Spelling Help for Middle School

[bethanyjoy]

My daughter will be going into the 6th grade next year and really struggles with spelling. Many of the spelling curriculums are graded or leveled and I would have to start her way under grade level. Since many of them teach a weekly list of words, it would be hard to just work on the skills she struggles with so there wouldn't be time to finish them all before high school. We tried All About Spelling and it didn't work for us. What are some spelling programs that will allow her to progress quickly as she is able? Thanks!

[mom2scouts]

My dd is that age and she's doing really well with the MegaWords books. They are inexpensive workbooks that teach spelling rules  and give lots of practice. You can start with book one and work through them as fast or as slow as needed.  I've been surprised at how much she likes the workbooks and I've seen improvement in her spelling.

[Miss Tick]

Spelling Power is basically grouped lists of "the 5,000 most frequently used and misspelled words."  There are 11 levels in the book. You could use the Survey Tests to decide which level she should start in. Then give her the first test from that level. Keep a running "Missed List". Once the missed list is long enough (8 words maybe) have a missed list test instead of testing a new list.  The book has a bunch of ideas for how to study the missed words, but we usually fall back on the same two or three approaches that have worked for us.

There are no frills in the book, we just work through it steadily. Occasionally I will add words to the missed list from their writing. I don't big-puffy-heart love it, but it is getting the job done.

[TheAttachedMama]

I am also a mother of two children who struggle with spelling.   So, here is "Dr. Cathy's" prescription for spelling help in middle school.  :)   (Of course, I hope you will take the parts that you think will work well for your children and leave the rest!)

Step 1:   Determine how much she is struggling-    The term "struggling" can mean different things to different people.   Some people consider their child struggling if they can't remember when to put "sion" vs "tion" at the end of really long words.    Other people have 6th graders who are still struggling with spelling very common words like "because" and "said".   Other people have 6th graders who simply can't remember when to spell the long e sound, "ee", e_e", "ei", etc. etc.   My point...the term "struggling" can mean a lot of different things.   And that might cloud some of the recommendations you get on this board.

So, before you go any further, I would establish a baseline.  This will allow you to figure out exactly where she is in her spelling journey.   Additionally, you can use these results to monitor for improvement.   That way you can actually tell how well your remediation plan is working!

To that end, as a first step, I would suggest that you administer the spelling plus pre-tests to establish a baseline.   Start with the first levels (which will feel easy) and keep testing until she misses more than a few.   Stop at that level so that you don't over practice spelling things wrong.   

Why do I suggest these tests?   As a testament to our waning vocabularies, did you know that over 90% of written English is made up of just 1000 words?!   Yes, there are programs that have 5000 of the most common words.  However, that is a lot more words to focus on learning to mastery.   (harder to do when you are remediating, and trying to reach a goal by high school.)    On the other hand, learning just 1000 words will allow your child to spell 90% of written English correctly.    At that point, you can focus on personalized spelling lists if needed.   

One thousand words sound like a lot, but if you break them up into small bite-sized portions organized by spelling pattern, catching your child up is very doable.    There are only 10-word lists per level, so you could potentially move your child through 3 levels a year with plenty of time for reviewing and re-testing previously learned levels.

Also, It is one thing to move to "Megawords", but if your child is still struggling with the most common words in English, learning longer more complex words isn't going to help much.   You know?

Step 2:   Evaluate your next steps-

Use this decision tree...

IF your child starts to miss many words in level D or before, THEN read blue.

Collect misspelled words in a personal spelling list and start at the level with the regular spelling lists from Spelling Plus.   Again, there are going to be some words on those lists that your child might already know how to spell.  That is OK.   It is better to over-practice these words until there is a complete mastery because when your child is writing, they have to concentrate on enough things.   You don't want them also having to think about spelling while trying to formulate their thoughts into words.    

You might be tempted to fast track your child through these word lists and start them at a higher level so you can get them up to "grade level".   My strong warning is that you have to meet your child where they are.   No amount of wishing or rushing is going to teach these words to mastery.  I promise that if you work on these word lists to mastery consistently every day, your child will make leaps in bounds in spelling ability.

Spelling Plus is a phonetic program.   The most common words are organized by difficulty (or level) and by spelling pattern.   (Example:  long a spelled "ay" are grouped together.  Or words that you have to double the consonant to protect the short vowel are grouped together. etc.)    

Weekly Routine will only take 15 mins per day and look something like this:

Day 1: a Short lesson with mama:  Review phonics concept in words and teach any homophones.   The child does the "daily spelling practice" independently (using the audio tracks and book) and dictation sentences independently.    Mama will check and correct with child.

Day  2-4:  Child does "daily spelling practice" each day again and new dictation sentences.   Again, if you buy the optional audio tracks, your child can do this completely independently.   They are well worth the cost IMHO.     We do all of our spelling practice and dictation sentences in a composition book.  The dication sentences are really good because they review homophones, commonly confused words, mechanics, etc.  Some are even paragraphs to review proper paragraph form or letters to review how to format a friendly letter.  

Day 5:   Spelling Test plus dictation sentences.   In our house, if you get 100% on your test, you earn a reward.   Plus, you get to advance to the next test.   If you miss one, you stay on that word list until you master the words.

After your child completes all of the word lists for that level, administer all pre-tests again.   You want to over practice and over review these words.  Sometimes a child only spells a word correctly on those pre-tests because they guessed correctly the first time.  So you want to constantly make sure you are reviewing these other words.   (I usually allow for a week on these pre-tests, spreading them out.)     After that start back on the word lists.   

On the other hand, IF your child does really well on these pre-tests, Read the Green...

If your child has many of these very common words down, I would then say that Megawords is where you need to head next.    I think it is a very effective and wonderful program.   

[SilverMoon]

I took an older kid through Writing Road to Reading/Spalding, I fasttracked him through it until it seemed like he needed to slow down. No grades involved. No grades on the cover, no student text, just him with a notebook, me with the guide, a set of phonogram cards, and we plowed through the lists applying phonics rules as we went. It was very mom-dependent but also very effective.

[ByGrace3]

Another vote for MegaWords. dd has completed most of the series in 2 years. I have seen great improvement in both kids' spelling since beginning MW. And a bonus is level 1 is for older kids so its not as discouraging for older kids to be in book 1...

[Tanaqui]

Quote

Why do I suggest these tests?  As a testament to our waning vocabularies, did you know that over 90% of written English is made up of just 1000 words?!

 

That has nothing to do with 'waning vocabularies' and everything to do with the fact that the majority of printed matter in any language is going to be function words - do, can, if, of, up, down - followed by very basic nouns and verbs.

Though your stat is both uncited and, honestly, highly debatable. Even if we all agree on the definition of "word" (and we don't!) most sources give numbers between 2,500 to 5,000 words for anywhere between 75 and 95% of either "all printed matter" or "most general reading".

[bethanyjoy]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I'm looking over them all and researching. For those of you that recommend Megawords...I've been looking at it, but the teacher's manual confuses me. Do you use the reading and spelling checklists, and, if so, how? Does the teacher's manual tell you when to use them? Are there pre-tests and post-tests or does your child just work through the book page by page without any testing?

[bethanyjoy]

9 hours ago, ByGrace3 said:

Another vote for MegaWords. dd has completed most of the series in 2 years. I have seen great improvement in both kids' spelling since beginning MW. And a bonus is level 1 is for older kids so its not as discouraging for older kids to be in book 1...

 

How many pages each day did your daughter complete in order to go through the series in 2 years? Do you give tests on the words? The teacher's manual is confusing. Would I need to follow the teacher's manual or could I just use it for the dictation sections?

[ByGrace3]

10 hours ago, bethanyjoy said:

 

How many pages each day did your daughter complete in order to go through the series in 2 years? Do you give tests on the words? The teacher's manual is confusing. Would I need to follow the teacher's manual or could I just use it for the dictation sections?

She did not begin in book 1. I think she started in book 2 or 3. I think she might have done books 3-5 in 6th grade and 6- now finishing 8 in 7th. (She may finish it in the fall). She does about 2-3 pages a day. Occasionally she did more in order to "finish a book" (her choice--my kids are weird like that) lol. I did not do any tests and I only use the teachers book for dictation exercises.

[bethanyjoy]

4 hours ago, ByGrace3 said:

She did not begin in book 1. I think she started in book 2 or 3. I think she might have done books 3-5 in 6th grade and 6- now finishing 8 in 7th. (She may finish it in the fall). She does about 2-3 pages a day. Occasionally she did more in order to "finish a book" (her choice--my kids are weird like that) lol. I did not do any tests and I only use the teachers book for dictation exercises.

 

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it!

[TheAttachedMama]

23 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

 

That has nothing to do with 'waning vocabularies' and everything to do with the fact that the majority of printed matter in any language is going to be function words - do, can, if, of, up, down - followed by very basic nouns and verbs.

Though your stat is both uncited and, honestly, highly debatable. Even if we all agree on the definition of "word" (and we don't!) most sources give numbers between 2,500 to 5,000 words for anywhere between 75 and 95% of either "all printed matter" or "most general reading".

 

Please excuse me for not including citations, especially with such a "highly debatable" stat.  (I had no idea.)   I am also sorry for the controversial use of the word "word".   Please know I had the best of intentions and was just trying to offer friendly help. 

[vonbon]

On 5/8/2018 at 8:37 AM, SusanC said:

Spelling Power is basically grouped lists of "the 5,000 most frequently used and misspelled words."  There are 11 levels in the book. You could use the Survey Tests to decide which level she should start in. Then give her the first test from that level. Keep a running "Missed List". Once the missed list is long enough (8 words maybe) have a missed list test instead of testing a new list.  The book has a bunch of ideas for how to study the missed words, but we usually fall back on the same two or three approaches that have worked for us.

There are no frills in the book, we just work through it steadily. Occasionally I will add words to the missed list from their writing. I don't big-puffy-heart love it, but it is getting the job done.

Another vote for Spelling Power...I've recommended it on the boards before.  We've used it for 2 years and I do "big-puffy-heart" love it (LOL) because of these reasons: 

- No weekly lists of words: student only practices those words they miss / don't know.  No wasted time on words they can already spell correctly.  No busy work.  

- Students start at their "level", wherever that might be and progress from there, without the stigma of grade levels.  (The levels are alphabetical: Level A, B, C...and so on.  There is a section the teacher can use to see which spelling levels correspond with which grade levels, if you need to see that.)

- The book goes through adulthood spelling, so the student can continue to progress for many years.  

- There are review tests at various points to see if the student has retained difficult words ("Delayed Recall").  No biggie if they're missed; they're practiced again.  I think this shows if true progress is being made and helps solidify those particular words the student struggles with. 

The method outlined in the book for practicing words really works, so I do require DD to use it, but we also change up the way she practices.  For instance, she can go outside and practice spelling words with sidewalk chalk in huge letters on concrete.  Sometimes we've used pipe cleaners to shape out the words (but this takes some time) or spelled them in pudding on a cookie sheet or with rainbow highlighters...or...lots of fun ways to practice spelling words. 

Spelling Power's method also has a spot for students to use the words in a sentence.  Sometimes DD is already doing a lot of writing elsewhere, so I don't always require this section (speeds up the process).

FYI: Depending on the student / level, the lists can be quite long.  Sometimes we've broken them up into 2 or 3 days.  Other times, we've breezed through a whole list easily.  Depends. 

[vonbon]

Also wanted to mention that Spelling Power can be used easily while doing other things, in case that helps anyone.  Meaning, I can administer the teacher-dependent part while making lunch and then turn DD loose to do the practice independently.  I can quickly check her work when she's done, if needed.  I like that it's one subject that's not time-intensive (in our experience, anyway) because some of our other subjects are very teacher-intensive.  

[blondchen]

Check out How to Teach Spelling. It has a teacher manual that contains explicit instruction and lists of words by phonogram/pattern, phrases and sentences for dictation, plus 4 levels of student workbooks that are open-and-go (and it's indicated in the workbook when you should refer to the TM for dictation, etc.). My 5th grader is finishing up Logic of English Essentials, and I'm going to move on to HTTS because I like the approach and you can pick and choose what phonograms and/or rules to work on rather than having to go through a systematic process that may be overkill. I've been using the TM all along for extra dictation and practice with the rules she's been taught in LOE (which doesn't have much practice with the words unless you do the grammar section, which we don't). All of the workbooks assume no prior knowledge - you could probably jump into Book 4 because the later workbooks just move faster through the easier concepts. Or, you could just get the teacher manual and pick what you want her to work on. I intend to use it going forward to fill in gaps and to solidify and practice what she's already learned, and the TM alone is great for that.

[Lori D.]

It helps if you can pinpoint what exactly is NOT connecting, and then find a program that clicks for DD. And, just to encourage you, along about age 12 (grade 6-7), is when the spelling portion of the brain finally starts to mature and many struggling spellers finally start to "get" spelling.

For our struggling speller with mild LDs in Spelling, Writing, and Math, that ended up being a combo of Megawords (focuses on syllabication to break longer words into short "bites" for spelling attack, plus vowel sounds and phonetic combinations to understand when to use which spellings), plus individualized spelling using The ABCs and All Their Tricks as a spine (another phonetic-based instruction), coupled with practice ideas from:

• Sequential Spelling (adding on to small words or word parts to make longer words)
• Stevenson Blue Spelling Manual (the dictation, and the visual/mnemonic techniques)
• Dianne Craft's website & Jeffrey Freed's book Right Brain Children in a Left Brain World (working with words with colored markers on whiteboard, and visual memory tricks such as "stories" and pictures)
• Andrew Pudewa's "Spelling and the Brain" audio lecture (out-loud back and forth spelling practice to strengthen weak auditory/sequential memory), coupled with "Toss It", an idea from Carol Barnier's book of How To Get Your Kid Off the Refrigerator and On to Learning (for keeping focused -- see "Toss-It" about halfway down on this webpage)

Also having DS type all of his writing and use Spell Check helped, as he had the visual clue of the red underline to help him see errors.

Things that absolutely did NOT work for our DS with his specific spelling struggles included:

• Spelling Workout (random word lists, and DS does NOT retain spelling through repeated writing of the words)
• Spelling Power (no real instruction, caused absolute melt-downs doing a test a day just to collect a list of words to practice, and with his particular LD, what he remembered/forgot about spelling would vary so widely from day to day that doing tests to figure out "what he didn't know" was a waste of time)
• How to Teach Any Child to Spell (which is coupled with Tricks of the Trade) was a complete fail -- it requires that the student keep a notebook of problem words and learning the phonetic pattern that goes with those words, and DS's particular LD did not make this a workable solution for him.

All of these programs work for other students who connect with the particular method, so just because these were not a fit for us does not mean they might not work for you. Some other programs to consider:

Megawords is nice as it is geared for grades 4-12 (ideal for middle school years), and doubles as good vocabulary exposure in the middle school/high school years. And, while there are 8 books, you'll get through 1.25 to 1.5 workbooks per year, so if you did the entire series, you would finish by 11th-12th grade -- or, you can stop at any time, if your student is clicking with spelling.

Apples is a spelling program esp. geared for middle schoolers. I've seen reviews by users of it on these boards saying it was effective for their student. Sequential Spelling is another program that can work well for struggling spellers (made by a dyslexic, for dyslexics) and you can go as deep as you like with as "meaty" of words as you like, so not baby-ish. Here's the Cathy Duffy review of Sequential Spelling.

Another one that works for some older or struggling students is Andrew Pudewa's Phonetic Zoo -- mostly done independently by the student via audio.

BEST of luck in pinpointing what the specific issue is, and then what will best help address that issue! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Lori D.]

On 5/8/2018 at 5:25 PM, bethanyjoy said:

...For those of you that recommend Megawords...I've been looking at it, but the teacher's manual confuses me. Do you use the reading and spelling checklists, and, if so, how? Does the teacher's manual tell you when to use them? Are there pre-tests and post-tests or does your child just work through the book page by page without any testing?

Yes, you really need the Teacher Guide, which has the lists of syllables that you dictate to the student for some of the exercise. Some of the exercises are done completely independently by the student. Because we used Megawords as a supplement to the individualized spelling that I outlined above, the testing we did was with the individualized spelling, and so we did not do testing with Megawords. But we did do the workbooks, page by page, and discussing the vowel patterns and phonetics of each lesson as we went. What DS really gained from Megawords (in addition to the additional phonetic exposure) was learning to slow down and use syllabication as a tool for handling each "bite" of a word for correct spelling.

Hopefully someone else can help you with your specific questions here about the reading/spelling checklists and pre-/post-tests of Megawords. :)

On 5/8/2018 at 9:36 PM, bethanyjoy said:

How many pages each day did your daughter complete in order to go through the series in 2 years?

Gently, rather than focusing on trying to race through the program in 2 years in order to "finish before high school", or "match what worked for someone else's child", I strongly recommend using the program at the pace YOUR child needs in order to learn -- because, isn't that the real goal -- learning? -- rather than "keeping up with the Jones'?". ?

The 2-year pace worked great for ByGrace3's unique student. In contrast, that pace would have ended up turning Spelling into meaningless -- and frustrating -- busywork here. We started Megawords about halfway through grade 6 and it took our struggling speller DS with mild LDs about halfway through 12th grade to complete the program, at an average of about 4 pages per week. That is the pace HE needed in order to truly learn, succeed, and move forward.

[Lori D.]

On 5/8/2018 at 9:36 PM, bethanyjoy said:

...Would I need to follow the teacher's manual or could I just use it for the dictation sections?

Because Megawords was our spelling supplement, not main "spine" program, I used the teacher manual for the dictating of syllables for those specific exercises, and for the answer key, for super fast grading. :)

[ByGrace3]

11 hours ago, Lori D. said:

The 2-year pace worked great for ByGrace3's unique student. In contrast, that pace would have ended up turning Spelling into meaningless -- and frustrating -- busywork here. We started Megawords about halfway through grade 6 and it took our struggling speller DS with mild LDs about halfway through 12th grade to complete the program, at an average of about 4 pages per week. That is the pace HE needed in order to truly learn, succeed, and move forward.

Very true. My ds would never have been able to do that pace. He started the series in 4th grade and doing 2 pages a day easily completed 2 books per year last year and this year. I would have happily slowed down if he needed it. Every child is different. My dd had already completed AAS 1-4 and R&S spelling 4-6 so her foundation was strong before she began. my youngest will begin the series next year and will probably go MUCH slower than the other two. She took 2 years for AAS 1-2.  My kids are not natural spellers, they struggle a lot. MW has been great in making them slow down and do the syllable work. 

[vonbon]

Back again to say that, while Spelling Power has been awesome for us, DD and I are likely natural spellers.  I remember spelling being easy as a kid and it seems to be coming easily for DD.  She's my first child, so I'm lacking a broad view here.  After reading Lori D.'s experience, I realize that perhaps Spelling Power fits well because of our natural tendencies.  And I'd agree: there's really no instruction involved with Spelling Power...which may or may not be good, depending on the student.  I re-read and see the OP is looking for ways to overcome spelling struggles.  So, a good option for some, but, as with ALL curricula...depends so much on a variety of factors related to the student.  I hope you find a good fit, OP!