Lori Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 which do you feel is a better curriculum to use. If I use Spelling w/o I am also going to use wordly wise but If I use mega words then I dont think I will need to wordly wise. btw -this is for a 4th grader who is an ok speller and reader thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 In our experience, Spelling Workout (at least in the lower grade levels that we tried) was nothing more than "busywork" -- it did nothing to show connections of words, and the exercises didn't teach either of my sons any rules or any of the "why"s of spelling. On the other hand, my struggling speller excells with Megawords. It teaches vowel patterns and syllabication rules to help a student actually be able to figure out how to spell a longer word by breaking it into smaller "chunks" and applying those rules/patterns. Megawords also includes far more words, which are grouped in families or by patterns to help students become familiar with these patterns, and it includes more words than are tested, so the student receives plenty of vocabulary. Megawords also includes some root word study, and covers prefixes and endings. Like Spelling Workout, Megawords is mostly done independently by the student. There's my 2 cents worth! : ) Warmly, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 We love Spelling Workout. Each Lesson has three parts which I like. 1. Spelling Tip - It is a spelling/phonics rule which shows the relationship of the words in that lesson. I have them read this before their warm up test. If they have difficulty with the warm-up test, then I have them use it for copywork. I have to say that I rarely do this. 2. Spelling Words in Action - It is a short one to four paragraph story using some of the spelling words. They cover a variety of topics: from Pen pals to Sea Turttles. My dc love reading these stories. 3. Proofreading - In the lower levels it starts out with a few numbered sentences and increases up to full paragraphs. The students are told how many mistakes they must find and are taught proofreading marks. I like that SWO lists of words are phonically grouped together. I also like that every 6th lesson is a review of the past 5 lessons. Except for the warm-up quiz and the finial Spelling Test, this is independently completed which is nice. I did have to coach them in the beginning about how to use the Spelling Tip. I hope this was of help. Please feel free to ask me anymore questions.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 The only thing I liked about SW was the proofreading assignment. Megawords breaks down the words and shows the student why the word is broken down the way that it is. It teaches them all the patterns and combinations for the words, and it includes vocabulary, a huge plus in my book. If you do the word timings, then you also have a little speed reading course as well. :) Megawords has really worked for my struggling speller, but I do also use Sequential Spelling on the side. As the previous poster mentioned, Megawords is done more independently by the student. HTH, Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 My two older girls both tried SWO, but hated it. My oldest preferred Spelling Power. She thought that SWO was busywork. My middle prefers Megawords. She thought that SWO was busywork, but Megawords was fun. My youngest has tried Spelling Power, Flashkids Spelling, Sequential Spelling, and Megawords. Out of those four, she vastly prefers Sequential Spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tchm4jc Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Hello I have been looking for sample lessons and Table of contents for both Spelling Workout and Mega Words. Any insights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 You can see samples of MegaWords at cbd.com I chose MegaWords over SW and have been very pleased. We did books 1 and 2 last year and will do books 3-4 this year. I am adding Vocab from the Classical Roots this year too. If you want the proofreading aspect of SW, maybe look at Editor in Chief. We have also used that as a supplement to MegaWords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 You can see sample lessons from the even-numbered Megawords books here: http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/series.asp?seriesonly=1825M Click on "View sample pages" on the right side of the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tchm4jc Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Thank you. I am curious to know why you preferred one over the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda...inOwasso Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I don't think there's any comparison. Megawords is a much more thorough, in-depth program. Keep in mind that Megawords also kills 3 birds with 1 stone: reading, spelling & vocabulary! I whole-heartedly vote for Megawords for your 4th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tchm4jc Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Thanks to all for your insights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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