DD is more interested in spelling than reading

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

Like the title says, dd is more interested in spelling than reading. She can read CVC words as well as CVCC and other similar level words in isolation but she has little interest in it unless I make it into a game. She would much rather spell words instead. She can segment any word into its separate sounds and uses that information to spell the words, sometimes writing them (mish mash of upper and lower case manuscript that she has taught herself) and sometimes using a movable alphabet. Since she doesn't know any phonetic rules yet many of the words are spelled wrong. I decided it was time to start a spelling program and bought AAS level 1. Much of it will be review for her but we are both excited about starting it this week. I am also teaching her cursive using sandpaper letters, a sand box, and tracing pages that I found online. We have just started that last week and it is going well. Should I be doing anything else with her? Can I just teach her spelling for now and let her reading flow from that as she is ready? Or should I be doing something else to reinforce it?

TIA

[G5052]

IMHO the whole goal of homeschooling a 4 y.o. is to give them an interest in learning and keep them learning. If she likes spelling, then let her focus on that awhile, maybe trying to add some more phonics here and there. If you push before she's ready, neither of you will be happy, and she may decide at some point that she's more interested in learning to read more words versus spelling them.

 

Keep in mind that learning to read can be a stair-step process. Some children "stall" at a concept for awhile before they're developmentally ready to move on. My older one did this a lot, and finishing phonics was a 3 1/2 year project, but he's in 6th grade now and spells better than I do and reads at an adult level! He's a poster child for the concept that early reading does not necessarily predict future failure or success either. We just paced it and got the job done.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

She would much rather spell words instead. She can segment any word into its separate sounds and uses that information to spell the words.

 

My almost 6 year old son was the exact same at 4 years of age. He had the ability to sound out words to read but he didn't want to. He wanted to sound out words to spell. He constantly tried to spell words and asked me how to spell certain words. I went with it, as I also believe that interest driven learning is the most powerful kind. Trying to stop my son from "reverse reading" (which is basically what I felt like he was doing) and push him toward reading lessons would have been counterproductive, I think.

 

Since she doesn't know any phonetic rules yet many of the words are spelled wrong. I decided it was time to start a spelling program and bought AAS level 1.

 

Can I just teach her spelling for now and let her reading flow from that as she is ready? Or should I be doing something else to reinforce it?

 

I am not familiar with any spelling programs because we're not using one yet but I don't think it will hurt if she's interested. All I did with my son was to help him when he needed it. I'm a Charlotte Mason homeschooler so it was important to me that he not see words spelled improperly. To that end, I encouraged him to ask for help if he needed it and very gently told him if a word needed correction. I also gently, now and again, reminded him that the practice of reading would help with spelling and vice versa. There was never any struggle or pressure to it. Eventually (a few months after the urge to start spelling began?), he hit the books pretty hard and started working on his reading--all on his own without any pressure from me. We have some BOB books and other early readers and he went through them rapidly. He'll be 6 in February and is reading at a 3rd grade level. He's blowing my mind. So, really, I personally don't think you run any risk by starting with what your daughter is interested in. Encouragement of the acquisition of language is still there.

 

Best of luck!

 

Kristina

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

[quote name=Alte Veste Academy;650601

I'm a Charlotte Mason homeschooler so it was important to me that he not see words spelled improperly. To that end' date=' I encouraged him to ask for help if he needed it and very gently told him if a word needed correction.

 

 

I have been a little worried about this but I'm not sure what to do about it. DD *thinks* she knows how to spell these words. She wouldn't ask for help because she believes that she is spelling the words correctly. I guess I also am scared to correct her because she enjoys doing it so much and I'm afraid that telling her that she is wrong will make her lose interest. I suppose that is the problem. I'm still not sure how to go about it in a way that won't be offensive to her.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

I have been a little worried about this but I'm not sure what to do about it. DD *thinks* she knows how to spell these words. She wouldn't ask for help because she believes that she is spelling the words correctly. I guess I also am scared to correct her because she enjoys doing it so much and I'm afraid that telling her that she is wrong will make her lose interest. I suppose that is the problem. I'm still not sure how to go about it in a way that won't be offensive to her.

 

You know your daughter better than anyone. If she would be very sensitive to correction, causing her to stop altogether, I would leave it alone. However, when I say I offer very gentle correction, I do mean very gentle correction. When my son attempts to spell words phonetically, they are naturally sometimes spelled incorrectly. I tell him that his spelling of the word makes sense given some of the rules he is picking up. I also tell him that he did a great job representing the sounds in the word, but that sometimes words can be tricky and that the trick with this particular word is [fill in the blank]. Then I encourage him to write the correct spelling of the word, having him sound it out and helping with any "tricks." I also show him a word that follows the rule he has just tried to use on the misspelled word to show him that his way was a really good try. I am very cheerful through all this and if he just wants to walk away and not write the words, that's fine--although it has never actually happened.

 

One of his favorite things is when I pull out my copy of Margaret Bishop's book The ABC's and All Their Tricks: The Complete Reference Book of Phonics and Spelling. I say, with a mischievous gleam in my eye and maybe a funny accent, "I have to look up this trick. This one is a very tricky trick!" Of course, I want to walk the fine line between hurting his feelings about the misspelling and making learning to spell and read seem like an overwhelmingly challenging task. (Darn tricky words! Am I the only one who when teaching my first child to read lamented how ANY of us learn to read at all given the complexity of our spelling?)

 

This works for my son who can be somewhat sensitive. However, one aspect of his personality that helps is that the boy loves puzzles. Absolutely loves them. We've talked about how spelling can be fun like a puzzle, where you think one piece (letter combination) is going to work but it's not quite right and you have to look for another. Again, I reminded him that working on his reading would enhance his ability to spell. In fact, he has since noticed that he spells more things correctly now that he is reading on his own so much every day.

 

All that said, if you feel that correcting your daughter, however gently, would cause her to stop attempting to spell, then don't. I also think that your idea of starting with a spelling program could be quite fruitful. Since your daughter is young, the only advice I have is to let her choose to carry on or not at her own pace. If she's interested, go with it. If she's not, let her play. She will be interested again when she is ready and the spelling program will still be there.

 

I must add that my son loves to draw pictures and then write stories about the picture. He brings one to me almost every day. Sometimes I can read them and sometimes I can't. The stories never have completely perfect spelling but I don't say a word because he wasn't working on spelling. He was being creative and having fun and I want to encourage that 100%. I would never turn those stories into a spelling lesson, especially at this age. It's a different thing to me when he sits down with paper and pencil at the table and specifically wants to spell words. Then I talk to him about spelling because that is the product he's working on.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Kristina

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

Thanks Kristina, that helps a lot! I like the idea of teaching her the "tricks" of spelling words. I think dd will respond well to that. I think I'll also have to keep separate her spelling time and playing time. She is not writing stories yet but she often writes names to go along with the people she draws and writes grocery lists (this morning it was brokle and soop).

 

GVA- I have seen the stair-step process of learning with dd as well. She just took a leap recently with handwriting and drawing. I think I'm just going to have to wait for her to be ready for the next step in reading and for now keep any practice light and fun.