Motsy802 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 My son will be starting 1st grade soon, and I'm getting my curriculum choices finalized right now. I'm trying to decide if we should do spelling or not. We do ETC for reading which is in a way a type of spelling program, but I know he will need extra help because on the pages where he has to spell the words he typically has a harder time even though he can read the words just fine. We are almost finished with book 4 in ETC. Should we do a spelling program for 1st, or is it too early for that? Also, what about a foreign language? When do people usually start that, and what language do you prefer? I have a friend who does Spanish with her 1st grader so I didn't know if 1st grade was a typical grade to start a foreign language or not. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I waited to do spelling until they were very good readers. For both of my boys that’s been somewhere in the middle of 1st grade. As for a foreign language, I think people do all sorts of thigns. If either dh or I spoke another language fluently we would have started very young. We started Latin with my oldest in second grade and worked slowly. That’s been a good fit. My husband is fairly good in French so he started doing a little French with them this year (1st and 4th grades). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I do not think first grade is too early for spelling, though usually they need to be reading reasonably well to start a spelling programme - often the spelling then takes over for phonics instruction. I am doing dictation based spelling with my K'er who is reading at a grade 3/4 level. Where I live we are required to start a foreign language in first grade - it used to be second grade here, but has moved one grade earlier now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 we did spelling in kindy, with the phonics program. We still do it in first grade phonics as well. I'll probably do a separate spelling program in 2nd, next year, when phonics is over. Basically all our phonics is right now spelling rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 We're doing spelling now (technically preK). My dd was trying to write words on her own and I figured so long as she was capable of reading the words without too much trouble and the program was developmentally appropriate, why not? Of course, we just started this week, so I am by no means an expert. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I like to start a formal spelling program in 2nd grade. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Many vintage curricula started spelling in 3rd grade. Handwriting and reading/phonics were stressed in the earlier grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 My second grader did spelling for the first time this year...He used Rod & Staff Spelling, and it starts spelling in the 2nd grade...I don't do spelling in 1st grade or Kindergarten...If my 2nd grader was still struggling with reading, I would wait until 3rd grade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micron4 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I did All About Spelling (AAS) level 1 with my first grader and it was great. You use magnetic letter tiles on a white board to practice spelling, along with writing the words. For my wiggly child, it was a good choice. We also did ETC but she would get tired of that, and I didn't feel like she was really learning spelling through that. Learning spelling helps reinforce and solidify reading, IMO. Perhaps some more AAS users will chime in--I know a lot of people like it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 It's not too early for spelling. I started my little man in PreK/K4 with Spell to Write and Read and Cursive First, never using a formal "reading" program prior to it, and we're currently in our 5th year. SWR is a unique multi-sensory phonics program where students spell their way into writing and reading. It's an Orton/Spalding based program - The Writing Road to Reading (WRTR), The Logic of English (LoE), The Phonics Road (PR), and All About Spelling (AAS) are similar programs - that teaches the 70 basic phonograms and 29 spelling rules of the English language. As for a foreign language, my little man started learning Latin noun declensions and verb conjugations in 1st grade (during Classical Conversations) and more Latin vocabulary in 2nd grade with Song School Latin. We most likely would have done SSL 2 this year (for 3rd grade), if it would've been available, but instead we just dove into Latin for Children Primer A. We'll continue with LfC Primer B next year. I have plans to start Spanish in 5th or 6th grade, after he has a firm grasp of English and Latin grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Way of My People Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 We started AAS in K. I hadn't really planned to start that early, but DS was frustrated at not being able to communicate in writing. AAS is very gentle for young kids because they can spell with the letter tiles instead of writing (if they prefer that), and you can spend as much time as needed on each "Step" without running out of workbook pages (from other spelling curricula I looked at). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I started spelling books when they were reading well enough the spelling book could take over the phonics instruction. For my four kids doing spelling that was 1st, 3rd, 1st and K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 We started AAS in K. I hadn't really planned to start that early, but DS was frustrated at not being able to communicate in writing. AAS is very gentle for young kids because they can spell with the letter tiles instead of writing (if they prefer that), and you can spend as much time as needed on each "Step" without running out of workbook pages (from other spelling curricula I looked at). Yeah, the spelling program I mentioned we're doing with my almost 5yo is AAS. I researched spelling programs very thoroughly and it was the only one I felt like I could do with my daughter at her level. Workbook-type programs wouldn't work for us, but AAS is proving to work quite well and is very promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I didn't. My oldest, now 17 was a natural born speller. My middle, now 15 was not. My 7 year old is somewhere in between. My middle one just read voraciously and I made her correct the words she got wrong. I spent a couple of months doing spelling grouped by phonetic patterns with her when she was about 12. My 15 and 17 year olds are just now enrolled in community college now and have tested very well. Don't stress too much about which one you choose or how soon to start it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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