North Coast School Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Noticed in the thread about curriculums that people have hated/regretted buying, that Spelling Workout was mentioned many times. SWB rec's this for spelling in WTM, so we were just planning on using that next year for 1st grade. But now I wonder if I should research this a little further. For those of you that disliked SWO, what are the alternatives I should look at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Rod & Staff Spelling By Sound and Structure (note that this is unabashedly Christian) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We love Spelling Power. I review it in depth on Amazon under the 3rd edition. I use kalanamak on Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We love Spelling Power. I review it in depth on Amazon under the 3rd edition. I use kalanamak on Amazon ETA: SP is for after you learn phonics ....age 8+, oops. For under that, I'd use Logic of English, but not sure if the beginning level is formally out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We defected from Spelling Workout and tried to just do homemade spelling lists - from mistakes in writing - but it didn't seem to be having any impact on improving her spelling when writing. I kinda dropped it for awhile, then discovered Logic of English. And it is working!! We're doing a list each week, just spelling - studying a phonogram, the spelling rules, then a spelling list - using LOE's Advanced Word Lists. It's going great! She's actually learning to spell. I attribute the success to the spelling dictation method, which gives a student a chance to think through, internalize, and practice spelling rules, rather than just memorize a list, regurgitate it for a test, and forget it. You can watch Denise demonstrate the spelling dictation method on the Logic of English website. Seriously, even just doing spelling dictation method with Spelling Workout lists would be an improvement over doing it as written. But we're very happy with LOE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We use, enjoy, and respect All About Spelling. However, if we wanted or needed more of a workbook approach, I think we'd go with Rod & Staff Spelling by Sound & Structure. I have tutored (4th & up) with Spelling Power. My thoughts? If you are going with a teacher-directed method anyway, why not just go with AAS (and have a better program)? If you want a workbook, then Sound & Structure is the best I've seen. I don't want to put down Spelling Power, though, because it has some good points. IMO, it would be especially easy to use with motivated older students and/or good spellers, because they won't "waste" time on words they already know. But for beginning spelling, I think AAS or S&S are good choices. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanabug Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Is there somewhere online to see samples of R&S? We've been using AAS 1 this year and my daughter hates it. Lana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Is there somewhere online to see samples of R&S? We've been using AAS 1 this year and my daughter hates it. Lana rodandstaffbooks.com (this is not the publisher) The grade 2 book is kind of random because they expect you're still doing phonics separately, but grade 3 gets into phonics, and grade 4 is heavy on rules and phonics (like when to use "tch" for /ch/). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 We did 2 years of SWO and it was a dreadful fit. We switched to AAS towards the end of 2nd grade. My son is a self-taught reader, so he never got phonics. This made spelling really really difficult. We've moved through AAS very slowly as a result. He's absolutely not a natural speller :) AAS has been a great fit for us. The rules have helped a ton & it's filled in missing gaps that he didn't get with phonics. I'm very pleased with AAS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Personally, I think everyone should learn about the concept of "explicit phonics" instruction before buying a spelling program. It is not for everyone, but it is an option that everyone should know about, because some kids just need it. There are a number of programs to pick from. I use Spell to Write and Read, which is a spin-off of Spalding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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