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Spelling Workout vs Spelling by Sound and Structure


jens2sons
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I am really having a hard time deciding which spelling program to go with for my 8 year old.  I originally purchased All About Spelling but I returned it because I didn't like how my son can't do it on his own.  I tried Spelling You See "Jack and Jill" but my son was so bored with it because it was way too easy.  So, I purchased the next level and it seems like he isn't ready for it yet.  So I think I'm going to return it.  Now I'm trying to find something else and I'm stuck between Rod & Staff's Spelling by Sound and Structure and Spelling Workout.  I want a workbook format so that my son can work on his own as much as possible and is not expensive like All About Spelling.  I also have read many posts on how SYS does not go over spelling rules and that bothers me.  I know TWTM suggest SW but is it any better than SSS?  Is SSS any better than SW?  Between the two, which would be better for a wiggly child that just want to get it over with?  I am thinking SW because it is in color.  Any thoughts?

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I want to know too. I just bought spelling you see level A for my 1st/2nd graders. It might be easy for them but they are both wiggly boys who detest writing/spelling so I think it'll work. I did look at SW and I just think it looks... Unimpressive. I'd love to hear why people like it! It doesn't seem to really teach spelling as much as it's just a workbook... Idk. And SSS is on my list too but not this year. Maybe next year. It's a lot more writing and I kind of don't like the way it's laid out... It's confusing to me sometimes (I can't tell what the pictures are... And kids have to write what they are. I can foresee frustration there, which is why I might wait until next year).

 

 

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I'm starting to wonder if I should just go back to AAS since it's the only program the I can find that is hands on and has sooooo many good reviews.  I want a spelling program that teaches the spelling rules, that does not go over unnecessary respellings of words, is more hands on than a workbook (although workbooks are appealing to me right now), and can reinforce phonics.  My son's phonics isn't that strong.  We have used SL and ETC which is just okay.  It doesn't really go over the rules.  I tried The Parents Ordinary Guide to tEaching Reading, but that got boring really fast.  We have been using the Pathway Readers which my son does surprisingly well at reading with them so I haven't wanted to let them go since they are challenging him and he likes the stories.  I just want a spelling program that can help with his reading at the same time.  Maybe "MerryAtHope" can help me process this???

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We use logic of English foundations and LOVE IT! I can't say enough about it. It is heavy on rule. That's why now that it's completed I feel ok with spelling you see.

 

Have you looked at spellwell? It is workbook but rules based.

 

 

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I haven't even heard of Spellwell.  I'll look at it.  I'm so frustrated.  

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I am really having a hard time deciding which spelling program to go with for my 8 year old.  I originally purchased All About Spelling but I returned it because I didn't like how my son can't do it on his own.  I tried Spelling You See "Jack and Jill" but my son was so bored with it because it was way too easy.  So, I purchased the next level and it seems like he isn't ready for it yet.  So I think I'm going to return it.  Now I'm trying to find something else and I'm stuck between Rod & Staff's Spelling by Sound and Structure and Spelling Workout.  I want a workbook format so that my son can work on his own as much as possible and is not expensive like All About Spelling.  I also have read many posts on how SYS does not go over spelling rules and that bothers me.  I know TWTM suggest SW but is it any better than SSS?  Is SSS any better than SW?  Between the two, which would be better for a wiggly child that just want to get it over with?  I am thinking SW because it is in color.  Any thoughts?

 

I prefer Spelling by Sound and Structure over Spelling Workout, but not by much. :-)

 

However, I don't recommend using it until fourth grade. The second and third grade books are just sort of reviewing phonics and whatnot and don't have the oomph that is there from fourth grade up. Don't be swayed by the color in SW. :-)

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I've tried SW and Apples & Pears, but no experience with SSS.  SW just seemed like a waste of time for my kids and I don't think it helped the spelling of either child. 

 

For this next semester, I'm switching to Building Spelling Skills, which seems similar to SW to me, but the rules are clearer and the worksheets are shorter, so not as much "busy work" for them.  I haven't used it yet, but I like what I see from flipping through.

 

 

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Have you considered dropping spelling altogether?

 

It's just a thought. I had two use SW and it was a total waste of time - just busywork. Since then with my 6th grader (natural speller) and 4th grader (not a natural speller), we just correct as we go if needed. The more time passes I'm thinking I may never put my 1st grader in a spelling curriculum.

 

Eta: they used SW in 2nd-3rd and 1st grades.

Edited by PeacefulChaos
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I have used all 3-- SWO, SSS, and AAS. For us they were a complete waste of time and money. Unless you have a kid who really struggles to spell, I would not even bother. Save your money for more good books to read and make use of copywork/dictation.

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I have used all 3-- SWO, SSS, and AAS. For us they were a complete waste of time and money. Unless you have a kid who really struggles to spell, I would not even bother. Save your money for more good books to read and make use of copywork/dictation.

 

My son's spelling is horrendous.  I wonder... if I decided to use SYS (by obviously not returning it) and use it for copywork, would it also help with his spelling?  Or maybe that's the whole point.  This way maybe it wouldn't be hardcore spelling and I would still feel that we are moving forward with a bit of spelling help.  Does this make any sense?

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My son's spelling is horrendous.  I wonder... if I decided to use SYS (by obviously not returning it) and use it for copywork, would it also help with his spelling?  Or maybe that's the whole point.  This way maybe it wouldn't be hardcore spelling and I would still feel that we are moving forward with a bit of spelling help.  Does this make any sense?

 

Yes, I do think that the core of SYS's approach is its "guided copywork" - copying words after you've analyzed them, so that you are guided to see (and copy) the words in logical chunks (instead of letter by letter).  I *love* SYS's marking system - I use it with all the copywork/dictation that we do.  I think of SYS's approach as a particular kind of prepared dictation, with the marking providing guidance and a visual cue for what to be focusing on.  Regular copywork wasn't doing dd9's spelling all that much good - she wasn't taking in the spelling - but incorporating the SYS markings into it has helped her to really *see* all the bits of the words, and she has a lot more success with spelling things in dictation after she's marked and copied it (and I let her study the marked passage, pointing out potentially tricky words, right before doing the dictation).  I don't think she really ever saw words as a collection of logical parts before, but as wholes, where the parts were kind of blurry.  SYS's marking has brought the individual parts into focus and shown how they fit into the whole word.

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I sat at length with the sixth grade R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure and Spelling Workout a few months ago and thought the quality of exercises in R&S was much better/deeper. I felt like Spelling Workout had a lot of busy work and random "public school like" writing assignments mixed in.

 

I actually started using R&S back when MP suggested it and emailed to ask why they switched...I was told that the exercises in R&S were much more in depth and in the school setting they were not able to go into that level of depth in the exercises so chose Spelling Workout for spelling only/ simplicity since they weren't maximizing the use of R&S.

 

 

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I liked SW a lot.  I like that the exercises cover a lot of language arts subjects - synonyms/antonyms, alphabetizing, looking things up in a dictionary or index, editing (SO important!), and so on.  We chose not to use the writing.  Two of mine are fairly good natural spellers, so we just used the workbook exercises.  One needed a bit more, so we did an additional activity with the word list each day - writing the words, writing sentences with them, etc. We had a list of word list activity suggestions, so we didn't need formal curricula for that.

 

I read the paragraph in the first lesson aloud with the child, then gave a pre-test to assess what they already knew and where extra practice may be needed.  We did a page a day for the next three days, and on the last day I gave a test.   Any words missed on the test were put into the "word locker"  and practiced a bit more before the cumulative test.

 

SW was a great "warm-up" for our school day, and the kids finished the day's page quickly.  The weekly cycle also served as a kind of marker for the weeks of our homeschool year.  

 

All that said, spelling is very kid-specific.  My kids just needed to put the time in.  They typically knew more than half the list on the pre-test, and the week's writing helped them to learn the rest.  SW was part of our daily "putting pencil to paper" exercise, giving practice in writing things down, without the stress of having to craft *what* to write at the same time.

If your kid needs more work on the "actually learning how to spell" part, then I suggest using SW with the pre-test, the test, and the daily additional sentence writing or the like.  If your kid needs more serious instruction/practice than that, then SW is likely not the right curricula for you.

 

ETA:  Googling 'things to do with spelling words" turns up a ton of ideas for daily practice exercises.  Many may take more time than they're worth, but it would be easy to make your own list.  At one point we used the rule that you had to write sentences the first day, but after that you could pick from the list each day.

Edited by justasque
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  • 7 months later...

I've been using Spelling Workout A,B and C and agree with the people who criticize it as busy work.  While the books will give a few spelling "pointers" at the beginning of each lesson, the word lists seem to be a bit randomly thrown together to me.  I think the only reason either of my daughters learned anything with this was due to my following a "one new, two review" pattern when giving a test at the end of each lesson, then making them write each misspelled word five times, basically forcing them to memorize the words without really understanding spelling rules.

 

I'm now looking for something different, that would kind of take the phonics approach of Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and apply it to spelling.  Based on what I read here I was thinking of trying Spellwell.  Is it a program that you can start in the middle for an older student with so, so spelling, or do you really need to start it from the beginning to get all the rules?

Edited by RSBarnes
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