bella2005 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 We finished MFW 1st and were doing good with Spelling Workout A but lately it has been a battle. Any suggestions to brighten spelling time? ........ spelling isn't the only battle, it's hard for DS7 to sit and focus. Today he played legos all day to avoid school, and I canceled a favorite activity of his for the evening since he didn't finish the days work. He did good with MFW 1st and I rarely had a battle. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyGirl Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Would he like the tiles in AAS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Hmmm ... I'm not sure that switching curriculum will solve the issue of him having battles and playing with Lego, etc.. It may be that you need to find a curriculum that fits him better. (Is he bored? Too challenged? Spending too much time on it in a day?). But it may also be a case of adjusting your and his expectations and making them explicit. Are you expecting him to work independently? That may not be reasonable for a 7yo. Is he under the impression that school is optional? Does that need to be clarified for him? For what it's worth, All About Spelling has been a good program for us. It's very mom-intensive, but that works well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weederberries Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I can not say enough good things about the Alphabet Island program. It is phenomenal at bringing phonetic rules to life by story telling. My first two children have completed it and have such a FIRM foundation in spelling. My 6 year old, second grader is in the last of 3 books and uses the tools he learned within it across curricula. The rules are taught in a story context. The letters all live together on Alphabet Island. Lady L is the queen and everyone respects her. Clever C has two brothers, Sloppy S and Zany Z. You begin by introducing the letters and their identities, then begin to piece together phonetic rules. For instance, the vowels are Active A (a baby boy - he says wa-a-aaaaa when he wants his mother), Everloving E (a little girl, whose favorite part of a book is the e-e-e-end), and so on with Innocent I (girl), Optimistic O (boy), Understanding U (boy), and Yours Truly Y (girl, a good friend of the vowels). One of the first lessons is about Clever C. He says 2 sounds. When he is next to a boy (all consonants (except for Lady L) and A, O, and U) he must be clever and say the sound /k/. But, when he is next to a girl (E, I, Y), he gets so embarrassed, he acts s-s-s-s-silly and says /s/. But Lady L is not just any girl and he always shows her great respect and therefore says /k/. So, reading and spelling words, such as clue, cycle, city, and creed are no problem. The work is engaging and fun. What I like best about it is that the spelling tests are not from a list of 10 words, they've memorized this week that all follow the same rule. As you practice the new rule, which isn't presented as a "rule" at all, but the next piece of the story, you may practice 100 words that fit the rule and those that don't apply. For the test, you may call out any of those 100 words and the student will be able to see whether the rule applies and therefore how to spell it properly. THAT is the end goal of spelling, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weederberries Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I might also add, that I believe Alphabet Island Phonics Book 1 is really Kindergarten or below. Identifying, forming, learning basic sounds for each letter, and spelling short cvc words is the goal in book 1. But, Book 2A jumps in with meaty phonics, all made completely tolerable and fun by the stories and songs. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraysonsMom Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 We are currently using Spelling Workout. I just ordered the next book in the series and am regretting it. I would like to change curriculum with my DS6. He has breezed through most of the first book, but I don't feel like he is really learning. From everything I have read I think I would like to take the plunge to AAS. It is a little expensive so I wish I knew it was the best more before investing. Good luck with your son! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bella2005 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Thank you all for the replies and sugggestions :) I will look into the AAS :) Just had him take the ACE word building test and it suggested starting him in #1037 which is 4th grade in their booklets. Didn't seem too bad. Hmmm ... I'm not sure that switching curriculum will solve the issue of him having battles and playing with Lego, etc.. It may be that you need to find a curriculum that fits him better. (Is he bored? Too challenged? Spending too much time on it in a day?). But it may also be a case of adjusting your and his expectations and making them explicit. Are you expecting him to work independently? That may not be reasonable for a 7yo. Is he under the impression that school is optional? Does that need to be clarified for him? For what it's worth, All About Spelling has been a good program for us. It's very mom-intensive, but that works well here. I do not make him work independently... he would never get anything done if I did that. Occasionally I will walk away to get something and tell him for example, to see how many math problems he can do before I get back. Little things like that. I think he may be bored, I don't think he's too challenged and we don't spend all day doing school (unless he puts up a fuss and it drags on all day because he refuses, once he finally does the work it is not long at all). He may think work is optional, but he is not allowed TV or motorcycle (his favorite thing) until work is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I do not make him work independently... he would never get anything done if I did that. Occasionally I will walk away to get something and tell him for example, to see how many math problems he can do before I get back. Little things like that. I think he may be bored, I don't think he's too challenged and we don't spend all day doing school (unless he puts up a fuss and it drags on all day because he refuses, once he finally does the work it is not long at all). He may think work is optional, but he is not allowed TV or motorcycle (his favorite thing) until work is done. I hear you -- it definitely sounds like a different curriculum could help. AAS has been fun because there are so may different ways to mix it up -- use the white board, use the tiles, write in a book, spell orally. I have a child who is quite determined to set her own schedule for the day (and it usually involves a lot of Lego or similar activities :-) ), and I find that if I can make spelling "feel" different to her almost every day, she is fine with it. I do the same with math as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weederberries Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 After Alphabet Island Phonics, we moved to A Reason for Spelling. The stories that give it a "reason" bog us down, so we use the word lists and activities without them. I like it because there is a wide variety of activities to practice the words (tiles, alphabet stamps, chalk on the sidewalk, etc) and a list of "Other Word Forms" in each lesson. After the pre-test, I create a unique word list for each of my students (I have two at the same level) based on which words they spelled correctly. "Invest" becomes "investment" on their list. The practice is still productive, but they are challenged with their spelling list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdownie Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 My first grader loves All About Spelling (I love it too). She is very hands on, so using the tiles keeps her interested. When she wants to "hurry" through her spelling lesson and just get it done, she will simply write the words. However, when learning new concepts, she definitely uses all the tiles, on our magnetic white board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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