WRTR Spalding (4th edition)

[bfw0729]

On page  125 in the WRTR (4th edition), it states that a first grader should be able to get to Section O by April. Is the child copying the words or is the teacher dictating the words to the child? "By October 1 first -graders should begin writing the words in Sections A-H. Teach them at least thirty words a week so that by November 1 they reach Section I, when they will begin to read aloud from their first book." It then continues to say that the first grader should be able to reach Section O by April.

 

I'm curious, but to me the words in Section O seem like they are at a third or fourth grade level. I know the following year you go back a few Sections to review, but then you truck through the Sections again, likely reaching the end of all the words. Is it expected that one is done teaching their child to spell using the Extended Ayres List by the end of second or third grade, given the parent started in Kindergarten or earlier (especially teaching the phonograms and handwriting)? I would like to know this because I would like to switch to R&S Spelling in 4th grade (or fifth), depending on when the children are done.

 

Lastly, where can I get the Morrison McCall Spelling Scale?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[RootAnn]

There is one of the lists for the Morrison McCall Spelling Scale online. Here's just one of them. (I saw 2-4 of them by googling the phrase.)

 

I think the WRTR statement you read is a suggestion & not a firm accomplishment. I use a Spalding spin-off. They expect that you can be done with spelling by 4th or 5th grade - even though the word lists take you up to high school (or even college) level. Some kids will be able to go at that pace & others will not.

 

I usually don't start until 1st grade because the fine motor skills aren't there in K for my kids among other reasons! I will finish the lists (similar to Spalding's lists) for the first time this year with a 4th & 7th grader. We'll go back through the last part of the lists next year with those two. I usually only get to I or J in 1st. We redo those & get to M or N in 2nd. Where we start & where we end completely depends on the kids and how much time we are able to put in.

 

I have mostly average kids who spell extremely poorly (except for dd#3 who is an average speller). So, take that with a healthy dash of salt.

[Ellie]

On page  125 in the WRTR (4th edition), it states that a first grader should be able to get to Section O by April. Is the child copying the words or is the teacher dictating the words to the child? "By October 1 first -graders should begin writing the words in Sections A-H. Teach them at least thirty words a week so that by November 1 they reach Section I, when they will begin to read aloud from their first book." It then continues to say that the first grader should be able to reach Section O by April.

 

I'm curious, but to me the words in Section O seem like they are at a third or fourth grade level. I know the following year you go back a few Sections to review, but then you truck through the Sections again, likely reaching the end of all the words. Is it expected that one is done teaching their child to spell using the Extended Ayres List by the end of second or third grade, given the parent started in Kindergarten or earlier (especially teaching the phonograms and handwriting)? I would like to know this because I would like to switch to R&S Spelling in 4th grade (or fifth), depending on when the children are done.

 

Lastly, where can I get the Morrison McCall Spelling Scale?

 

Thanks!

 

Children never merely copy words. The teacher always dictates the words and helps the children analyze each one.

 

Spalding schools do it every year through sixth grade. Homeschoolers probably don't need to do that. Third grade is the first year that the children write the rule pages into their notebooks; I think doing that twice (IOW, for two years) is a good thing.

 

Spelling by Sound and Structure is good in many ways, but there are things in it that mess with my Spalding sensibilities. For example, fourth or fifth grade does days of the week; it asks which combination of letters says "ee." It's referring to the ay in "day," because some people say "Mondee" instead of "Monday." ::face palm: But it's good for other things; just be prepared for the anti-Spalding stuff, lol.

 

Here's the Morrison McCall Spelling Scale.

[bfw0729]

I just want to be clear, but is the student going through the entire List from start to finish every year? It's then quite possible that a first grade child could complete the book through Section O and start again the following year, but this time complete the entire List - to Z?

 

Are the easiest/earliest Sections still dictated to the child or can the parent quiz 40 words a week until they reach words the child misspells? The misspellings determine a new starting point for dictating the remainder Lists.

 

Also, the Morrison McCall Scale link has a link within it, which didn't work. It brought you to a 404 page.  

 

Thank you again, your guidance as do others helps a great deal!

[carriede]

I Googled Morrison McCall and the 2nd link down is a PDF called spelling assesment. It has all 8 evaluation lists.

 

FWIW, there's no way my 1st grader would have been able to do 30 words a week, unless that was all we did all day and I had no other children. Especially since you still do Oral Phonogram Review and Written Phonogram Review.

 

I tried Spelling Workout A with DS6 this year, after doing the Spalding phonograms and part of the first list last year. Now that DS can't just sound out the words (is house with a ou or ow? Why is there an e?), he's having trouble. I don't have much experience with Spalding, but I do think it's a superior method. We'll be going back to it in the fall (sooner if I wasn't just about to have a baby!).

 

HTH!

 

ETA: I believe you're supposed to use one of the eval tests at the beginning of the year to determine which list to start at. Once you figure that out, do the notebook pages from the beginning up to that point (for 3rd grade and up?) - then do dictation with the word lists and add to the notebook pages as the instructions tell you to.

Edited February 17, 2016 by carriede

[Ellie]

I just want to be clear, but is the student going through the entire List from start to finish every year? It's then quite possible that a first grade child could complete the book through Section O and start again the following year, but this time complete the entire List - to Z?

 

Are the easiest/earliest Sections still dictated to the child or can the parent quiz 40 words a week until they reach words the child misspells? The misspellings determine a new starting point for dictating the remainder Lists.

 

Also, the Morrison McCall Scale link has a link within it, which didn't work. It brought you to a 404 page.  

 

Thank you again, your guidance as do others helps a great deal!

 

Younger children are not going to finish the spelling list. I wouldn't expect that until the dc are at least 8yo/third grade. Thirty words a week is a boatload of writing and spelling.

 

P. 264 says that children in third grade write the words through Section X. Fourth grade and higher complete the list.

 

Chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters. :-)

 

I promise that if you read the manual (Spalding is the method; WRTR is the manual) from cover to cover, including every page of the Extended Ayres List, at least three times, all your questions will be answered. It's all in there.

[ReadingMama1214]

Younger children are not going to finish the spelling list. I wouldn't expect that until the dc are at least 8yo/third grade. Thirty words a week is a boatload of writing and spelling.

 

P. 264 says that children in third grade write the words through Section X. Fourth grade and higher complete the list.

 

Chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters. :-)

 

I promise that if you read the manual (Spalding is the method; WRTR is the manual) from cover to cover, including every page of the Extended Ayres List, at least three times, all your questions will be answered. It's all in there.

I am so intrigued by Spalding. I got the manual out of the library, but am in finals week for my grad class and won't be able to read it yet. I was thinking of using it for handwriting since it uses the similar clock formation that Riggs uses and my daughter might be in a Riggs program for K