SeaConquest Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I'm thinking of picking up a R&S spelling workbook to use on days I'm not dictating spelling lists in RLTL. I noticed in the online sample of R&S that the word God is used. I'm Jewish, but normally use secular materials. Is there a ton of religion in R&S spelling? Specifically, is my Jewish kid going to be asked to read/write sentences about Jesus? We've done AAS, but I'm looking for something workbooky, which my son seems to prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gratitude Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Yes, the spelling books are Christian in places. There isn't a ton of religion in their spelling, but there is some. We have used grades 2,3, & 4. An example would be the following words in grade 3: Bible, Son (referring to Jesus), Word (referring to Jesus). One question in grade 3 is: Jesus is the (blank) of God. The answer being Son. Most of the vocabulary and words though are secular. Many also refer to the OT; for example, Abraham or Moses. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 We are atheists and use rod and staff spelling and math(in addition to another math program). It is in no way secular. There have been words like Christ, satan, Jesus... There are occasional fill in the blanks that are christian. I don't mind because it gives us an opportunity to learn about the religion which is so pervasive in our culture. It came with the boxed curriculum we use. I don't love it but it serves it's purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hmmm. This is helpful. I will have to ponder it. My kid knows that people believe in Jesus, but Satan would be a weird topic to discuss. Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps, I will try Evan Moor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Satan was a spelling word in 3rd grade but not much said about it... Don't mean to imply it was a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Satan was a spelling word in 3rd grade but not much said about it... Don't mean to imply it was a big deal. It's just that Judaism is such a monotheistic religion that concepts like Satan (i.e. a metaphysical being that exercises some sort of authority in juxtaposition to God) are difficult to discuss with a young child. We do have the concept of a Yetzer Hara -- an evil inclination that exists in everyone and tempts us to do wrong -- but, I will have to think whether I want to have those kinds of discussions during a spelling workbook. I generally prefer to teach religion (and especially comparative religion) as a separate subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 There are also books of the Bible as spelling words and often a little verse to fill in with a spelling word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the feedback. It sounds like it's just not a fit for us. If anyone has some other (secular) spelling workbooks that they like, preferably that use an OG-style lineup and can be done relatively independently, I would really appreciate any recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 FWIW, we use R&S and are very secular. I remember when satan came up as a spelling word. I didn't say anything and he didn't ask what it is. Sometimes he doesn't know an answer because the reference is religious, but I just give him the answer without commentary. With my older boy we used Spelling Workout and it is totally secular. I only switched with my younger boy because #1 R&S is cheaper (I think SW is overpriced for a simple workbook) and #2 my younger boy is a very insecure speller. He needs a LOT of support with spelling. My older boy is an average sort of speller and he did just fine with Spelling Workout. With Spelling Workout you just need the workbook. The teacher book is just a filled in workbook. My older boy transitioned from FLL to R&S grammar and, let me tell you, that is religious! My son likes to substitute things like Doctor Who or characters from different books he is reading for the biblical references. We can also skip entire exercises if the whole thing is scripture based because R&S grammar has more than anyone would ever need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Have you looked at Spelling Workout? Susan Wise Bauer recommends them in TWTM. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/spelling-vocabulary/spelling-workout.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Have you looked at what EPS Books carries? SWO was an enormous waste of time and money here. The only page worth doing was the first. My olders liked EvanMoor Building Daily Spelling Skills. That is not OG, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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