and Nan. At some point, the Law of Diminishing Returns sets in, and your student's time is better spent elsewhere. Like Nan, I also found that writing lots of papers using the spellchecker helped more than anything. My daughter's attention would be immediately on the red squiggly line - so she had to notice, and fix right away, words that she tended to use in her writing.

[Nan in Mass]

I tend to agree with Lolly and Nan. At some point' date=' the Law of Diminishing Returns sets in, and your student's time is better spent elsewhere. Like Nan, I also found that writing lots of papers using the spellchecker helped more than anything. My daughter's attention would be immediately on the red squiggly line - so she had to notice, and fix right away, words that she tended to use in her writing.[/quote']

 

Yes - immediate feedback is what my two said helped the most. I have also heard of people watching their children write and making them fix things instantly (like spell-check). I can't imagine mine putting up with this as teenagers, though.

 

Nan

[Second Time Around]

Thanks to everyone. I will look into all these suggestions!

[banker281]

I am not sure about 11th grade but in jr high we have used All about Spelling and my son has progressed very well. We will continue with series.

[Second Time Around]

I think for the rest of the academic year we will concentrate on errors that emerge in his daily writings - possibly see if there are any online programs, also. I'll spend the summer reading up on colleges and spelling programs! I do think, like one other person said, that it just takes repeating the words about 50 times. He knows all the rules fairly well. He has been able to trot off the i before e rule for years - it is all the exceptions to that rule that he has a hard time keeping on top of!

 

Thanks again to all of you.

[fiddle]

My 3rd grader is a stealth dyslexic- her main problem is spelling and writing. We were using an O-G program the last 2 years, but my daughter just could NOT remember all the spelling rules! So, we switched to Sequential Spelling.

 

I was going to echo the poster who suggested SS for Adults- you could move through this pretty quickly. The AAS is good, as are the right brain techniques already mentioned (Dianne Craft, etc.) What we do is use the SS and then for words where she has a harder time with long term retention we are using the right brain (color especially) tecniques. But I'm also with the rest of the crowd- your child is getting old enough that the best use may just be utilizing assistive devices (spell checker).... Our daughter has dsygraphia and we're working with her on her handwriting (cursive this year), but despite ALL the exercises and work - well, she's just not going to have nice handwriting. With kids who are dysgraphic, they just recommend going to keyboarding (which is what we will do next year for her in 4th grade). Sometimes, when remediation won't be accomplished, you go instead with learning to use adaptive devices. And like another poster said, learn to focus on the child's strengths versus weaknesses. All children are gifted in certain areas and weak in others:)

 

Paula