Spelling Questions

[Roxy Roller]

Our DD will be 14 in August. She has always been a horrible speller. I have tried almost everything on the market, and honestly feel like giving up. Is it too late to help her? This is an example of how she spelled 'audio' the other day - awdeo. I have her working through Megawords 1 independently right now, mainly because I need a break.

 

Here are some of the things we have tried over the years - Spelling Power, AAS, Sequential Spelling, Phonetic Zoo, and Spelling Plus. These are just what I can remember off the top of my head. I really like Spelling Plus, and 3 of my boys are using it successfully, with some tweaking, but it didn't seem to work well for her. I think part of the problem is me, and the fact that I had 4 boys within a few years right after her, and her beginning years of homeschooling were a little sparse. She was a late reader and only started to read really fluently in 5th grade. She reads well now, but is probably not totally up to 8th grade level.

 

I feel like my window of opportunity to help her is closing(or is it closed?)! I know some people just do not spell well, but I am unwilling to throw in the towel yet. Is there something that we can work through for the next year to get her up to speed? I have looked at the Logic of English, but I am so tired of throwing money away on things that will not work. She seems to need the auditory aspect, which is why I tried Spelling Zoo, but I found that she couldn't spell basic words we had gone over during her early years. Sequential Spelling was working until I realized that she was not transferring her knowledge to everyday writing. I could maybe go through AAS again, but when I pulled it out a few weeks ago, she complained that it was for little kids.

 

So...what I am looking for is...something that will cover all of the modes of learning...isn't childish...and will get her up to speed quickly(1 year).

 

Please help!

[GoVanGogh]

How is her visual sequencing memory? DS was tested through occupational therapy and his score was very low. We are now working on building that and hope it translates to an improvement in spelling.

If you google 'visual sequencing memory,' there are a number of sites that discuss what to do to improve.

[Roxy Roller]

How is her visual sequencing memory? DS was tested through occupational therapy and his score was very low. We are now working on building that and hope it translates to an improvement in spelling.

If you google 'visual sequencing memory,' there are a number of sites that discuss what to do to improve.

 

 

I have never had her tested for LDs. I will look into it further. Thank you.

[GoVanGogh]

I have never had her tested for LDs. I will look into it further. Thank you.

 

DS has not been formally/specifically tested for LDs and only had the visual testing as part of other testing. But poor visual memory is tied to spelling problems. I don't know how that wraps into the different LDs, though. In DS's case, he has a specific medical issue. We probably won't get him tested as his neurologist said he would trigger for every LD, but not specifically have any of them.

I really could have written your same post. In fact, I think I have posted several variations on it over the past few years. I, too, have felt like the window is closing. At what point to give up and start teaching coping skills? (Like: Never send out an e-mail or letter without having someone edit it for you...)

[Roxy Roller]

DS has not been formally/specifically tested for LDs and only had the visual testing as part of other testing. But poor visual memory is tied to spelling problems. I don't know how that wraps into the different LDs, though. In DS's case, he has a specific medical issue. We probably won't get him tested as his neurologist said he would trigger for every LD, but not specifically have any of them.

I really could have written your same post. In fact, I think I have posted several variations on it over the past few years. I, too, have felt like the window is closing. At what point to give up and start teaching coping skills? (Like: Never send out an e-mail or letter without having someone edit it for you...)

 

 

The bolded above is where I am at as well. I feel like I have one more shot during 9th grade next year, to see if we can make some headway. I do not believe that my DD has any LDs, but if she does, it would be very mild.

[ElizabethB]

Is she good at math?

 

People good at math but weak in spelling like my charts:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/Phonics%20Lsns/phonogramsoundch.html

 

At this point, I would concentrate on the 1,000 words in Spelling Plus and use Spelling dictation along with it. You can do the words through Spelling City or however she learns best.

 

Au is generally spelled aw only at or near the end of a word, it is usually at at or near the beginning and cannot be au at the end. Almost no words end in eo, most words that end in that sound pattern are io.

 

You might also want to look at Natural Speller if she learns well by pattern and you can add in rules to it, it is an easy book to accelerate and to determine which patterns need work.

 

 

[Roxy Roller]

Is she good at math?

 

People good at math but weak in spelling like my charts:

 

http://www.thephonic...ramsoundch.html

 

At this point, I would concentrate on the 1,000 words in Spelling Plus and use Spelling dictation along with it. You can do the words through Spelling City or however she learns best.

 

Au is generally spelled aw only at or near the end of a word, it is usually at at or near the beginning and cannot be au at the end. Almost no words end in eo, most words that end in that sound pattern are io.

 

You might also want to look at Natural Speller if she learns well by pattern and you can add in rules to it, it is an easy book to accelerate and to determine which patterns need work.

 

 

I was hoping that you would chime in, Elizabeth.

 

She is just average in math, or slightly below.

 

I like Spelling Plus the best out of everything we have done, but it did not seem to be sticking. Here is the way that I have implemented it, maybe you can take a look and see if I could tweak it somehow.

 

1st - I give my DC their spelling list for the week on Monday, adding in homophones if there are any, and writing important rules on these sheets.

2nd - Monday through Thursday, they study their words with a Spelling Power type worksheet that I have made up.

3rd - Monday through Thursday, after they have studied their words, I test the complete list. If they get any wrong, they write those words out 25 times each.

4th - Monday through Thursday, after the test, I give them the dictation from the corresponding list in the Spelling Plus dictation book - usually 5 sentences per day. If there are any words that are incorrect in their dictation, they write these words out 25 times each.

 

I used to put the lists on Spelling City, but I have stopped doing that this year. Maybe I need to revisit that as well.

 

The only problem I foresee is that one of my 10 year old twins and my 11 year old will probably be on a higher list than she is when we test back into Spelling Plus. Any thoughts?

 

Thank you for your comments.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

I would try the Spelling Plus words in Spelling City and also the suggestions in Lori D's overteaching spelling method:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/23896-overteaching-spelling-method/page__hl__+overteaching%20+spelling#entry3723746

 

That might make it a little less obvious that she is behind, although they probably will realize it one way or another, but having her do it in a slightly different format might help her save face a bit.

[Roxy Roller]

Thank you, Elizabeth.

 

I do have another question. Do you think that it would help to do How to Spell Books 3 and 4 with her, to try one last chance at a more traditional spelling program, before I go to the 1000 words list in Spelling Plus? My DD already knows she will be doing spelling with me until at least 11th, if not 12th grade, so I am wondering if running through the spelling rules, etc., again(sigh), might be a good idea. Spelling Plus does use rules, but I find that it is more based on memorization.

 

ETA: I am also considering Spell to Write and Read to run through quickly. Any thoughts?

[ElizabethB]

Thank you, Elizabeth.

 

I do have another question. Do you think that it would help to do How to Spell Books 3 and 4 with her, to try one last chance at a more traditional spelling program, before I go to the 1000 words list in Spelling Plus? My DD already knows she will be doing spelling with me until at least 11th, if not 12th grade, so I am wondering if running through the spelling rules, etc., again(sigh), might be a good idea. Spelling Plus does use rules, but I find that it is more based on memorization.

 

ETA: I am also considering Spell to Write and Read to run through quickly. Any thoughts?

 

 

SWR quickly might be a good idea, it is a slightly different format than normal spelling, so it might work.

 

Also, instead of How to Spell, I would go with Marcia Henry's Words. It explains the rules well but also separates words by language of origin and teaches word roots within each language. So, even if the spelling isn't that successful, you will be gaining some word root/vocabulary study in the process. The sample is from early on, the later words are multi syllable Greek and Latin words with associated root study.

 

She could also watch through my spelling lessons if she hasn't already. I have some charts to go along with them that might help as well:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/PL26VowelChart.pdf

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/OriginSlides.pdf

[Roxy Roller]

Thank you for taking the time to reply again, Elizabeth. She has gone through some of your spelling lessons, but it was a while ago.

 

I will look at SWR and Marcia Henry's Words a little more closely .