LoveChocolate Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hi, This is my first post. Yea! I've been reading this board for a few months though, and I've learned a lot. This is my first year homeschooling. At the end of my child's 2nd grade year (this past May), I decided to bring her home. She disliked school to the point of having daily physical complaints (e.g. headaches, stomach aches). I'm happy to report that she hasn't had a single physical complaint since she left school. :) She is so much happier now. Now, on to my topic. My daughter's worst subject is spelling. We've got a spelling book that we are using, but I'm not thrilled with it. I'm still not sure if I'm going to switch because really I'm not sure any curriculum will make it easier for her. It just isn't her thing. So my two questions are: 1. Is there a spelling curriculum that is really good for really bad spellers, and 2. We are about to start Latin. Does Latin help with spelling or am I crazy for thinking this. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorbie Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 I had the same problem with my son who began homeschool after 2nd grade. I finally decided he needed to be retaught phonics, so I went with Spell to Write and Read. I have seen MAJOR improvement in his spelling since we started SWR. It is not an easy program to implement, so you might want to research alternative Spalding-type programs. There are quite a few threads here on the topic. As to your second question, you are not crazy at all for considering Latin. :) The derivative work in our Latin studies has definitely improved my son's spelling. HTH! -Amber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Spelling Power is designed especially for kids who have trouble with spelling. You should be able to check it out from your library to see if you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 SWR helped us the most in the lower grades. MegaWords helped more in 6th grade. I personally think Latin is great for grammar and vocabulary. But, I am not sure it would be that useful for spelling - esp - in the lower grades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Another one to consider is All About Spelling. We've done level 1 and are doing level 2 now. It has made such a difference in dd's spelling already. She's not just getting them right when we first do the lesson, it's carrying over into her writing as well. I couldn't be more pleased. http://www.all-about-spelling.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Please do not think that spelling is not her thing! I brought my son home at the end of grade one, too. His spelling was non-existent, for two reasons: 1) he wasn't reading and 2) in school, they told him to "make it up." I'm not kidding. They encouraged the kids to invent their own way to spell. There is a reason for this: the thinking is that spelling hinders the child's ability to wite and that writing is a good thing for the child even if he hasn't a clue about how to go about it. My son and I struggled with a speling program and a reading program for about 6 months until I realised I needed bigger guns to undo the damage caused by the school. (My boy is also a bit of a perfectionist and every time he got something"wrong," which was almost all the time, or he struggled to read, he got down on himself. It was baaaad.) SWR is a very big gun. I invested the money and time in SWR because I also had a younger child who would also learn to read...so it was well worth it to me. It has done wonders for both of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 My ds12 didnt have good spelling a few years back, certainly not when just coming out of school (he came out mid 2nd grade). He couldn't read or write, let alone spell! But once we got into homeschooling and he learned to read a lot, at first following along with his eyes as I read aloud, and later reading to himself, somehow spelling just came fairly easily for him. I would now say he is a natural speller. So, don't label your dd too soon. We did use Spelling Power for a couple of years. And we have done a lot of copywork and dictation, which trains the child to hold the picture of words and phrases in her mind, which I believe helps tremendously with spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magistramom Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Have you tried to teach within word families? For early spellers, working within a set of rhyming words builds confidence in that the child can easily progress from three letter words to five + letter words in one lesson: bat cat fat hat mat pat... brat chat frat that match patch... brats chats matches patches... You can find word family worksheets online, and books from a local teaching store. AVKO is a program that uses word families to teach spelling 1 - 8 grades (pricey, but if it works, use it). I ended going to AVKO for two years after I found spelling success with a simple word family book from a local teaching store. We were able to slip back into Spelling Workout with ease and complete two of their books in one year. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 I have another vote for All About Spelling! My kids like doing spelling and I find it so easy to use! As for Latin helping with spelling, I haven't heard that but latin is supposed to help with grammar. We are very early in our Latin studies so hopefully someone else will address that question. Blessings and have a wonderful first year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Mama Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 I highly recommend Wanda Sanseri's Teaching Reading at Home & WISE Guide. It's based on the Spaulding Method but is much easier to understand. It's a phonics-based spelling program. I also like Spelling Power, which is less tedious to use, but my kids had more spelling success with the 1st recommendation. If nothing else, I think it's a great instruction manual for teachers (moms) to learn the spelling rules themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveChocolate Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 Thank you so much! You have all given me programs to go research. After all your great recommendations, I think we will probably switch programs. I just need to figure out which one of the suggestion programs will work best for her. Thanks to the poster that said she might not be a bad speller--there is hope! I know at her school, they started writing in early kindy and told them to spell it "however." So, you might be write that she just learned to spell "however" from early on at school. I'm so happy to have her home this year!!! It seems like I am constantly seeing positive reasons to school her at home this year, more than I even realized when we made this decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.