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World's Worst Speller


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I admit it. I am the mother of the World's Worst Speller. My 12 year old has always been a mathy/sciency type of kid. We've played to his strengths. Yippee for us...except that apparently I have forgotten to teach the kid how to spell.

 

It has really become evident this year (7th grade) that he is woefully unprepared to write a simple paragraph free of multiple spelling errors. I suppose this problem has been around for awhile, I just never realized how bad it was.

 

His last standardized test showed him to be 'Highly Proficient' in reading and 'Proficient' in writing.  So, I guess I've just assumed he was sloppy at home but could pull it out on tests. But, nah...he really does stink at spelling.

 

I hang my head in shame and accept the scorn of my fellow warriors at arms against ignorance. But, folks, what do I do now? Really, where do I start. I think we're beyond the days of weekly spelling lists and typical workbooks. And the idea of using incorrect words from his own writing...yikes! No, what I need is a systematic approach that isn't babyish.

 

Anyone have a program they used and liked for the preteen crowd? Let's hear your suggestions if you don't mind.

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We have used SWR (spelling to write and read).  It focuses on *how* language is put together -- almost linguistic in its approach.  It is easily compacted, and goes up to 12th grade words.  You only have to buy 2 books for all words (about $120 last I looked).  And I think that you could definitely take a non-babyish approach with this resource.

 

Ruth in NZ

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I am use LOE with my 11year old. She has higher level/adult/older learner spelling lists on the website that I use for her.

 

ETA: You wouldn't need the workbook. Just TM and phonogram cards. Spelling rules are all laid out in the book, so those cards are not necessary, nor are the grammar ones. I have the whole set for DD and 7yr. old DS, but we only use phonogram cards and the spelling lists, skipping most of the rest of the program.

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I also use LoE essentials with my 11 yo (she'll be 12 next week) - and I'm pretty sure she's the worst speller ;-) But LoE has really helped her. She taught herself to read by memorizing words, and due to a hearing loss she had as a baby/toddler, her speech, and consequently her ability to say/hear blends, etc really messed with her - teaching her to read was a challenge, for sure! Until one day - soon after she turned 7, because she thought at the age of 7 she should be able to read chapter books, she taught herself, and I was elated. Come to find out, she just memorized tons of words, and as soon as the text got harder, and the spelling demands were increased, it was so obvious how much I missed! We tried a few other spelling programs, but she was still struggling so much - she really needed to go back and do phonics, and fill in so many gaps, but a lot of the spelling programs moved too slow or were too babyish at that level - LoE has just been fantastic! She still struggles with some weird things here and there, but the difference has been dramatic. I don't use the higher level/adult/older learner lists - because her spelling is just that bad ;-) But we may work through it again using those lists when we're done - I haven't decided.. And we actually do use the whole entire program - even the grammar and handwriting ;-) Its our language arts (with the addition of literature/free reading)  Her 9yo sister is using it with us, so the three of us work through it together.

http://www.logicofenglish.com/curriculum/essentials

 

Good luck!

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The title of this post grabbed me.  I was sure my ds was the world's worst speller :)  It is comforting to know mine isn't the only one.

 

We have used many different programs to help this, but nothing really helped.  This year I added Spelling City (website) to our normal routine.  We are using Rod and Staff, so I type in the list to Spelling City and he can play games with his words during the week.  It has improved his final test scores.

 

Now does that translate to better ITBS spelling?  Well, I can't say, but his  Friday tests are better.  It is a fun thing to practice his words- (sort of fun in a spelling-type fun way, anyway).  I used the free program for a little while, then they had a one month free trial of the paid version, and I think I will put up the 30 bucks  to have the computer keep track of his problem words and spelling test grades.  It also has a few more games.  Really, ANYTHING to help his abysmal spelling test score.

 

K

 

Oh, I am also using Spelling City with Spelling Power for some extra practice for my 9th grader.

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We too are using LOE....for my 7(Loe Book, everything but grammar) and 10 year old (advanced spelling list w/sound cards, rules, & games).  My oldest, 13 year old, has been listening in on the spelling rules and phonogram cards......she was pulled from public school a few years ago where she had to memorize how to spell.  She is a natural speller, thank goodness, but it still doesn't hurt nor take long to know all the sounds and rules.  Good luck!  

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Spelling errors *while* writing is very common -- spelling and writing are processed in two very different parts of the brain, and not everyone can learn to simultaneously juggle the two different processes -- some students learn to do it early (age 10-12), some later (teens), and some people never can. If this is the case, you work to emphasize that going back and proofing your writing is a crucial step in the multi-step PROCESS of writing.

 

Do you feel this is what is the problem for your DS? Or that he does not know/understand spelling rules? Or, that he knows the spelling rules, but can't figure out how to apply them? Or that there is some "glitch" or difference in DS's learning style that will require a different approach to improving spelling? Each of these is a different issue, and each would best be addressed with a different approach.

 

If not knowing the spelling rules is the problem, then posters above have listed some great suggestions. If it is more a matter of a "glitch" or requiring a different approach to make spelling "stick", then one (or several) of these approaches might help:

 

We used Megawords starting at about age 12, with DS with mild LDs (stealth dyslexia) in the spelling area. (We also created our own individualized spelling from The ABCs and All Their Tricks, and used additional practice techniques from Andrew Pudewa's Spelling and the Brain lecture, Phonetic Zoo, Sequential Spelling, and mnemonic and dictation techniques from Stevenson's Blue Spelling Book.)

 

Megawords teaches breaking words into smaller "bites" for spelling attack with syllabication rules and vowel patterns. It is designed for grades 4+. Each unit has a word list of about 100-125 words for practice in the workpages, and then lets you choose from the ** words for testing. There are 8 books; at 1 page a day, 4 days a week, one book takes you about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the school year. Starting at about book 3, some of the words in the word lists make great vocabulary words for middle school/high school students. Largely done independently by the student.

 

You might also check out the visual methods of spelling practice at Dianne Craft's website, as visual picture methods go straight into long-term memory. Jeffrey Freed's Right Brain Children in a Left Brain World suggest similar techniques.

 

BEST of luck in finding what fits best for your student! Warmly, Lori D.

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Gee, I thought I was the Mom to the 2 worst in the world spellers! Honestly, I have tried everything everyone has listed here to no avail. It is like they missed getting that engram at birth.

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Oh, I thought this was going to be a PM for me. (The World’s Worst Speller) 

 

Obviously, I have solutions for you. My goal for my own poor speller is the same as my own personal approach....know enough about words to know when something looks wrong and is misspelled and then go and look up how to spell it. 

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I'm using Apples and Pears for my struggling speller. It's raved about on these boards for struggling spellers. So I decided to give it a try. We were using All About Spelling. I love AAS. I miss it. Yet, ds really likes Apples and Pears. I don't know why because it drives me batty. But it's working.

 

I do plan on having him finish AAS when he's done with Apples and Pears.

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Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I appreciate it and have several things to investigate.

 

Lori D, excellent points. His spelling and sentence structure go right down the drain when he needs to actually use his skills to answer a 'write a sentence' type question. So, several skills need work here - not just spelling. Funny enough, one of his strengths is that he has excellent recall - so much so that he can answer something word for word as it is on the page. the trick is finding 'new' words (his own words) to explain.  Too bad he can't remember what the words he read look like. :001_unsure:

 

Funny aside - I keep seeing LoE as LoF and, for the life of me, couldn't figure out how Life of Fred was supposed to help him with spelling. :blushing:  Don't worry...I'm slow, but I finally figured it out.

 

Again, thanks everyone for the ideas!

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  :lurk5:  You can not have the world's worst speller as I have the world's worst speller.  Great reader, just not a speller.

 

 

 

For mine teaching the rules, helped immensely.  We did it ala The Writing Road to Reading.  We are still slogging through the lists.

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Spelling errors *while* writing is very common -- spelling and writing are processed in two very different parts of the brain, and not everyone can learn to simultaneously juggle the two different processes -- some students learn to do it early (age 10-12), some later (teens), and some people never can. If this is the case, you work to emphasize that going back and proofing your writing is a crucial step in the multi-step PROCESS of writing.

:iagree:  Finally started seeing improvement in dd#1's spelling last year (10/11). I can't put her in Worst Speller category anymore. She isn't into Great or Good Speller territory either, but neither am I!

 

We used Megawords starting at about age 12, with DS with mild LDs (stealth dyslexia) in the spelling area. .... Largely done independently by the student.

I tried this last year with dd#1. It was an epic fail. Part of it was because it really WASN'T mostly independent like I'd been hoping and partially because the method didn't help her spelling at all. Halfway through the year, we switched back to Spell to Write and Read (SWR) - which is even MORE teacher time-intensive than Megawords but definitely helped improve her spelling. 

 

And I'm hoping for dd#2 to get better in her spelling someday because while her ideas and writing content are wonderful, her spelling makes me cringe! The kids in my family so far who are poor spellers also have low visual memory skills. They just can't remember how to spell a word they've seen hundreds or thousands of times, especially if they are also trying to remember to capitalize/punctuate/form letters/keep correct spacing/ and keep the words they are trying to write in their heads. We practice a lot to get some of those skills automatic so they don't have to try to remember everything at once.

 

Logic of English (LoE), Spell to Write and Read (SWR), Writing Road to Reading (WRTR), and Phonetic Zoo (PZ) are all programs you could use with older kids as they aren't babyish, IMO. Phonetic Zoo is a completely different approach than the first three, BTW. SWR & Phonetic Zoo have "placement tests" to help you put your kid in the right level of words. (SWR's is in the program itself. You take PZ's before you decide what level to buy.)

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Oh, I'm pretty my son would be in the running for World's Worst Speller too, at least up until this year. :)

 

He tested into the 2nd percentile on the WJIII spelling subtest a few years ago (in sharp contrast to his 99th percentile math scores!). He's just not a visual learner and doesn't see the words in his head, so I didn't know how to teach him. He used Logic of English last year, which was a huge help and tremendous confidence builder, and he's using Phonetic Zoo this year. His spelling has improved dramatically.

 

I put him in a co-op this year, so I bought him an electronic spelling dictionary to keep in his backpack for co-op days. I don't want his participation affected by his spelling.

 

 

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I don't know if there is any evidence for this, but I talk through my son's difficult spelling words with him.  I will pronounce words the way they look, such as "fave o right" for favorite, or "wed ness day" for Wednesday day.  Somehow this has helped him to remember more words.  It is actually the way I remember how to spell many words. 

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