All About Spelling burnout

[Doodlebug]

I'm working through book 3 with my seven year old boy, and I'm weary.

 

It's just so... Cumbersome.

 

This coming from the phonics queen and language lover. I love knowing all the rules! But it's burying my kid. He just wants to write without breaking down every stinking syllable. If that stood between me and writing, I'd say farewell.

 

Suggestions to push on? To try something new? Is this a well known homeschooler frustration with AAS? The little magnetic tiles irritate me too. Thought I'd throw that in for good measure.

 

 

Peace,

Stella

[Farrar]

We treat AAS and other writing separately.  We only do AAS for 20 mins a day.  We ditched the tiles awhile ago and just use a whiteboard (well, one ds uses a whiteboard, the other a notebook for handwriting reasons).  During AAS time, words must be analyzed and every single misspelling must be discussed and discussed and...

 

But during other writing - nope.  Dictations and copywork, we mention rules and correct, but we don't dwell and analyze.  For written narrations and freewrites and so forth, we don't even correct spelling most of the time.  My idea is that eventually it's going to come together.  And I do see them slowly getting there.

[Nart]

I just stopped AAS3 this fall with my 6 year old, first grader. My situation is a bit different because I am afterschooling him for now. AAS1 and 2 were great in kindergarten so he could start to learn the rules of spelling instead of just invented spelling.  We both got tired of doing AAS3 this fall so I dropped it for now. At school they send home a spelling list that is half regular spelling with a theme (ex. 5 short o words), half sight words (this week -would, some, make, her, when), and three dictation sentences.  Memorizing the sight words has helped his spelling. For example had a hard time hearing the difference between w and wh words (truth be told I can't hear the difference), so it has been helpful to have him memorize the questions words (when, why, what, which, where). Also memorizing some basic words that he writes a lot (because, are, were, favorite, etc) has improved his writing. So I decided to hold off AAS3 until next summer and just work on the sight words.

[Doodlebug]

AAS is our only subject in which we break down words. With WWE 2, I help him spell words so that he's focused on the larger goal of writing. But I'm helping him spell every other word, and I'm beginning to wonder why I teach spelling! He isn't spelling! Argh.

 

I guess I'm burnt out too... The discussion, on and on and on. I'm fried. The word "needle" nearly buried me this week. Why do we need double e if the syllable is open? The timing of that word was a perfect storm. DS was finally taking time to examine the first syllable, determining what he needed to do to make the vowel short or long.... And along comes "needle" and blows it all to smithereens. Bah.

 

Stella

[CrunchyGirl]

I simplified. LegoMan is a natural speller--rarely gets a word wrong if he's seen it before in his reading. But I noticed that working on spelling rules had him analyzing worlds and thinking through their spelling--I figure that is good practice. I got through most of book 2, felt really burned out (and questioned the benefit), realized it was worth it, and now we are almost through level 3.

 

We use the iPad app (Sound Literacy?) since tiles and toddlers don't mix. We review phonograms and rule cards every few lessons. We do the word analysis, go through the new teaching, do the new spelling words, do four dictation sentences, and review 5-10 spelling words each lesson. We can do all that in about 20 minutes. So we are making it through 5 lessons a week right now. I suspect at some point it will slow down. I don't do the writing station.

[Farrar]

Long e is usually spelled with a vowel team, not an open syllable.  I very much take your point though.  And really, I'd rather have my kids spell it nedle or ritch or thurd or beem or something that makes sense, it just isn't right.

 

I think many kids just find spelling hard.  I have twins and one of them is on AAS5 and the other has just started 4.  They're 9 yo.  My boy who spells well does a whole AAS step in one go.  His brother takes a week on each one.  It's excruciating.  But necessary.  Of course, there are other programs that may work for you, and you might want to switch.  LoE gets a lot of praise.  And some people find pared down programs work for them.  Ellie would say you should do Spalding without all the added AAS stuff.  But in the end, I would say AAS is a pretty good program and it sounds like you just need to take it really slow.

 

He's only 7 yo.  Why don't you hit pause on AAS and do something fun with writing.  And if he's struggling with the dictation in WWE that much, maybe he's not ready for it.  Do you know Peggy Kaye's Games for Writing?  Or try some Brave Writer exercises.  Or do the writing station type stuff from No More, I'm Done.  Or try some of the writing lessons in Don't Forget to Write.  Or just do your own copywork and let him do lots of oral storytelling and narrations for awhile and forget about the spelling.  But that's just my take.  I tend to think that doing that kind of work getting kids to enjoy a subject is worth the time and patience and worth a pause in working on skills.

[MerryAtHope]

 The word "needle" nearly buried me this week. Why do we need double e if the syllable is open? The timing of that word was a perfect storm. DS was finally taking time to examine the first syllable, determining what he needed to do to make the vowel short or long.... And along comes "needle" and blows it all to smithereens. Bah.

 

Stella

 

 

Needle bothered my kids too! He's right--we don't "need" double E, but it's just how this one is spelled. I put it in jail, not because it was a rule-breaker, but for "Disturbing the peace!" That made my kids feel better...justice had been served!

 

Then I said, "You *need* a needle to sew" eventually shortened to "you *need* a needle," to remind them how to spell it until it stuck. We also read the word card daily for awhile, just noting the double E for the long E sound. Some patterns do have to be learned visually, and things like the word banks or the cards can help facilitate that.  

 

Merry :-)

[MerryAtHope]

I'm working through book 3 with my seven year old boy, and I'm weary.

 

It's just so... Cumbersome.

 

This coming from the phonics queen and language lover. I love knowing all the rules! But it's burying my kid. He just wants to write without breaking down every stinking syllable. If that stood between me and writing, I'd say farewell.

 

Suggestions to push on? To try something new? Is this a well known homeschooler frustration with AAS? The little magnetic tiles irritate me too. Thought I'd throw that in for good measure.

 

 

Peace,

Stella

 

He doesn't need to break down every syllable when he writes. Let him write. If it's writing outside of spelling time, I wouldn't even correct his spelling for now. He's very young, and it will take time to come together.

 

For dictations, let him write and commit to his spelling. When he's done with the sentence, have him show it to you. I usually say something like "there's one spelling error" if there's a mistake, and I see if my kids can find it. Usually they can, but if they start just guessing, I say which word & see if they can correct. I praise for finding the word & praise for correcting. Use the syllable rules and other spelling concepts as tools for editing, not when he's writing the dictation or writing outside of spelling. Maybe that would help?

 

As for the tiles, does he benefit from them? You can use them just for demonstrations and let him decide whether to use them or just write when he practices concepts. Or, if you don't think he needs them, take a break (temporary or permanent) and write on a board or on paper. Use underlining to show new phonograms. Or even just show the pictures in the book. 

 

Lots of work-arounds there if the tiles aren't working for you. 

 

7 is pretty young for some of the logic in level 3 though, so it's fine to slow down a bit if he needs to--you could do shorter lessons each day for awhile, like 10-15 minutes instead of 20. Or stop at a good stopping point rather than going a full 20. 

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

[Grover]

We ditched the tiles about three lessons into book 1 :blushing:  we're now at the end of book 6 (two lessons to go).  It's a great programme, and DS is a fantastic speller because of it. 

[Hakg]

I'm working through book 3 with my seven year old boy, and I'm weary.

 

It's just so... Cumbersome.

 

This coming from the phonics queen and language lover. I love knowing all the rules! But it's burying my kid. He just wants to write without breaking down every stinking syllable. If that stood between me and writing, I'd say farewell.

 

Suggestions to push on? To try something new? Is this a well known homeschooler frustration with AAS? The little magnetic tiles irritate me too. Thought I'd throw that in for good measure.

 

 

Peace,

Stella

 

I don't know if it is a well known homeschooler frustration or not, but both DS8 (at the time) and I, felt the same way around the middle of book 3. We couldn't stand it any more - the tiles, the whiteboard, the syllables bla - we ditched it.  We are not CM'ers, but we picked up Spelling Wisdom, and it was like a breath of fresh air - so simple.

 

[....]

We ditched the tiles about three lessons into book 1 :blushing:  we're now at the end of book 6 (two lessons to go).  It's a great programme, and DS is a fantastic speller because of it. 

 

:iagree:  I don't even buy the "stuff" anymore for it.  I just buy the TM and we work at a dry erase board.  My 8 yro daughter is an awesome speller because of AAS.  The dictation sentences at the end of each chapter have helped so much with her writing.  I'm getting reading to start the first book with my Kindergartener in January.

[blondeviolin]

Must be something about book 3 because we've also taken a pause. In my case, the process of getting ready for a HUGE move has caused me to look to move towards some independence. So the 6yo is just reviewing words and rules in AAS 1 and the 7yp is working through Spelling Workout.

[Goldilocks]

I only used AAS for my children that are not "natural" spellers. The ones who needed to break down each word into syllables.  

 

AAS is too cumbersome and slow for kids who don't need all that.

 

If your child is 7 and on level 3, my guess he is a natural speller.  

 

I am now familiar with the rules and can bring them up occasionally when needed for my dd.  Other than that, I did not do spelling with her (she begged to do it this year in 5th grade).

[mom2bee]

...For example had a hard time hearing the difference between w and wh words (truth be told I can't hear the difference),...

 

Stop the press! There is a difference? Like, for real?

[silver]

Stop the press! There is a difference? Like, for real?

 

Supposedly the way to make the "wh" sound is to pretend like you're blowing out a candle and then quickly switch to the /w/ sound. I can make "wh" sound different from "w" if I try, but when I say words spelled with "wh" in normal speech, there isn't a difference. When I'm dictating spelling words, I'll purposefully make the "wh" sound distinct.

[Farrar]

There's no difference between w and wh like 90% of the time.  Seriously.

 

One thing I do like about AAS is that they explicitly teach the strategy I always used as a child which is "pronounce for spelling."

 

I do use AAS with my more natural speller, but we don't do every single part of it.  It's more like, introduce the rule, do the activities quickly, do most of the sentences, do the writing station, and done.  The whole lesson would take 20 minutes except that he likes to write me a several page short story for the writing station these days.

 

But I'm not sure the OP's ds is a natural speller.  It sounds more like he accelerated too quickly because he's not spelling well on his WWE dictations.  Like he was fine with the first couple of levels, but then needed to take a break and let the information sink in before moving on.

[Mrs Twain]

Mr. Pudewa of IEW always says the "h" sound first in all "wh" words.  We listen to him so often that my son has started to imitate his pronunciation.  I find it rather quaint.  No one ever taught me to pronounce anything correctly when I was growing up!

 

ETA:

I have never used AAS,  but I am exceedingly happy with Rod and Staff Spelling (which some have claimed is the workbook version of AAS).  In addition, I use Spelling Power.  The combination is producing good results for us.

[boscopup]

We ditched it at level 3 also. Went to R&S Spelling and haven't looked back. My oldest isn't a natural speller, but he also isn't a struggling speller to the point of needing an O-G program. When he writes an original paragraph, he'll misspell a lot of words, but if I have him go back and find the misspelled words himself, he'll find them all AND spell them correctly with no help from me. He just hasn't had spelling and writing come together completely yet (he's 9). He does spell well when he's just thinking about spelling and not about what he's trying to write about.

 

I do think we have to be careful about dwelling too much on spelling RULES. As my 7 year old said the other day, "English is weird!" :D Some words don't fit any rules, and there aren't rules for how to spell, as in whether to use a-e, ea, ai, or ay (there are some rules about ai/ay, but not the other two vs. those two). You just have to memorize which spelling it is.

[Doodlebug]

Thank you so much for all the helpful responses and commiserating! 

 

 

But I'm not sure the OP's ds is a natural speller.  It sounds more like he accelerated too quickly because he's not spelling well on his WWE dictations.  Like he was fine with the first couple of levels, but then needed to take a break and let the information sink in before moving on.

 

I do think this is the problem.  Especially at issue is the growing number of steps required to spell a word.  "Middle" requires us to spell phonetically, remember our syllable types, and -- this next step is where I lose him -- now we have to evaluate what the vowel in the first syllable requires to keep it saying its short sound - doubling the consonant.  His attention span won't accomodate all that. 

 

The crazy thing is that ds has been doing really great with dictating the AAS sentences up to this point.  It's just the WWE dictation we have issues with, and I think most of that is due to him not wanting to take risks with words he's unfamiliar with.  He wants his words to be right and will not budge. 

 

I appreciate the writing resource recommendations.  We havent tried much outside of our formal curriculums yet, and that might be just the thing to give his brain some growing time.  ;)

 

I so appreciate all your responses!

 

Peace,

Stella

 

 

[threeofakind]

I skimmed other responses and was thinking too, maybe take a break for awhile- my son was 9 when we got through level 3, so your son is doing great!  But I also just wanted to share that we switched to Phonetic Zoo- by IEW, after level 3 and it has been great!

[boscopup]

Another thing to note about WWE2... It has words that are typically beyond the average 2nd grade spelling level. I wouldn't at all be concerned that you have to help him spell every other word in WWE. If you were having to help him spell the words in AAS dictation, THEN I'd be more concerned. :)

[SnMomof7]

We almost finished level 2, loved it, very sound, but needed something more independent once I hit 5 children. The Sound literacy app is great, we used it (for AAR too). Moved to R&S for third grade and up. CLE includes phonetic spelling in grades 1 and 2 LA.

[ByGrace3]

I also,got bogged down in level 3 and began questioning continuing. I ditched the tiles and cards in fair of the TM and whiteboard at the end of level 2. We did push through level 3 and did level 4, and I am glad we did.

 

We now have switched to R&S. the words have not been as difficult as what she was doing in AAS, but the exercises make up for it in challenge.

 

Fwiw I am ver glad I made it though level 4, and if R&S doesn't work out I won't hesitate to go back to AAS. It is an amazing program that works.

 

As for WWE 2, we had the exact same issue. The dictations had some challenging words, many of which we had not covered yet in AAS. I wrote the difficult words on a whiteboard and let her use that to write her dictations.

 

I will be starting my son in the spring and have every intention of having him gr through at least level 3 or 4.

[MerryAtHope]

I do think this is the problem.  Especially at issue is the growing number of steps required to spell a word.  "Middle" requires us to spell phonetically, remember our syllable types, and -- this next step is where I lose him -- now we have to evaluate what the vowel in the first syllable requires to keep it saying its short sound - doubling the consonant.  His attention span won't accomodate all that. 

 

 

He really IS doing well for 7 yo! AAS teaches 4 main Effective Spelling Strategies: phonetic, rules-based, visual, and morphemic. Level 3 is the point at which children are spelling words that require more than one strategy. Some kids are not ready for the multiple steps that can take until they are a bit older (it would be like coming to long-division before a child is ready--sure they can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, but ask them to do all of those steps on one problem, and suddenly they self-destruct!).  

 

It's also the point at which students move a step beyond dictation and write sentences using the words they are learning. Using spelling in dictation is harder than just spelling a list of words--and using spelling in independent sentences is a step harder than dictation. So it may be pushing some kids just a bit, and if they aren't ready for it yet, you may need to slow down the pace for a time and incorporate more review.

 

The next few levels really help kids own that process of choosing which strategies to use--you really see things start to all come together in Level 5 when the last of the Basic Phonograms are introduced. Level 6 covers a few advanced phonograms (and a few helpful rules that have helped me to stop second-guessing how I spell some words!), and Level 7 covers Greek and Latin roots, and words borrowed from other languages--a lot of 9th-12th grade level words (we used some for vocabulary too). So, there's really no hurry to get to Level 7. 

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

[Doodlebug]

He really IS doing well for 7 yo! AAS teaches 4 main Effective Spelling Strategies: phonetic, rules-based, visual, and morphemic. Level 3 is the point at which children are spelling words that require more than one strategy. Some kids are not ready for the multiple steps that can take until they are a bit older (it would be like coming to long-division before a child is ready--sure they can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, but ask them to do all of those steps on one problem, and suddenly they self-destruct!).

 

It's also the point at which students move a step beyond dictation and write sentences using the words they are learning. Using spelling in dictation is harder than just spelling a list of words--and using spelling in independent sentences is a step harder than dictation. So it may be pushing some kids just a bit, and if they aren't ready for it yet, you may need to slow down the pace for a time and incorporate more review.

 

The next few levels really help kids own that process of choosing which strategies to use--you really see things start to all come together in Level 5 when the last of the Basic Phonograms are introduced. Level 6 covers a few advanced phonograms (and a few helpful rules that have helped me to stop second-guessing how I spell some words!), and Level 7 covers Greek and Latin roots, and words borrowed from other languages--a lot of 9th-12th grade level words (we used some for vocabulary too). So, there's really no hurry to get to Level 7.

 

HTH some! Merry :-)

Thank you for this.

 

That is all really helpful information. (Sigh of relief).

 

I began moving backwards in AAS 3 this past week, reviewing. Points for mom! I think after 4 years, I'm finally getting the hang of this teaching thing. ;)

 

And someone mentioned phonetic zoo... We loved IEWs early lang arts program! I'm going to pull out some of our old folder games.

 

Y'all are just a wealth of info. ;)

 

Stella