Hunter Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I've been comparing some popular spelling lists, and am so surprised by the choices of the authors when I really look at them, instead of assuming words are on it. Spelling Plus had east, north, northern, and south, but not west. It has spring, summer, and winter, but not fall or autumn. The original Ayres list is missing words that are included in Spelling Plus that have a lot more to do with just changes in usage. I'm kind of stressed right now. Maybe it's a good OCD friendly hobby to compare wordlists and make up my own 1000 word spelling list and mark it for my own set of O-G phonograms that actually match a modern dictionary. I don't have to worry about being accused of plagiarism of these lists. :lol: I find them more shocking than tempting to copy. I'm finding myself doing a LOT of talking to myself. I'm glad I'm alone and no one can hear me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 :) - that is quite strange. Personally though then I would not limit it to 1000 words - I might just make a list of all the top 1000 word lists that included every word on all the lists - I wonder how many would be on that list 1050 or closer to 1300 - what would you reckon (I have no idea). I know many of the older lists had words seldom used these days. That said I do use these lists to make my own O-G lists - it means both are covered together. Is Spelling Plus not presuming that these other words (west and fall) were already covered in early grades? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 :) - that is quite strange. Personally though then I would not limit it to 1000 words - I might just make a list of all the top 1000 word lists that included every word on all the lists - I wonder how many would be on that list 1050 or closer to 1300 - what would you reckon (I have no idea). I know many of the older lists had words seldom used these days. That said I do use these lists to make my own O-G lists - it means both are covered together. Is Spelling Plus not presuming that these other words (west and fall) were already covered in early grades? No, Spelling Plus is grades K-6. The list broken up by grades is free here. The alphabetical list is only in the books for purchase, though. http://www.susancanthony.com/ws/_pdf/splhnd.pdf I'm finding it interesting when authors list the types of writing that they studied to compile their frequency lists. Not one author lists recipes or cookbooks, and therefore the most basic food words are often missing from most lists. I'm torn about maybe dropping some of the Ayres words, like "steamer", but think I'm going to do as you suggest and just make the list longer than 1000 words. I'd like to be able to retain the original Morrison and McCall spelling tests. Somewhere, I think I have a vintage copy that is not an adaption to the extended Ayres lists of many copyrighted curricula. I'm going to start compiling a list and then watch what words that I know are unique to the world MY students live in, and add them as I become aware of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I don't remember why I had done it, but I had combined the word lists of Fry's, Spelling Plus, the Extended Ayers list, the ~1700 words LOE has list as high frequency on their website, RLTL, and Spelling Sourcebook. It's over 3300 words. For me, the hardest part of marking the words was doing the syllable splits. Some words don't split where I would expect (by ear or by the syllable rules listed in WRTR), so I was double checking all the words in an online dictionary, which was a tedious project.As for the original Ayers list, I know I got a copy from Don Potter's website, so that's likely where you've seen it, Hunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 The syllable breaks are certainly the most tedious to check. Sigh! I got my Ayres list at archive.org. But, I cannot seem to find a copy of an original Morrison-McCalls online, or on one of my hard drives. Double sigh! I won't be adding the LOE and RLTL words; they include too many nonessential words. I am going to look at the Fry first 300, though. I basically want the 300 most common words in English, the 300 most misspelled words by junior college students and adults, the Ayres and Spelling plus 1000 words lists, and the some words that are uniquely important to me and mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 I never heard of Spelling Sourcebook. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 I found the 1200 Sitton Sourcebook frequency list in alphabetical order. Thanks again! http://www.harbins.org/LearningTree/sitton/sittonlist.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a Morrison-McCall spelling test pdf on my hard drive, but no indication of where it came from. Do you just need the lists, or are you looking for the book they were originally published in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'm looking for an original version of Morrison-McCall keyed to the original Ayres, not an updated version adapted to an extended Ayres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wehave8 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'm looking for an original version of Morrison-McCall keyed to the original Ayres, not an updated version adapted to an extended Ayres. I might have it. I could try to scan it. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think it makes at least some logical sense that west and fall are not on the spelling plus list - west is all short vowel sounds so easy to spell. Fall follows the same pattern as other -all words, and I think there are other -all words on those lists? I would be surprised if Autumn is common enough for these lists? But that may be regional - where I live, few people use "autumn" in every day conversation...unless it is someone's name! :-) (I know several people with that name.) I guess that does not help for true completeness, but perhaps at least some logic helps a bit? Lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I might have it. I could try to scan it. Pam No, don't go to that much trouble. I thought I had a digital copy. I'm just hoping someone knows where a free digital copy is, and can provide a link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think it makes at least some logical sense that west and fall are not on the spelling plus list - west is all short vowel sounds so easy to spell. Fall follows the same pattern as other -all words, and I think there are other -all words on those lists? I would be surprised if Autumn is common enough for these lists? But that may be regional - where I live, few people use "autumn" in every day conversation...unless it is someone's name! :-) (I know several people with that name.) I guess that does not help for true completeness, but perhaps at least some logic helps a bit? Lol... I was thinking along those lines. Maybe people use the word "west" less than the other directions. You are right it is also easier to spell. When limited to 1000 words, you have to be VERY choosy and there is no "right" answer of what to cut. But "west" and "fall" just messed me up. I have an older edition Riggs TM with a alphabetized list of the WRTR 4th edition, the list that Romalda herself used. I'm finding that her choices seem to often be my choices. I think I'm going to scan those Riggs pages. She even used the word "flour". I just think that is a REALLY important word, for multiple reasons! Romalda LIVED her list, decade after decade, and 4 editions. A lot of thought went into it. I think if there is ONE list I would trust, that would be the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 How do y'all use these lists? I have the Spelling Plus pdf and it is already divided up into grade level. That is simple. I can see the levels and know what words to teach when. How then would you go about but adding other words and how would you divide it among levels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 How do y'all use these lists? I have the Spelling Plus pdf and it is already divided up into grade level. That is simple. I can see the levels and know what words to teach when. How then would you go about but adding other words and how would you divide it among levels? I don't know. I had books and scraps of paper spread all over the floor for about a week, but accomplished nothing lasting, and now everything is in a pile and nothing is getting accomplished for spelling at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Well, seeing as I *only* have a K5er to teach is there anything I could do to help with the list making? I am a bit OCD about lists. I once lost a list and... well, it was a bit traumatic. I can add things to a database and remove repeated words, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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