Using a dictionary for spelling?

[Sarah0000]

My six year old son is doing really well with writer's workshop. He'll happily draw pictures to organize his ideas and let me scribe. He will handwrite but only when he has the words to copy or when I'm standing right there to spell for him. He will phonetically sound out words but waits for me to acknowledge whether it's correct before he writes it. I've told him to do his best spelling and I would help him fix any errors afterwards but he won't. He reads fluently and he does actually spell pretty well with letter cards, and we occasionally do SYS D. 

I have two younger kids so I can't sit there spelling for him whenever he wants to write. I thought maybe if he had a children's dictionary he could look up the words to spell. Would this be good for him to gain some immediate independence or simply prolong his refusal to attempt to spell on his own? Also, is a first children's dictionary aimed for K-2 sufficient for this purpose? I want it to be non-threatening but then I wonder if it will have enough of the words he'd want to use.

Other suggestions welcomed.

[HomeAgain]

We decided against a children's dictionary in our home and went with a large print version instead.  Same thing, but more words.

However, I think your 6yo is correct in refusing to write things wrong, and I'm not sure he would have the speed to go through the dictionary quickly.  Our solution here has been a notepad where I can quickly write the word he's asking for.  But last year my son's only writing instruction was copywork and dictation.  It's only this year that he's beginning to be expected to do written narrations on his own.  His confidence in his own writing had to be built before he would make that step.

[Garga]

Can he use an online dictionary?

And sometimes it’s hard to use a dictionary to spell things.  Back in 1989 when I was in high school, I watched Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  They made a reference to an Oedipal complex.  I had no idea what that was and tried to look it up in the dictionary.  Ediple?  Ettiple?  Edipole? Who knew it began with an O??  :)

With an online dictionary, it will offer suggestions if the person misspells it.  m-w.com is an online dictionary. 

[NotesFromTheParsonage]

For my younger kids, I buy them the book “Words I Use When I Write”. There are several versions depending on the child’s ability. We add to it as they go, so I am never spelling the same word twice. 

And when I really just can’t do it, they can always ask Alexa. 

I do use a dictionary in my spelling classes, but they usually aren’t ready for that until around 3rd grade.

[fralala]

It is partially contingent, I think, or even entirely contingent, on that complex mixture of your child's personality and vocabulary.

My kids like using children's dictionaries for games and such, but they never actually contain the words we are looking for and we always end up resorting to my dictionary.

So if your son is struggling with the kinds of words that would be in the children's dictionary, and if he has the patience and fortitude to look up words, this would be an excellent way for him to develop independence and dictionary skills.

But at 6, nope, this would never work with any of my kids. It requires too much independence, maturity, and patience, and would frustrate them. I would be surprised if any 6 year old were able to complete much schoolwork independently, or were eager to outsource mom's role as spelling guide to a dictionary. Asking how to spell a word is asking to learn more, and demonstrating interest in doing things the right way-- the nice thing about spelling words out for a kid is that you don't have to just sit there, and you don't even have to be in the same room!

[Sarah0000]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to suggest he ask Alexa because he loves talking to her anyway.

[sweet2ndchance]

I definitely agree with most of the above posters that it is unrealistic to expect most six year olds to write much of anything on their own with out a model to copy or some kind of word wall. Even then, some children will artificially limit the vocabulary they use to just the words they can find on the word wall.

By refusing to misspell a word, he is actually doing himself a favor. Instead of using a multi-sensory approach to possibly imprint a wrong spelling, he is asking for multi-sensory input to imprint a correct spelling. That is a good thing and will make things easier for both of you in the long run.

Is he a prolific writer? Does he spend tons of time everyday wanting to write on his own? Is this creative writing or narrations for school work? When my oldest three kids were little, I would write out their narrations, school related or just for fun when they wanted to write, on a piece of paper and they would happily copy it on their sheet. It didn't take but a few minutes. As they got older, they would just ask for a list of words they were unsure about or use the book they were narrating from for reference. By they time they were between 8 - 10, I wasn't writing out entire narrations very often anymore. They had gained the confidence to write independently for the most part. It can seem like you are spending an inordinate amount of time spelling for him now, but it is time very well spent in these early years and will pay you back tenfold over the long haul. This time is brief even if the days are long.

I have absolutely no experience with Alexa but can it differentiate homophones? New or knew? There, their or they're? Weigh, way or whey? I used those teachable moments a lot with my kids when they would ask how to spell and I would be afraid those moments would be lost when asking a computer of any kind to spell for them.

[Sarah0000]

This is his own personal creative writing. He's not a prolific writer but sometimes he balks at a word that I know he can spell with ease. And words that I know he wouldn't imprint wrongly, like "the."

He's also going through a phase right now where everything is "too much effort" so he just gives up. There could be some of that going on too.

[Jackie]

Ask Alexa or Siri.

I never understood using a dictionary for spelling as a child, and I still don’t understand it now. For whatever reason, the word “chimera” pops to mind. First, I’d look it up under K. After sounding it out, and not finding it there, I’d look it up under C (but not CH). After not finding it there, I’d *maybe* try CH. Then I might try “chimara”. Probably by this time I’d give up, abandon the writing entirely, and do something else.

Dictionaries can be great for definitions, etymology, and pronunciation, but they’re awful for spelling.

[Lori D.]

🧟‍♂️ -- zombie thread has been revived by a new poster... 😉 

[Sarah0000]

Haha. Blast from the past. Well three years later and I now know my kid is just resistant to change, not just in regards to spelling or dictionaries.