Spalding- jumping in mid-stream

[LillyMama]

I know there are tens, if not hundreds, of posts on this topic, and I did try to read as many as I could.  Of course, though, I think my situation is unique.   ;)  I really just need some guidance and a little validation.

 

Background- I have a 2nd grade daughter and 3rd grade son whom I home-schooled for K/1st.  They have been in a "traditional" private school for 2.5 years, and I am pulling them out to finish this year at home.   Both my children are proficient in cursive, and have had a decent (but poorly designed) spelling, writing and grammar education.  I would like to use WRTR for our language; I have edition 6, and I am struggling to put together a plan.  I feel like every time WRTR is about to answer my "how" or "when" question, it directs me to a Teacher Guide for further information.  I would like to avoid an additional purchase and am hoping someone can give me some basic guidance.  I could probably write a book on my questions, but I will try to be concise:

 

1) We will start with learning the phonograms week 1, and I am planning to work a little handwriting practice into the mostly oral process.  Would it be okay to start them on the A-G words in the spelling/vocabulary list and notebook at the same time?  My kids test anywhere from a 3.4-6.8 on the Morrison-McCall evaluation, because their spelling lessons have been so sporadic and, well, they haven't really "stuck."  So I want them to do the very basics and build on a good foundation, but I also don't want to bore them silly or slow us down too much.  If we should wait until the 70 phonograms are mastered before adding any words to the notebook, can you suggest what to do in the dictation and HFW portion of the spelling and writing lessons for that week?

 

2) I find the Writing Scope and Sequence charts in the back of WRTR a bit... unhelpful.  Maybe I am just tired, but they seem full of teacher-speak, short on details, and non-intuitively organized.  I have The Complete Writer: Writing With Ease on my shelf- can I use that for my Sequencing for writing and reading objectives?

 

3) Any thoughts on how creative, free-expression writing is approached in Spalding?  My son struggles with language and is a very reluctant writer.  He has asked to be allowed to journal every day as part of home-schooling.  I hate to quash any hard-to-come-by enthusiasm to put pencil to paper... but also I am leary of developing bad habits with free-form, uncorrected writing.  And correcting journal writing is a tricky world, as it tends to make him reluctant to try more colorful language and sentence construction for fear of getting something "marked wrong."  Any thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

 

 

4)

[PeterPan]

Well what you're seeing is why people jump to SWR.  :D  

 

Journal writing?  ABSOLUTELY let him do it!!!!!!!  You monitor his spelling when he's working with you for spelling time, but for anything else you tell him to ask when he isn't sure of the spelling.  You want to turn on his internal monitor that slows down and thinks "Hmmm, do I know this or not?" When my dd was that age, I encouraged her to ask me, but I also gave her a spelling dictionary.  We were using Alphalist by Sanseri, but there are probably more.  The Alphalist is only the high frequency words, so it was quick and easy to look up a word.  

 

So yes to journal writing.  That's a good sign that he wants to!  And his journal is *probably* not going to be creative writing (just to nitpick here).  Journal writing is helping him develop his voice as a writer and practice getting thoughts to words and words to paper.  It's going to make him a better expository writer.  And even if he were doing creative writing in it (stories, poems, etc.) it's STILL not a problem!  He's still developing voice. Who knows, your little reluctant writer may bloom into a professional writer if you let him!  My dd spent years and years saying she hated writing, and then things clicked.  She spent 8th grade writing prolific amounts of fan fiction, and now is looking at some kind of english or history major (or a combo of the two).  You never know with kids.  If he wants to write, give him that time and let him.  :)

 

You're not going to learn all 70 phonograms upfront, mercy.  Go through the stack, seeing what they know.  The ones they know, set aside.  For the ones they don't know (which it's FINE not to know, that's why you're doing the program), divide the stack into single letter and multi-letter phonograms.  Do ALL the single letter phonograms and begin your handwriting.  Discuss vowels and make any beginning notebook pages they suggest.  (vowels vs. consonants, etc.)   Once they have those (go quickly, keep the pace up!), go directly into your first lists.  Only teach the multi-letter phonograms they need for the words they're doing for the week.  Or you can preteach, introducing the multi-letter phonograms they'll need for the following week.  There's no need to bam them and confuse them with tons of stuff all at once, kwim?  Teach what they'll need, get it applied into context and automatic and normal to them, and let it build.

 

As far as placement, at least with SWR what people will often do is *start* with the beginning lists, even though they're super easy, just to let kids get used to the process.  Once they have gone through 20-60 words and are comfortable, then *redo* the placement test and see what happens.  Also with SWR we get two scores, a mastery and an overall.  The mastery score is what you have completely mastered up to, and that's reflected by their first miss.  So if they first start missing at 3.4, then that's where you jump in.  Their overall includes the words they got beyond that.  That's informative, but you're working to bring up that *mastery* score.  That's why you have the spread in the scores most likely.  Again though, don't feel compelled to start at 3.4 the first week.  Start at the very beginning and let them learn the markings, learn how it works.  

 

Another thing you may run into, and this is just a total aside, is working memory issues.  Some kids will find it challenging to think through the word, identify the sounds, and then go write.  If that happens or other weird things, it's more just a figure out what's going on, not a this program is bad, kwim?  The methodology is good methodology, but there's a learning curve for the teacher.  You're also well-advised to sit down and down the words you plan to teach into a log yourself.  It will make you MUCH better prepared to teach.

 

And if you get frustrated with WRTR, jump ship to a program that is more helpful like SWR, AAS, or LOE essentials.  I went to SWR because I was annoyed with the same things you are (eduspeak, not really fleshing out things, minimal helps).  SWR will be the total opposite, with TONS of goodies.  Every 20 word list has enrichment activities.  It has a whole manual fleshing out the concepts and an active yahoo group with games in the files, etc.  SWR is a much more complete product for people who want things fleshed out.  I used WRTR 5th, and it was streamlined and assumed the teacher was figuring it all out for herself.  That's awesome for some people and not others.  SWR costs more upfront but that's because it has so much more.  

 

Did you get the phonogram cards from the spalding foundation by chance?  I have the large set and really like them.  I'd suggest getting the small ones.  I picked large for whatever reason, but they're really quite large.  I later used them again for some ESL tutoring.  They're very nicely made and the phonograms will be almost identical to SWR, meaning you can use them with both programs.  (and AAS for that matter)  I like the SWR rules cards, which have pictures.  The rules card packet comes with a cheat sheet with the rules on one side, phonograms on the other.  I laminated that with 10 mil laminating like a bookmark.  I used that in my Wise Guide (the book with the words and stuff) to mark my page.  That was super, super handy.  

[PeterPan]

Just noticed you said you might mark things wrong in his journal.  No, for things like that don't even go near it with a red/purple pen.  Just notice his errors and bring them up via dictation or a grammar lesson later.   :)

 

PS.  Have you looked at Writing Tales 1?  Your kids sound like they might enjoy it.  It was one of my BEST purchases for writing in elementary.  Highly, highly recommend.  It would give your ds some creative opportunities too and validate those interests.  :)

 

[Hunter]

Spalding worked as a scam to me. The more I bought, the more questions I had.

 

What I ended out doing was buying a used copy of the 4th edition and buying some used copies of curricula written to supplement the 4th.

 

Grammar Works is new to me, but is a decent supplement. I think it was orinally written for the 4th even though the author website advertises it for the 5th. You can get cheap used copies at Amazon. Ltlmrs is a fan of the book. I'm still evaluating it.

http://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Works-Equipping-Students-Language/dp/1888306432

 

Buying Spalding stuff published after Romalda died is a quick way to empty your bank account and drive yourself batty. Romalda was a genius and a teacher. The current Spalding company is a business doing more harm than good in my opinion. I really cannot figure out if their primary motive is greed or stupidity, but either way they are not accomplishing a fraction of what Romalda did with just her very affordable paperback, that came with cut out flash cards and a record.

 

I don't use anything but the 4th edition and a very few assorted pages I have pulled from some of the old supplements. I do NOT recommend the current Spalding teacher guides or videos!!!!!!!! They will give you 2 new questions for every old question they 1/2 answer.

[Ellie]

I know there are tens, if not hundreds, of posts on this topic, and I did try to read as many as I could.  Of course, though, I think my situation is unique.   ;)  I really just need some guidance and a little validation.

 

Background- I have a 2nd grade daughter and 3rd grade son whom I home-schooled for K/1st.  They have been in a "traditional" private school for 2.5 years, and I am pulling them out to finish this year at home.   Both my children are proficient in cursive, and have had a decent (but poorly designed) spelling, writing and grammar education.  I would like to use WRTR for our language; I have edition 6, and I am struggling to put together a plan.  I feel like every time WRTR is about to answer my "how" or "when" question, it directs me to a Teacher Guide for further information.  I would like to avoid an additional purchase and am hoping someone can give me some basic guidance.  I could probably write a book on my questions, but I will try to be concise:

 

1) We will start with learning the phonograms week 1, and I am planning to work a little handwriting practice into the mostly oral process.  Would it be okay to start them on the A-G words in the spelling/vocabulary list and notebook at the same time?  My kids test anywhere from a 3.4-6.8 on the Morrison-McCall evaluation, because their spelling lessons have been so sporadic and, well, they haven't really "stuck."  So I want them to do the very basics and build on a good foundation, but I also don't want to bore them silly or slow us down too much.  If we should wait until the 70 phonograms are mastered before adding any words to the notebook, can you suggest what to do in the dictation and HFW portion of the spelling and writing lessons for that week?

 

2) I find the Writing Scope and Sequence charts in the back of WRTR a bit... unhelpful.  Maybe I am just tired, but they seem full of teacher-speak, short on details, and non-intuitively organized.  I have The Complete Writer: Writing With Ease on my shelf- can I use that for my Sequencing for writing and reading objectives?

 

3) Any thoughts on how creative, free-expression writing is approached in Spalding?  My son struggles with language and is a very reluctant writer.  He has asked to be allowed to journal every day as part of home-schooling.  I hate to quash any hard-to-come-by enthusiasm to put pencil to paper... but also I am leary of developing bad habits with free-form, uncorrected writing.  And correcting journal writing is a tricky world, as it tends to make him reluctant to try more colorful language and sentence construction for fear of getting something "marked wrong."  Any thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

 

 

4)

 

Ignore any mention of the teacher guides. They don't add any information to the Spalding Method; they are primarily classroom management.

 

Truly, if you want Spalding to work the best for you in improving your dc's reading and spelling skills, you must follow the method: Teach the phonograms (you might be able to do them faster than four a day) until they know the first 45, then begin the A-G words. Do NOT try to teach those words until your dc know the first 45. You'll teach new phonograms and do daily written and oral drills of the ones you've already taught.

 

The Writing and Grammar lessons are unnecessary to your dc's reading and spelling success. Don't do them at all. Choose whatever else you want for writing, but do the Spelling Lessons faithfully. Wait awhile for doing writing more formally, though, until you have  gone a good way into the spelling list. By all means, let your ds keep a journal if he has asked to do one. The spelling, capitalization and punctuation that he learns in the spelling lesson will help his journal writing; eventually he'll be writing sentences with his spelling words (even if you don't do the Official Writing Lessons), and that will also help his writing.

[LillyMama]

THANK YOU ALL!  I won't hold it against you that you gave me some different answers, haha...  All kidding aside, I appreciate the different perspectives.  And thank you for validating my instincts in the journal writing, I am glad to not have to be the mean mom who tells him no or corrects his art.

 

I should clarify- we did AAS in kindergarten at home.  So my kids are not unfamiliar with the phonograms completely.  I have continued to purchase the student packs while the kids were in brick and mortar school, as we used the spelling tiles to study for spelling tests.   So I planned to use those phonogram cards.  I anticipate them re-learning them pretty quickly, but there will be some un-learning happening as well, I am sure.

 

Because I do already own AAS and WWE, I am just not all that excited to buy another curriculum like SWR right now.  I feel like I have all the tools I need in front of me, I just need to figure out how to get my brain in step with this manual...

 

Part of my desire to start on the A-G words sooner than later is that I worry about them picking up the markings- they did a completely different way of marking at their school.   I anticipate this will be an area of confusion and frustration for them, but maybe that's all the more reason to slow down and just deal with one thing at a time.

 

So, Ellie, I have a few questions as the Spalding "purist" in the group (and that is not a criticism, please be assured,)  If the writing and reading component isn't necessary yet, what do you recommend?  I really wanted the contextual aspect of the Spalding method, not just the spelling proficiency, as my son will learn grammar and language concepts better when he sees them in practice.  It's what drew me to WWE, but it doesn't have spelling, so that was why I was hoping to blend the two.  I don't need the scripting of WWE, but the guidance of the sequence of the objectives is helpful to me.  Are you familiar enough with WWE to tell me if it doesn't work with the Spalding method?

 

And, since I am so drawn to everything WTM- how much will I be violating all that is Ms Spalding's legacy if we do our notebooks in the WTM model?  In other words- I am thinking of having our spelling notebooks be looseleaf papers in a section of their language binder.  Since WRTR doesn't really indicate where to practice all this markings and sentence creation, I was planning on creating binders as laid out in WTM for all the other language work they will be creating.  I understand part of the spelling notebook is sort of a sanctity thing, where the students come to see it as a sort of personally made resource, and I support that, but I also wouldn't mind all of those papers being in one place.  I know that sounds like such a silly thing to ask permission for, but when a program writes something out in such detail, like the exact size and shape and material of the spelling notebook, it makes me nervous to deviate.  I just want someone to tell me it will be okay.  Or, if it won't, why not.  

 

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and recommendations.

[Ellie]

THANK YOU ALL!  I won't hold it against you that you gave me some different answers, haha...  All kidding aside, I appreciate the different perspectives.  And thank you for validating my instincts in the journal writing, I am glad to not have to be the mean mom who tells him no or corrects his art.

 

I should clarify- we did AAS in kindergarten at home.  So my kids are not unfamiliar with the phonograms completely.  I have continued to purchase the student packs while the kids were in brick and mortar school, as we used the spelling tiles to study for spelling tests.   So I planned to use those phonogram cards.  I anticipate them re-learning them pretty quickly, but there will be some un-learning happening as well, I am sure.

 

Because I do already own AAS and WWE, I am just not all that excited to buy another curriculum like SWR right now.  I feel like I have all the tools I need in front of me, I just need to figure out how to get my brain in step with this manual...

 

Part of my desire to start on the A-G words sooner than later is that I worry about them picking up the markings- they did a completely different way of marking at their school.   I anticipate this will be an area of confusion and frustration for them, but maybe that's all the more reason to slow down and just deal with one thing at a time.

 

So, Ellie, I have a few questions as the Spalding "purist" in the group (and that is not a criticism, please be assured,)  If the writing and reading component isn't necessary yet, what do you recommend?  I really wanted the contextual aspect of the Spalding method, not just the spelling proficiency, as my son will learn grammar and language concepts better when he sees them in practice.  It's what drew me to WWE, but it doesn't have spelling, so that was why I was hoping to blend the two.  I don't need the scripting of WWE, but the guidance of the sequence of the objectives is helpful to me.  Are you familiar enough with WWE to tell me if it doesn't work with the Spalding method?

 

And, since I am so drawn to everything WTM- how much will I be violating all that is Ms Spalding's legacy if we do our notebooks in the WTM model?  In other words- I am thinking of having our spelling notebooks be looseleaf papers in a section of their language binder.  Since WRTR doesn't really indicate where to practice all this markings and sentence creation, I was planning on creating binders as laid out in WTM for all the other language work they will be creating.  I understand part of the spelling notebook is sort of a sanctity thing, where the students come to see it as a sort of personally made resource, and I support that, but I also wouldn't mind all of those papers being in one place.  I know that sounds like such a silly thing to ask permission for, but when a program writes something out in such detail, like the exact size and shape and material of the spelling notebook, it makes me nervous to deviate.  I just want someone to tell me it will be okay.  Or, if it won't, why not.  

 

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and recommendations.

 

Spalding would be foundational for spelling and reading skills; penmanship and capitalization/punctuation cannot be separated from the method, so those are part of the foundation, as well. But including  reading (which, you understand, is different from actually learning how to read) and writing is not nearly as difficult to do as you seem to think. It is why I recommend reading through the manual multiple times (and ignoring references to the teacher guide) before beginning to teach Spalding, because everything you need to know really is right there in the manual. You must read it as if you know nothing, rather than comparing it to what you do know or how you think things should be.

 

I don't see why WWE would *not* work with Spalding, if you like its methodology.

 

Actually, the manual does specify where the markings and sentence creation is supposed to occur. The children analyze (which includes the markings but is not limited to that) their spelling words when they are dictated at the beginning of the week (and again if necessary to remediate, based on the spelling tests). A separate time is dedicated to writing original sentences using the words in the spelling lesson. The spelling notebook isn't sort of a sanctity thing. o_0 It is really just a practical thing. I guess I don't love classical enough to see the point of deviating from the Spalding spelling notebook.

[Hunter]

The problem for me, was that when referred to the teacher guide, I felt like they were saying information was NOT in the manual. I bought and looked in the guide, and didn't always see it there either. I'm assuming some of it is supplied in teacher training sessions, as when I inquired about some individual worksheets, I was told they were given during the training sessions and were not available for purchase.

 

I don't know if I'm stupid, but when I read any of Ellie's information about 5 and 6, I don't see what she sees. I can follow Ellie instructions for 4th, but when I try to follow Ellie instructions for 5th and 6th, I can't. Maybe I'm stubborn, stupid, and I don't know what else, but I don't see what she sees. I wish I saw what she saw. I don't like recommending OOP books. 

 

6th edition admits to adding some things they left out in 5th. But then they skip things that are in 5th and at least make it sound like they are requiring the Teacher Guides for 6th. I get mad when I read 5th and 6th stuff, and I mean literally mad. I feel like they are toying with me. Maybe they aren't, but that is how *I* feel. 

 

I do think that if I wanted to devote myself to learning Spalding total language arts, I could write myself a study guide referring to bits and pieces spread out among all of 4th, 5th, and 6th, and a complete set of teacher guides for 5th and a complete set of teacher guides for 6th. But, I want to devote myself to PHONICS and the other parts of language arts, NOT SPALDING, though.

 

The most generous motive I can give for the current Spalding mess is plain stupidity. That's the nicest and least paranoid sounding motive I can come up with. I think It goes beyond stupidity, though. Because, it took a lot of work to rewrite beyond the 4th edition, and change it so much.

 

I wonder where Romalda is buried. Maybe what is thought to be earth quakes is Romalda rolling over in her grave, being tortured by what is now being done in her name.

[LillyMama]

Thank you Hunter for saying that.  I consider myself a relatively intelligent person, but I sure started wondering if 10 years of sleep deprivation and too much caffeine had officially damaged my brain beyond repair!   :mellow: In the last two days I have read the sixth edition cover to cover, twice, and have taken pages of notes, and still feel I've gotten more explanation and insight from these message boards than I did from the book.

 

Thank you, Ellie.  I didn't mean to imply that we will be rushing through the handwriting.  The only examples of dictating the phonograms given in my copy of WRTR are for obviously beginning writers.  My two have been writing in exclusively cursive, using the zane-bloser method, for 1 and 2 years respectively.  Perhaps this is unfair, but I consider this method "good enough" and don't intend to teach the phonograms with such careful scripting to how the letters are formed.  They will be monitored for proper form and care, but this was a portion of the process where I would be seeing myself more in the scaffolding to fading part of instruction.  So I am anticipating the phonograms go faster than the 4 a day.  I am absolutely not going to push for that, but my daughter has a history of covering in one lesson what I had intended for 3 or 4.  So I am really just trying to make sure I plan ahead enough and understand the next step and potential deviations if I can.  Proper handwriting / forming of the letters will have to be stressed here as I don't intend a separate handwriting curriculum or other practice.  So if we end up at 4 a day because I make them write the phonograms over and over as they speak them, so be it.

 

I think my frustration and confusion with the Writing and Reading Objectives is that I don't feel enough guidance in terms of what to teach when.  When it tells you to prepare your lesson plans, it tells you to  be sure to have a grade-level objective and a daily/weekly objective.  Any time I look for ideas on pacing or sequencing or even spiraling ideas for these objectives, it refers me to the Teacher Guides.  I am curious as to if the older versions, especially version 4 which everyone raves about, have the language and direction I am looking for here.

 

I think where I am stuck on the reading/writing stuff may just be a problem with my expectations from the manual.  The way I am interpreting WRTR is this:

1) Spelling is first, with phonogram teaching and review, including sound correlations, discussion of syllables, referencing rules, and practicing of the formation of the phonograms.  In this section is where the spelling folder is created.  I feel comfortable that I understand this process.

2) Writing is next, and this is when I help the students learn how to use the words.  Here I introduce simple sentences and break down parts of speech, basically start teaching them grammar.  This is where I feel like I don't have enough direction from WRTR.  Chapter 2 gives dialogues for many of the concepts, and for some of them it does suggest when to teach them- with section H words, etc.  But so many places in the book it says "Grade-appropriate noun objectives such as forming plurals, using noun as subjects or objects, forming possessives, and categorizing nouns as concrete or abstract" are found in the teaching guides.  On the same page "The definitions of action, linking, and helping verbs are provided in the ... Teacher Guides."  A couple pages later, after including dialogue for all types of verbs, it then informs me "Teachers use the procedure in the ...Teacher Guide... to teach the names for all parts of speech."   I feel like every time it needs to address the sequencing, pacing and contextual continuity between spelling, writing and reading, I am referred to the teaching guide.  It makes me feel like I am guessing as to what I should be teaching in terms of nouns for this age, and the Scope and Sequence charts in the back aren't the spoon-fed flow-chart I want.

 

And after I typed all of that out (and I refuse to delete it because it was a lot of work and perhaps someone else will find it helpful) I am wondering if this is the crux of my confusion.  I am trying to find a correlation between "teach these phonograms/spelling word with this writing/grammar focus which segues nicely into this reading focus."  But Spalding is not going to provide that, right?  WRTR provides the basic progression of which writing objectives to use in which order, but they are not going to provide specific pacing.  I am guessing this is because I, as the teacher, should be assessing when to review or when to move on and spiral back based on proficiency of my students.  And I guess this is a taking-off-of-the-training wheels I am not sure I was expecting.  

 

I guess my action step now is this- go through the Scope and Sequence charts for Writing and Reading, making a list of all objectives expected to be mastered by second grade.  Since we will start as, arbitrarily, third graders, this gives me a target and an idea of what to work on.  Order the objectives how they are discussed in Chapter 2, and then progress through those as my daily/weekly objectives.  The only correlation they will have to the spellings words are the context that I provide in directing the dialogue and dictation.  Yes?  And I make notes of areas they greatly struggle, and plan to spiral back in another upcoming lesson.  Anything they seem to master, I plan to spiral back on with a more faded focus.  I do the same for reading objectives.

 

Okay, I see now why you are saying that reading and writing won't be that difficult to teach.  It's just the planning and confidence in knowing what to teach when that feels difficult to me.  Which you would think I would enjoy, as an obvious over-thinker.  

 

And I cannot help but laugh at my beleaguered mind categorizing her spelling notebook as sanctified.  I still stand by it, though- the way WRTR speaks so carefully, adamantly and repeatedly about the specifics of that notebook really comes across as almost reverent.  Maybe I just need to giggle right now, because I do understand the reason they stress this being so precise, but it still comes off as a little humorous to me.  And I am a bit minimalist when we homeschool- because we travel so much while doing it.  So if I can have loose-leaf paper that can be used for most work, and binders to file them in when done, and forego someone deciding to leave their oh-so-special spelling notebook under the hotel bed two states away... less is more for me.   :laugh:

 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I feel almost ready for this.  

 

 

[Hunter]

The 4th edition is not a complete language arts curriculum. It's mostly just the reading and spelling. The 5th edition is the first edition to start putting complete langauge arts in the manual, but to ME it's FAR from complete, and doesn't claim to be complete. Romalda never published a complete language arts curriculum.

 

The 5th is more likely to sometimes claim it's unnecessary to explain things. :confused: If I remember correctly there is a list of 5 Attributes of Literature, but only 3 are explained.

 

The 6th edition is more likely to direct you to the very expensive and very bulky manuals, rather than tell you that it's unnecessary to explain. It adds some things, and removes others, like the parts of speech which they now sell as a separate component.

 

I can read the 4th cover to cover over and over and it makes perfect sense. When I read the 5th and 6th I get anxious and start buying stuff. Lots of stuff. Then I sit in my pile of glossy and heavy stuff and cry, because I'm more confused that when I started, and isn't this supposed be one of those "stick-in-the-dirt" curricula where all you need is paper and pencil, or a stick and some dirt.

 

I HATE the teacher guides. They are a complete waste of paper. Huge amounts of empty space in HUGE books. The guides are like coffee table art books, but without the art. And I'm more confused than before I read them. I'm given a whole new set of daily objectives to complete without the resources to do so.

[Ellie]

Thank you Hunter for saying that.  I consider myself a relatively intelligent person, but I sure started wondering if 10 years of sleep deprivation and too much caffeine had officially damaged my brain beyond repair!   :mellow: In the last two days I have read the sixth edition cover to cover, twice, and have taken pages of notes, and still feel I've gotten more explanation and insight from these message boards than I did from the book.

 

Thank you, Ellie.  I didn't mean to imply that we will be rushing through the handwriting.  The only examples of dictating the phonograms given in my copy of WRTR are for obviously beginning writers.  My two have been writing in exclusively cursive, using the zane-bloser method, for 1 and 2 years respectively.  Perhaps this is unfair, but I consider this method "good enough" and don't intend to teach the phonograms with such careful scripting to how the letters are formed.  They will be monitored for proper form and care, but this was a portion of the process where I would be seeing myself more in the scaffolding to fading part of instruction.  So I am anticipating the phonograms go faster than the 4 a day.  I am absolutely not going to push for that, but my daughter has a history of covering in one lesson what I had intended for 3 or 4.  So I am really just trying to make sure I plan ahead enough and understand the next step and potential deviations if I can.  Proper handwriting / forming of the letters will have to be stressed here as I don't intend a separate handwriting curriculum or other practice.  So if we end up at 4 a day because I make them write the phonograms over and over as they speak them, so be it.

 

I think my frustration and confusion with the Writing and Reading Objectives is that I don't feel enough guidance in terms of what to teach when.  When it tells you to prepare your lesson plans, it tells you to  be sure to have a grade-level objective and a daily/weekly objective.  Any time I look for ideas on pacing or sequencing or even spiraling ideas for these objectives, it refers me to the Teacher Guides.  I am curious as to if the older versions, especially version 4 which everyone raves about, have the language and direction I am looking for here.

 

I think where I am stuck on the reading/writing stuff may just be a problem with my expectations from the manual.  The way I am interpreting WRTR is this:

1) Spelling is first, with phonogram teaching and review, including sound correlations, discussion of syllables, referencing rules, and practicing of the formation of the phonograms.  In this section is where the spelling folder is created.  I feel comfortable that I understand this process.

2) Writing is next, and this is when I help the students learn how to use the words.  Here I introduce simple sentences and break down parts of speech, basically start teaching them grammar.  This is where I feel like I don't have enough direction from WRTR.  Chapter 2 gives dialogues for many of the concepts, and for some of them it does suggest when to teach them- with section H words, etc.  But so many places in the book it says "Grade-appropriate noun objectives such as forming plurals, using noun as subjects or objects, forming possessives, and categorizing nouns as concrete or abstract" are found in the teaching guides.  On the same page "The definitions of action, linking, and helping verbs are provided in the ... Teacher Guides."  A couple pages later, after including dialogue for all types of verbs, it then informs me "Teachers use the procedure in the ...Teacher Guide... to teach the names for all parts of speech."   I feel like every time it needs to address the sequencing, pacing and contextual continuity between spelling, writing and reading, I am referred to the teaching guide.  It makes me feel like I am guessing as to what I should be teaching in terms of nouns for this age, and the Scope and Sequence charts in the back aren't the spoon-fed flow-chart I want.

 

And after I typed all of that out (and I refuse to delete it because it was a lot of work and perhaps someone else will find it helpful) I am wondering if this is the crux of my confusion.  I am trying to find a correlation between "teach these phonograms/spelling word with this writing/grammar focus which segues nicely into this reading focus."  But Spalding is not going to provide that, right?  WRTR provides the basic progression of which writing objectives to use in which order, but they are not going to provide specific pacing.  I am guessing this is because I, as the teacher, should be assessing when to review or when to move on and spiral back based on proficiency of my students.  And I guess this is a taking-off-of-the-training wheels I am not sure I was expecting.  

 

I guess my action step now is this- go through the Scope and Sequence charts for Writing and Reading, making a list of all objectives expected to be mastered by second grade.  Since we will start as, arbitrarily, third graders, this gives me a target and an idea of what to work on.  Order the objectives how they are discussed in Chapter 2, and then progress through those as my daily/weekly objectives.  The only correlation they will have to the spellings words are the context that I provide in directing the dialogue and dictation.  Yes?  And I make notes of areas they greatly struggle, and plan to spiral back in another upcoming lesson.  Anything they seem to master, I plan to spiral back on with a more faded focus.  I do the same for reading objectives.

 

Okay, I see now why you are saying that reading and writing won't be that difficult to teach.  It's just the planning and confidence in knowing what to teach when that feels difficult to me.  Which you would think I would enjoy, as an obvious over-thinker.  

 

And I cannot help but laugh at my beleaguered mind categorizing her spelling notebook as sanctified.  I still stand by it, though- the way WRTR speaks so carefully, adamantly and repeatedly about the specifics of that notebook really comes across as almost reverent.  Maybe I just need to giggle right now, because I do understand the reason they stress this being so precise, but it still comes off as a little humorous to me.  And I am a bit minimalist when we homeschool- because we travel so much while doing it.  So if I can have loose-leaf paper that can be used for most work, and binders to file them in when done, and forego someone deciding to leave their oh-so-special spelling notebook under the hotel bed two states away... less is more for me.   :laugh:

 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I feel almost ready for this.  

 

 

Yes, you are supposed to decide when to do what, based on how your children are doing. It was always thus; it is why Mrs. Spalding refused to do any sort of lesson plans or all the other stuff the teacher guides now have and which are in the manual, because she wanted teachers to plan their lessons for their specific children.

 

I would not bother with the scope and sequence charts. Really. Your only objectives would be to teach the phonograms as quickly as possible (because you're probably right that they can learn more than four a day; just be sure that they learn them well by continuing the daily written and oral drills), and to study 30 words a week. If you do that, your dc will meet any objectives without your having to think about them.

 

Not using the black-and-white spelling notebook makes me twitch :laugh: but if it's a hang-up for you, then don't do it. Your dc will be doing the rule pages, though, so you'll want to ponder how they will keep those pages.

[blondeviolin]

So...my experience:

 

We started Spalding this year with k, 1, and 3rd.

 

I was hoping it'd work for my Ker, but it wasn't "active." So she started LOE Foundations, which was good for her.

 

My first grader was moving very slowly with Spalding. He couldn't remember the phonograms after countless drilling and weeks where they would be mastered and then three weeks later they'd fall out of his brain. He needed more spiral. And he was jealous of his sister's LOE. So he started Essentials.

 

I gave my oldest the opportunity then to jump ship to Essentials. But she was old enough to choose and she was far enough along with what we were doing. LA is also her strength. She chose to stick with Spalding. For her, we have fallen into the routine where she reviews the last 20-34 words in her book and I dictate the next 6. Phonogram review is straight-forward and she retains them. She's covering about 30 words a week and it's pretty open-and-go and painless for her. In order to wrap my brain around the program, though, I got Mari McAlister's Starting a Spelling Notebook (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Spelling-Notebook-Writing-Reading/dp/B000FKF4LK). which was really more of a step-by-step guide that often referred back to the sixth edition. It really helped.

 

And, FWIW, I wouldn't hesitate to skip the notebook and put your pages in a binder if it works for you.

 

I think you have to really do what works for you and your kids...

[LillyMama]

I just want to check back in and say this- I got my hands on a fifth edition.  The things they left out between the fifth and sixth are what makes the sixth pretty un-useable, if you want my opinion.  In the fifth edition, pages 49-56, there are step by step guides on how to teach each phonogram and how to review and which rules to remind and associate.  Actual descriptions of Oral and Written Phonogram Review- in the sixth they refer you to the teacher's manual.  So frustrating.  I understand more what you were saying, Ellie, when you said to just read the book.  I would have felt better if I had just read the 5th edition.  Those important guidelines are what they, apparently, take out and put in those teaching manuals?    They removed passages that introduce concepts and abbreviations, and then refer back to those concepts and abbreviations later without re-introducing or defining them, and I kept wondering what in the world I had missed.  Reading the fifth through makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE.

 

I feel obligated to go leave a non-flattering review of the sixth edition now.

 

And thanks, blondeviolin, I have heard good things about that how to start a notebook.  It's hanging out in my Amazon cart, waiting for me to buy it.  =)