Please help me choose a spelling curriculum for my daughter

[songsparrow]

I am looking for a spelling curriculum for my younger daughter (she is 8 / grade 4). I just pulled her from ps, and on her report card the only place where she was below grade level was in spelling. I don't have any detailed feed-back about it, though, and she never had spelling homework to do at home, so I'm not sure what was causing the problem. I haven't noticed any major spelling issues at home, and she has always been an accelerated reader. She is doing well with cursive handwriting.

 

I want a program that explains the "whys" of how words are spelled. She would probably prefer a workbook-style program to a manipulatives-based one. I would like the lessons to be short - maybe 10 min per day teaching (OK if there's a little more practice for her to do on her own). I want a program that is easy for me to implement - open and go, with lots of support. I am a natural speller, and I do not know all the rules and do not have an intuitive sense of how to teach spelling. I do not need a curriculum that incorporates more than spelling, as I plan to use MCT's Town series for grammar & writing.

 

What would you recommend to us?

 

[hsmom2011]

My kids (7 & 11) both love Spelling Workout (Modern Curriculum Press). We have tried many, and Spelling Workout is the one we have stuck with. :)

[Clarkd]

We use a combination of How to Spell, Natural Speller and Spellwell. Each of these programs have strong points. I like the organization of How to Spell, the breadth of Natural Speller, and the activities of Spellwell.

[nansk]

While I like How To Spell, it needs some reading and work on the teacher's part to figure it out.

 

For an open-and-go program, that teaches the 'whys', look at the Logic of English ($$$) or Spelling Plus ($).

[s.z.ichigo]

I don't have any experience with other spelling programs, as this is all I've used, but Spelling Workout seems to be what you're describing, as far as being workbook based, with short lessons, and easy to implement. The TM isn't totally necessary, but I'd get it at least once before deciding if you want to use it or not.

[SFM]

Maybe R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure? It's a workbook, does not take long, and is not teacher intensive. I am not sure if you would want to begin at the 4th grade level, it might benefit her to go back and re-mediate some phonics, spelling rules, etc. I have had real problems with spelling with my DS8, as well. So, I am not much help and we just started homeschooling last year. I am giving The Writing Road to Reading a fair shot (finally) and although it does seem like (at least in he beginning) it will be teacher intensive, once the child is trained on the methods it could be fairly simplistic.

[Ellie]

Spalding would still be my first recommendation. :-) You don't have to use the reading, writing, or grammar lessons.

 

But after Spalding, I'd recommend Spelling by Sound and Structure, and I'd go right to the fourth grade book. As an accelerated reader, your dd shouldn't need any phonics review. SSS's word lists are not terribly difficult; it is the activities that make the series challenging and worthwhile.

[boscopup]

Another vote for R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure... IF Christian content is ok. It is unabashedly Christian. The workbooks are easy to use, very thorough, and and have been great for my accelerated reader who needed a phonics based spelling program.

 

If Christian content is not ok, How to Teach Spelling would probably be my second choice. It has workbooks called "How to Spell". Note that the numbers on the book do not correspond to grade levels. I can't remember the grade level designations offhand, but look carefully at them, as they span grade levels (like one is grades 4-6).

[Hunter]

Choosing spelling is hard. In general, most spelling curricula do not raise spelling scores. The ones that do raise scores are pretty teacher intensive.