Megawords, Sequential Spelling, or Phonetic Zoo for 8th Grader

[jer2911mom]

My rising 8th grade dd is not a natural speller, but has improved steadily each year.  We've used Megawords 1-3 over the last 2 years, and I am not sure how much it is helping.  It takes more time than I'd like, considering all the other components of LA we are trying to hit.  I don't mind sticking with it if it is worth it.  For those of you who have used it, do you feel it gets stronger as you go on?  Did you keep doing the reading checks?  I feel like the end of each section is kind of tedious to complete.  My dd doesn't really care for it in general.  I'm ho-hum about it.  I was also considering Sequential Spelling or Phonetic Zoo for next year.  Which of the three do you feel is strongest for helping a struggling speller?

Thanks,
Kathy

[rjand6more]

Bumping for you.  I have a dd(grade 8 )in a similar situation.

[Lori D.]

No help here. All I can tell you is that for our struggling speller to progress, we had to spend 20-25 min./day 4 days/week all the way through middle school, and about 15 min/day, 4 days/week all through high school.

I had a struggling speller here, due to mild LDs (stealth dyslexia), and we ended up using Megawords all the way through: grades 6-12 -- AND an individualized spelling program based on phonemes (which I created based on The ABCs and All Their Tricks) to target what DS#2 needed to progress in Spelling.. Similar to HeighHo, we were just using the exercises in Megawords to practice the vowel patterns and syllabication, so DS#2 was mostly solo with it except for the first day of introducing a new lesson, and then me dictating the syllables for the exercise that called for that, about once every 2-3 days.

We skipped the Megawords reading checks and streamlined/double-dipped -- I could "check" how the Spelling strategies were translating to his reading as we were already doing a lot of DS's Literature as out-loud reading, alternating pages, so I could see keep an eye on the stealth dyslexia. That also streamlined the Literature, as we could learn Vocabulary "n the midst", and do analysis and discussion as we were reading.

I know all of that is not what you're looking for, and maybe someone will have a different and time-saving solution for you, but I personally don't see any way around needing to spend more time (both student solo time and teacher/student time) on any subject of struggle for a student. Since DS#2 had real struggles with several core subjects -- Writing, Spelling, Math, and even a little bit of trouble with Reading -- I just planned that English/Language Arts was going to take us longer, and I tried to streamline in other areas.

Streamlining ideas:
- not do all LA every day:
     • Grammar was kept short: 3x/week, 20 min/day
     • Writing was also kept shorter: 4x/week, 30-40 min/day, with the 5th day as "finish-up" if needed
     • Vocabulary -- when using a program, we kept it to 5 min/day, done aloud orally all together;
        we also streamlined Vocabulary by learning "in the midst" of out loud reading
- reduce some subjects from every day to just 2-3 days a week -- Logic, Geography, etc.
- alternate History/Science -- 90 min. block of time Mon/Wed for one, and Tues/Thurs for the other, with Fri. for "finish-up"
- do some work for History/Science/etc. orally rather than as written answers to speed up the day
- circle selected problems or questions for Math/History/Science rather than do every single one
- in advance, "star" a few books in the Literature or History reading list that can be dropped if time is running short
- do some Literature and/or History books as audiobooks in the car or as an evening read-aloud
- use a "just get 'er done" program for 1-2 subjects to shorten the time there to leave more time for the LA subjects

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your student AND for your schedule. : ) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[jer2911mom]

On 6/10/2018 at 11:39 AM, HeighHo said:

We only used Megawords 1 and that was a big help.  I didn't do anything with the reading part,it wasn't helpful.  What my kid needed to know was how to pick which phoneme to use when spelling.  Kind of the opposite of people who can read and spell the word but don't know the correct pronunciation..ds could pronounce and read, but not recall the spelling although he could tell you several possibiliies.  After MegaWords 1, Word highlighting all his wrong choices had him learn spelling word by word.   

Do you think your dc needs to work on visualization strategies?  What seems to be the problem with remembering?  

 

Thanks, my dd can generally pronounce and read, but cannot recall the spelling, either.  And yes, generally she can tell me several possibilities or pick the correct answer from a list of possibilities.  It's possible she needs to work on visualization strategies.  For the most part, she cannot recall which endings to use when there is no rule to apply (-ant, -ent and those variations, -tion, -sion, etc.).  It's usually when there is a schwa sound and any vowel could be used.  I suspect she might have stealth dyslexia.  She reads and comprehends very well, but has always struggled with spelling, math facts, etc.  She does seem to be improving each year.  It's just tedious to keep focusing on spelling when we have so many other things to be working on as well, but I don't want to give that up, just use whatever is most efficient.

[jer2911mom]

On 6/10/2018 at 2:36 PM, Lori D. said:

No help here. All I can tell you is that for our struggling speller to progress, we had to spend 20-25 min./day 4 days/week all the way through middle school, and about 15 min/day, 4 days/week all through high school.

I had a struggling speller here, due to mild LDs (stealth dyslexia), and we ended up using Megawords all the way through: grades 6-12 -- AND an individualized spelling program based on phonemes (which I created based on The ABCs and All Their Tricks) to target what DS#2 needed to progress in Spelling.. Similar to HeighHo, we were just using the exercises in Megawords to practice the vowel patterns and syllabication, so DS#2 was mostly solo with it except for the first day of introducing a new lesson, and then me dictating the syllables for the exercise that called for that, about once every 2-3 days.

We skipped the Megawords reading checks and streamlined/double-dipped -- I could "check" how the Spelling strategies were translating to his reading as we were already doing a lot of DS's Literature as out-loud reading, alternating pages, so I could see keep an eye on the stealth dyslexia. That also streamlined the Literature, as we could learn Vocabulary "n the midst", and do analysis and discussion as we were reading.

I know all of that is not what you're looking for, and maybe someone will have a different and time-saving solution for you, but I personally don't see any way around needing to spend more time (both student solo time and teacher/student time) on any subject of struggle for a student. Since DS#2 had real struggles with several core subjects -- Writing, Spelling, Math, and even a little bit of trouble with Reading -- I just planned that English/Language Arts was going to take us longer, and I tried to streamline in other areas.

Streamlining ideas:
- not do all LA every day:
     • Grammar was kept short: 3x/week, 20 min/day
     • Writing was also kept shorter: 4x/week, 30-40 min/day, with the 5th day as "finish-up" if needed
     • Vocabulary -- when using a program, we kept it to 5 min/day, done aloud orally all together;
        we also streamlined Vocabulary by learning "in the midst" of out loud reading
- reduce some subjects from every day to just 2-3 days a week -- Logic, Geography, etc.
- alternate History/Science -- 90 min. block of time Mon/Wed for one, and Tues/Thurs for the other, with Fri. for "finish-up"
- do some work for History/Science/etc. orally rather than as written answers to speed up the day
- circle selected problems or questions for Math/History/Science rather than do every single one
- in advance, "star" a few books in the Literature or History reading list that can be dropped if time is running short
- do some Literature and/or History books as audiobooks in the car or as an evening read-aloud
- use a "just get 'er done" program for 1-2 subjects to shorten the time there to leave more time for the LA subjects

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your student AND for your schedule. : ) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Thanks, Lori! Did you get an official diagnosis on the stealth dyslexia?  How?  I have suspected for a few years now that my dd might be dealing with that.  She reads at a very high level with excellent comprehension, and her vocabulary scores are always very high on standardized testing.  She also enjoys writing.  But she has struggled with spelling and math facts.  I feel like I might need to get her eyes checked for focusing issues as well.  She does wear glasses/contacts.  Did your son happen to do better with spiral programs?  That is what seems to work best for this dd.

The reason I have done the reading checks is because she was constantly skipping the "little" words.   Doing these checks has really helped her focus on that, and having more fluency in her reading (not as many starts and stops/pauses).  I hesitate to drop that because it has helped her, but at the same time it is really tedious to do all that.  We dread that part when we get to it.  Maybe I'll do it a little longer and then drop it and see if she resumes her old habits or not.  Or, I could just watch her other reading aloud, as you did.  That would be easier.  I have them read parts of the Bible aloud each day, so I would be able to catch it there if it were returning.

I own ABCs and All Their Tricks.  What did you do with that?

Thanks for the tips on streamlining!  LA has always been a huge chunk of our day, and I'm trying to get it under control.  We've been using CLE for grammar, but it is so full that we end up needing to use it most days in order to finish by the end of the year (and this year we didn't even finish the 9th LU and didn't do the 10th at all).  I've been looking at R&S and AG as other options.  We are likely using Heart of Dakota RTR next year, and I may try to do their LA suggestions for the most part because they do a better job of balancing/rotating things than I do.  We'd have the 5th day free to do any other LA we need to do like another day of Megawords and also the Fig. Speaking that we're trying to finish.  HOD spreads R&S out, only going through level 6 by the end of 8th grade, and using levels 7 and 8 over all 4 years of high school.  R&S has fewer lessons than CLE, so that might help us.  Or we could spread AG out over 8th and 9th to have some breathing room as well.  My dd does well with CLE and the spiraling nature of it, but it really only goes through 9th (and only parts of their 9th grade course), and then we'd need to find something else for review, anyway.  I've read that R&S is more thorough than CLE in general, and since HOD includes some of the R&S writing instruction, it might make sense to go that route, anyway.  Thanks again for your help!

[Lori D.]

7 minutes ago, jer2911mom said:

...Did you get an official diagnosis on the stealth dyslexia?  How?

When DS was 9-10yo, we found a teacher who specialized in administering special needs testing, and the results showed "borderline dyslexia". I continued throughout homeschooling to keep researching, and in high school, stumbled across info about stealth dyslexia, and it seemed to really fit DS, more than anything else I'd seen. So no official diagnosis, and if I could have a do-over, I would look a lot harder to find a good professional to provide a full neuro/psych panel testing, and who could also provide solid techniques and therapies.

10 minutes ago, jer2911mom said:

Did your son happen to do better with spiral programs?  That is what seems to work best for this dd...

Actually, just the opposite, lol: he did best with mastery programs with a few review problems each lesson. And with not too many problems overall per page, or with too much variety of topics per lesson -- otherwise he would become overwhelmed and shut down.

13 minutes ago, jer2911mom said:

The reason I have done the reading checks is because she was constantly skipping the "little" words.   Doing these checks has really helped her focus on that, and having more fluency in her reading (not as many starts and stops/pauses).  I hesitate to drop that because it has helped her, but at the same time it is really tedious to do all that...

Sounds like you're doing what works best for your student! : ) Again, our DS was actually the opposite -- he would try skipping the longer words by guessing at them (he still does that) -- it's still hard work for him to have to slow down and break down the big word into parts and sound them out. That's why reading aloud ("you read a page, I read a page") worked best all the way through high school for him, as it made him slow down and do the work of focusing on the words, but with me reading the next page, he could get a break and focus on what was going on in the literature.

16 minutes ago, jer2911mom said:

I own ABCs and All Their Tricks.  What did you do with that?

I'll have to give a detailed explanation another time -- it's late here, and I'm about to head to bed. ; )

Sounds like you've got a good handle on how to make things work at your house! Yea! Wishing you the best for next year. : ) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[ByGrace3]

My dd is finishing the MW series and it has been a big help with her spelling. We tried PZ for my ds but it did not work for us. It was more memorization and less rules to apply than I wanted. We never did the reading checks at the end of the chapters. 

[Bluegoat]

I've only used SS of those.  It was helpful here - it seems to work really well for some kids, especially I think visual learners, or those who need to strengthen that element.  It's pattern based, but it takes advantage of that in a fairly intuitive way.

It does not take much time which was one of the things I really liked about it - spelling is the last thing I want to spend a lot of time on.  For an older child, I'd give it a try, it's probably why I'd try first with an adult as well - if it works the frustration level is low for the effect you get.

[jer2911mom]

Thank you for all the info., Lori! ?

[jer2911mom]

On 6/14/2018 at 6:42 AM, ByGrace3 said:

My dd is finishing the MW series and it has been a big help with her spelling. We tried PZ for my ds but it did not work for us. It was more memorization and less rules to apply than I wanted. We never did the reading checks at the end of the chapters. 

Thanks, Nicole!  What grades did you use MW across?  I'm glad to hear about your experience with PZ.  I heard the same thing from someone else.

[jer2911mom]

On 6/14/2018 at 7:07 AM, Bluegoat said:

I've only used SS of those.  It was helpful here - it seems to work really well for some kids, especially I think visual learners, or those who need to strengthen that element.  It's pattern based, but it takes advantage of that in a fairly intuitive way.

It does not take much time which was one of the things I really liked about it - spelling is the last thing I want to spend a lot of time on.  For an older child, I'd give it a try, it's probably why I'd try first with an adult as well - if it works the frustration level is low for the effect you get.

Thank you!  This information was helpful!

[jer2911mom]

On 6/14/2018 at 8:37 AM, HeighHo said:

 

Yes, visual memory is what needs to worked on, specifically the part where they commit the word to memory. We found both 'see it, say it, spell it', and 'visualize while spelling backwards' to work, initially with the word being studied printed with each syllable a different color. Add in a typing program for dsylexics which uses patterned lists of spelling words and cursive practice and you've got  your spaced repetition, the words are owned and Foreign Language class will not be  head banging.  

 

 

Thank you!  Can you recommend a typing program for dyslexics?

[PeterPan]

On June 14, 2018 at 9:37 AM, HeighHo said:

Add in a typing program for dsylexics which uses patterned lists of spelling words

I'll bite too. What program? That seems like a good thing!

[ElizabethB]

There are actually rules about when ant/ent is more likely!  This book has that and other high level rules:

https://www.amazon.com/Spelling-Made-Simple-Publisher-Revised/dp/B004RZ1TGS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529180419&sr=1-3-fkmr0&keywords=spelling+made+simple+stephen+ross

My online spelling lessons also have some high level rules in them, 2 hours total:

https://thephonicspage.org/On Spelling/spellinglessonsl.html

If you "pronounce for spelling" in your head, that helps with this type of problem.  Try to get her in that habit of having two pronunciations for each word in her head, one for spelling and one for reading.  Or, if she is a rule based person, there are a lot of rules out there.  I could not for the life of my remember how to spell "truly" until I learned the rule that applies about why you drop the e from ue in this and similar cases, the rule only applies to a dozen words or less that I can think of but was helpful for me.

Also, I would give her the MWIA 3 and the nonsense word test from the end of my syllables page to rule out reading related problems:

https://thephonicspage.org/On Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

My students that have vision problems that can be fixed with vision therapy usually read a group of nonsense words at 36 point font, double spaced at least 10% slower than a group of nonsense words at 12 point font single spaced, other students read them at the same speed.  Try this both alone and after reading a book with small print for 20 to 30 minutes to see if the problem occurs with fatigue from reading.  The extra version of nonsense words, link #6 from the teacher folder section of my syllables page, is a good source of groups of nonsense words of similar difficulty, also found in the syllables link above.

 

[ByGrace3]

Just now, jer2911mom said:

Thanks, Nicole!  What grades did you use MW across?  I'm glad to hear about your experience with PZ.  I heard the same thing from someone else.

My dd started in 6th grade. I can't remember if she started in 2 or 3, but she has done several books a year and is almost completed with book 8. DS started in book 1 in 4th grade. He is completing about 2 books a year. 

[MtnTeaching]

My "mild to moderate" dyslexic DD struggled with spelling. This forum has heard and offered advise to us over the years.  We used Sequential Spelling, Spelling Made Simple, Spelling Workout, Barton, Logic of English, Painless Spelling, Spelling Simplified, Megawords, and a host of other spelling programs.  For an entire year, every school day she worked on the same 25 sight words (would, could, should, etc.) along with 25 of her current spelling words.  At the end of the year, she still could not spell the sight words.  It was beyond frustrating and heartbreaking.  She would be so embarrassed if anyone asked her to spell anything.

Finally, this year, she had a breakthrough.  She is 19 years old.  Yes- it took that long for a breakthrough. She is taking a gap year and is actually working for our local public school district with their homeschool enrichment program.  She has had to write emails everyday to multiple other teachers, parents, and administration staff.  She worked hard with spell checker and closely re-reading to make sure she was spelling the words correctly.  She finally "gets it".  It took a long time and a lot of years, but she is able to do it now - when it really counts.  

Keep plugging along. It will eventually get through, or at least the processes that will help your DD to help herself, will get through.  Looking back, I do not think any single one of these programs was the magic spell fairy.  I think it was a combination of coming at it from different thoughts.  Rules have their place, visual and patterns (like Sequential Spelling) have their place, too.  In the end for us, it was her drive to do a good job that really pushed my DD to focus on her spelling.  She still struggles with spelling and probably always will, but she has the tools to help her and she knows how to use them.

[jer2911mom]

On 6/16/2018 at 7:11 AM, HeighHo said:

I used Avko's Individualized Keyboarding....sample here: http://www.avko.org/uploads/1/0/1/3/101309174/sample-400-individualized-keyboarding.pdf   It's plain jane, you could make your own  daily practice sheets up easily after the keyboard is learned if you wanted to put in patterned lists that they don't include. One thing that you do want to get in is States/Capitals and Elements..something about learning how to spell MIssissippi with multisensory techniques may make a lightbulb come on. Same for manganese vs magnesium. 

I just picked the first thing that looked logical and multisensory, and allowed the kid to take instruction from the material rather than me.  It ended up well, ds went on to take 7th grade Spanish and could remember to include the accents as well as spell correctly. 

Thank you!

[jer2911mom]

On 6/16/2018 at 3:37 PM, ElizabethB said:

There are actually rules about when ant/ent is more likely!  This book has that and other high level rules:

https://www.amazon.com/Spelling-Made-Simple-Publisher-Revised/dp/B004RZ1TGS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529180419&sr=1-3-fkmr0&keywords=spelling+made+simple+stephen+ross

My online spelling lessons also have some high level rules in them, 2 hours total:

https://thephonicspage.org/On Spelling/spellinglessonsl.html

If you "pronounce for spelling" in your head, that helps with this type of problem.  Try to get her in that habit of having two pronunciations for each word in her head, one for spelling and one for reading.  Or, if she is a rule based person, there are a lot of rules out there.  I could not for the life of my remember how to spell "truly" until I learned the rule that applies about why you drop the e from ue in this and similar cases, the rule only applies to a dozen words or less that I can think of but was helpful for me.

Also, I would give her the MWIA 3 and the nonsense word test from the end of my syllables page to rule out reading related problems:

https://thephonicspage.org/On Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

My students that have vision problems that can be fixed with vision therapy usually read a group of nonsense words at 36 point font, double spaced at least 10% slower than a group of nonsense words at 12 point font single spaced, other students read them at the same speed.  Try this both alone and after reading a book with small print for 20 to 30 minutes to see if the problem occurs with fatigue from reading.  The extra version of nonsense words, link #6 from the teacher folder section of my syllables page, is a good source of groups of nonsense words of similar difficulty, also found in the syllables link above.

 

Thank you!  I have added that book to my cart!

The "pronounce for spelling" technique seems to work better for her than applying the rules.  She can know and repeat the rules but not apply them.

I will give her your test, thanks.  I have been thinking about getting her eyes checked to see if there is any need for vision therapy.  It could be that is the issue.  Do you find that the vision problems affect their ability to spell?

Thanks again!
Kathy

ETA: I'm not seeing a sheet with the 36 pt double-spaced and 12 pt single-spaced fonts.  Do you have one, or do I need to copy the nonsense words and make one?  Thanks!

[jer2911mom]

On 6/16/2018 at 4:09 PM, ByGrace3 said:

My dd started in 6th grade. I can't remember if she started in 2 or 3, but she has done several books a year and is almost completed with book 8. DS started in book 1 in 4th grade. He is completing about 2 books a year. 

Thanks, Nicole!

[jer2911mom]

23 hours ago, MtnTeaching said:

My "mild to moderate" dyslexic DD struggled with spelling. This forum has heard and offered advise to us over the years.  We used Sequential Spelling, Spelling Made Simple, Spelling Workout, Barton, Logic of English, Painless Spelling, Spelling Simplified, Megawords, and a host of other spelling programs.  For an entire year, every school day she worked on the same 25 sight words (would, could, should, etc.) along with 25 of her current spelling words.  At the end of the year, she still could not spell the sight words.  It was beyond frustrating and heartbreaking.  She would be so embarrassed if anyone asked her to spell anything.

Finally, this year, she had a breakthrough.  She is 19 years old.  Yes- it took that long for a breakthrough. She is taking a gap year and is actually working for our local public school district with their homeschool enrichment program.  She has had to write emails everyday to multiple other teachers, parents, and administration staff.  She worked hard with spell checker and closely re-reading to make sure she was spelling the words correctly.  She finally "gets it".  It took a long time and a lot of years, but she is able to do it now - when it really counts.  

Keep plugging along. It will eventually get through, or at least the processes that will help your DD to help herself, will get through.  Looking back, I do not think any single one of these programs was the magic spell fairy.  I think it was a combination of coming at it from different thoughts.  Rules have their place, visual and patterns (like Sequential Spelling) have their place, too.  In the end for us, it was her drive to do a good job that really pushed my DD to focus on her spelling.  She still struggles with spelling and probably always will, but she has the tools to help her and she knows how to use them.

Thanks, Leslie!  I appreciate your encouragement! ?

[ElizabethB]

On June 17, 2018 at 9:56 PM, jer2911mom said:

Thank you!  I have added that book to my cart!

The "pronounce for spelling" technique seems to work better for her than applying the rules.  She can know and repeat the rules but not apply them.

I will give her your test, thanks.  I have been thinking about getting her eyes checked to see if there is any need for vision therapy.  It could be that is the issue.  Do you find that the vision problems affect their ability to spell?

Thanks again!
Kathy

ETA: I'm not seeing a sheet with the 36 pt double-spaced and 12 pt single-spaced fonts.  Do you have one, or do I need to copy the nonsense words and make one?  Thanks!

I don't have a sheet with different font sizes.  Vision problems can cause problems with both reading and spelling, if they are minor, they might just cause problems with spelling and not reading.

[jer2911mom]

1 hour ago, ElizabethB said:

I don't have a sheet with different font sizes.  Vision problems can cause problems with both reading and spelling, if they are minor, they might just cause problems with spelling and not reading.

Thank you!

[ElizabethB]

I was linking to a Spelling Plus PDF in another post and found it includes a few higher level spelling rules.

http://www.susancanthony.com/ws/_pdf/splhnd.pdf

[jer2911mom]

Thanks, Elizabeth!

[kbutton]

On 6/16/2018 at 8:11 AM, HeighHo said:

I used Avko's Individualized Keyboarding....sample here: http://www.avko.org/uploads/1/0/1/3/101309174/sample-400-individualized-keyboarding.pdf   It's plain jane, you could make your own  daily practice sheets up easily after the keyboard is learned if you wanted to put in patterned lists that they don't include. One thing that you do want to get in is States/Capitals and Elements..something about learning how to spell MIssissippi with multisensory techniques may make a lightbulb come on. Same for manganese vs magnesium. 

3

FYI, Avko and Sequential Spelling are from the same company or same author, IIRC. 

Once my kids get basic typing down, we've used Sequential Spelling and typed the lists vs. writing them. Sequential Spelling has instructions to make it multi-sensory, but my kids seem to do well enough with the patterns that we haven't taken the time to do all the steps. 

[jer2911mom]

Thank you both!

[8filltheheart]

PZ did not work for my dyslexics.  The only program that has helped improve their spelling is Apples and Pears. https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/en_US/product-category/apples-pears-en_us/

FWIW, my dyslexics actually have actually done spelling every day until high school graduation.  (They still aren't the greatest spellers but they have learned coping mechanisms so that they are able to function professionally.)

[jer2911mom]

3 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

PZ did not work for my dyslexics.  The only program that has helped improve their spelling is Apples and Pears. https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/en_US/product-category/apples-pears-en_us/

FWIW, my dyslexics actually have actually done spelling every day until high school graduation.  (They still aren't the greatest spellers but they have learned coping mechanisms so that they are able to function professionally.)

Thank you!  I have looked at that program in the past bc I've seen it recommended for dyslexics and have been confused about it.  Is it the same as this one? https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/017131  Or is the only place to order it off their website?  Does the U.S. version teach U.S. spellings, I presume?

Thanks,
Kathy

ETA: I've done a bit more research and realize those aren't the same programs, but I still have the other two questions. Also, in looking at the placement tests and the samples, I feel like my dd may be at the top end of this program.  I need to test her to know for sure, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it, or if I should stick with Megawords.

[8filltheheart]

42 minutes ago, jer2911mom said:

Thank you!  I have looked at that program in the past bc I've seen it recommended for dyslexics and have been confused about it.  Is it the same as this one? https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/017131  Or is the only place to order it off their website?  Does the U.S. version teach U.S. spellings, I presume?

Thanks,
Kathy

No.  That is not the same program.  The US version does not teach US spellings, but there are very few words in the program that are British spellings.  Harbour and colour are the only 2 I can really think off the top of my head.

[jer2911mom]

22 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

No.  That is not the same program.  The US version does not teach US spellings, but there are very few words in the program that are British spellings.  Harbour and colour are the only 2 I can really think off the top of my head.

Thanks, mileage was another one I saw ("milage"), as well as some more "-our" words ("labour", "favour", "favourite", "behaviour", "misbehaviour").  I also saw immobilize ("immobilise").  She loves to speak in a British accent, though, so maybe studying both spellings would in a weird way actually help her remember the English one better.  She is very creative, so I think this would use her mind in a way that she would enjoy.

Did you follow up Apples and Pears with something else through high school?  What grades did you use Apples and Pears for?

[8filltheheart]

I can't remember exactly when my worst dyslexic started A&P.   We finished A&P and moved back to How to Teach Spelling for the remainder of his education. 

[jer2911mom]

Thank you!