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Spalding types for non-writers


Syllieann
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When you use a spalding type method (I have sound beginnings) to teach reading to a child that's not writing yet do you just go over the flash cards more often? We can do some salt box activities but I'm wondering if there's anything else to replace the reinforcement that writing provides. I'm sure I'm not the first to adapt it so I'd love to hear other ideas.:bigear: Also, do I have the idea right that you just use the spelling dictations to read instead of spell in this case? I'm not really looking to teach spelling yet, just trying to decide if I want to try this for reading or order AAR2. For reference, we're about a month from finishing AAR1 and ds has gone through it very quickly. AAR1 has been very good for us and ds likes it but a) idk if I need to spend the money on a program like aar if we don't really need all that review and b) I suspect we'll outpace the publishing so I'm going to need to change at some point anyway.

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You could make letters in the air. Stand next to her and hold your arm straight out in the air with your finger pointing like it is a writing utensil. Make the letter using large movements and a straight arm and have her follow along with you. As you are making the motion, you can say the motions for writing the letter.

You could also take turns writing the letters on each other backs and trying to guess what letter it is.

Joy

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Well, I'm starting this week with kids who write upper case letters only, from a year in HWT PK. They don't write words or read or anything like that yet (although one of the 4yos is sounding out CVC words). My plan is to go sloooooowly. I'm planning to teach lower case letter formation as I introduce the first 26 phonograms. I'm going to use the Zaner Bloser kindergarten handwriting workbook to facilitate that. I doubt we'll cover more than one letter/phonogram per day. Sloooow. I'm hoping that my current non-writers will become beginning writers by the time we're through the first 54 phonograms (or however many to start the spelling list), and that we'll be able to start the spelling list with beginning writing skills, continue to move as slowly as we need to, and grow from there.

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When you use a spalding type method (I have sound beginnings) to teach reading to a child that's not writing yet do you just go over the flash cards more often? We can do some salt box activities but I'm wondering if there's anything else to replace the reinforcement that writing provides. I'm sure I'm not the first to adapt it so I'd love to hear other ideas.:bigear: Also, do I have the idea right that you just use the spelling dictations to read instead of spell in this case? I'm not really looking to teach spelling yet, just trying to decide if I want to try this for reading or order AAR2. For reference, we're about a month from finishing AAR1 and ds has gone through it very quickly. AAR1 has been very good for us and ds likes it but a) idk if I need to spend the money on a program like aar if we don't really need all that review and b) I suspect we'll outpace the publishing so I'm going to need to change at some point anyway.

You never do just the flash cards without some sort of "writing," even if it's "writing" the phonograms in the air, or in chocolate pudding on the table. :-) And you don't start teaching the words in the Extended Ayres List without writing them, either.

 

Spalding teaches children to read by teaching them to spell. IOW, you cannot separate learning to read from learning to spell. You teach the phonograms by writing them; you begin teaching the words in the Extended Ayres List when the dc know how to read and write the first 45 phonograms; children begin to read almost without realizing they are reading. :)

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You never do just the flash cards without some sort of "writing," even if it's "writing" the phonograms in the air, or in chocolate pudding on the table. :-) And you don't start teaching the words in the Extended Ayres List without writing them, either.

 

Spalding teaches children to read by teaching them to spell. IOW, you cannot separate learning to read from learning to spell. You teach the phonograms by writing them; you begin teaching the words in the Extended Ayres List when the dc know how to read and write the first 45 phonograms; children begin to read almost without realizing they are reading. :)

 

I'm not sure I see a point in teaching a non-writer to spell but I'm open to input on that. So you would consider spalding-esque methods to be ineffective for reading if I'm not going to do the spelling?

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I'm not sure I see a point in teaching a non-writer to spell but I'm open to input on that. So you would consider spalding-esque methods to be ineffective for reading if I'm not going to do the spelling?

 

I would. If you want to teach reading without a writing component, try Phonics Pathways or OPGTR.

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I would. If you want to teach reading without a writing component, try Phonics Pathways or OPGTR.

 

Hmm, maybe I'll just get AAR2 for now and keep OPGTR in mind if/when we get ahead of publishing. I do love the content and layout of sound beginnings for teaching spelling but it sounds like it might be best to save it for when I'm ready to use it as intended?

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I'm not sure I see a point in teaching a non-writer to spell but I'm open to input on that. So you would consider spalding-esque methods to be ineffective for reading if I'm not going to do the spelling?

But Spalding teaches children to read by teaching them to spell. The ability to read happens simultaneously with the spelling, not separately from it.

 

If you don't want to do Spalding, then do something else, such as OPGTR, or for very young children, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. You'd then add spelling (and handwriting) later on. :)

 

Millions of children learn to read with methods other than Spalding, so I'm not saying that the other methods are inferior. I'm just saying that Spalding teaches children to read by teaching them to spell, which includes writing the single-letter phonograms, then the multiple-letter phonograms, then the words in the Extended Ayres List. Children just...start reading, seamlessly.

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I'm a LOE beta kindy tester and she encourages non-writers to use magnetic letters to "write" words. It's very Spalding-like in that we're learning the phonograms and learning to spell all at the same time. My 5 yr old has above average fine motor skills so writing hasn't been an issue for her & the program is working really well however my 3rd grader definitely could not have done the writing at this age (or even in 1st or much of 2nd grade) and I'm confident the layout of LOE kindy would have worked really well for him except we would have used the magnetic letters to spell words.

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Thank you for all the input everyone. My hangup with the spelling is the markings. If I were to do the whole program I could use the aalp tiles to spell but I'm not sure how I would do the markings. The multi letter phonograms are in a different color so I guess that would take care of that part. Would I just have him tell me what to do and I would mark it? I guess I could make dashes and number tiles too. Could that possibly work? otoh, maybe that's too much fussing and I should just do aar and/or opgtr. I appreciate the sounding board. I'm sure it's already saved me hours of frustration.

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Thank you for all the input everyone. My hangup with the spelling is the markings. If I were to do the whole program I could use the aalp tiles to spell but I'm not sure how I would do the markings. The multi letter phonograms are in a different color so I guess that would take care of that part. Would I just have him tell me what to do and I would mark it? I guess I could make dashes and number tiles too. Could that possibly work? otoh, maybe that's too much fussing and I should just do aar and/or opgtr. I appreciate the sounding board. I'm sure it's already saved me hours of frustration.

 

See, it would make my head hurt to try to invent my own thing. :) I'd have to do something else in the beginning, then go to Spalding, or just do Spalding from the beginning, in slow enough increments to work with the child's abilities.

 

So, yeah, my vote would be to do OPGTR and call it a day. :)

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I'm planning to use magnetic letters on our magnetic whiteboard. I'll probably let him write on it with the dry erase marker, and we can use that to mark the letters. But I'm not going to do a learning log with him yet. (Speaking of my 6yo.) Handwriting is separate from spelling right now.

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Thank you for all the input everyone. My hangup with the spelling is the markings. If I were to do the whole program I could use the aalp tiles to spell but I'm not sure how I would do the markings. The multi letter phonograms are in a different color so I guess that would take care of that part. Would I just have him tell me what to do and I would mark it? I guess I could make dashes and number tiles too. Could that possibly work? otoh, maybe that's too much fussing and I should just do aar and/or opgtr. I appreciate the sounding board. I'm sure it's already saved me hours of frustration.

 

Actually you have numerous options. If you have the AAS magnetic tiles, it's not a problem that the phonograms are already grouped and color-coded. Have him build the words on a magnetic whiteboard, and then you can write the markings above and underneath with dry erase markers. OR what you can do is *build* the words but skip the markings. Just discuss the rules, build the words, discuss why, read the words back, and move on. Then, when his writing picks up, you GO BACK to the beginning, start over in the lists, and this time keep a proper written log (if you're doing SWR/WRTR) and use the markings.

 

That's what I did with my dd. We went through those lists multiple times in K5 in fact. We'd go forward hit a wall, go back and start a new way. It's ok to do that and better in fact. And yes, they spell their way into reading with SWR/WRTR. That's the whole point, and it works incredibly well, highly recommend.

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