Spelling between Explode the Code and Megawords?

[alisha]

My 9 year old is a poor speller. We have used AAS in the past, and frankly, he's learned more in a year of word ladders (where you take a word and write it and change 1-2 letters to make it into another word up the "ladder") than he ever did with AAS. But, I'd like to give him more practice, though he isn't ready for Megawords-which is what his 7th grade brother is using quite successfully. I was looking today and saw Explode the Code, and thought that might work for him, but it's for younger kids and more for reading and vocab than spelling, so, I'm wondering if anyone knows of anything for older elementary that has a similar style to Explode the Code or Megawords? He is a great reader, and has no need for vocabulary or comprehension practice, just spelling (and writing). Thanks!

[Ellie]

5 hours ago, alisha said:

My 9 year old is a poor speller. We have used AAS in the past, and frankly, he's learned more in a year of word ladders (where you take a word and write it and change 1-2 letters to make it into another word up the "ladder") than he ever did with AAS. But, I'd like to give him more practice, though he isn't ready for Megawords-which is what his 7th grade brother is using quite successfully. I was looking today and saw Explode the Code, and thought that might work for him, but it's for younger kids and more for reading and vocab than spelling, so, I'm wondering if anyone knows of anything for older elementary that has a similar style to Explode the Code or Megawords? He is a great reader, and has no need for vocabulary or comprehension practice, just spelling (and writing). Thanks!

Explode the Code is not spelling; it is phonics. I can't think of anything similar to it, because spelling would teach differently than phonics.

My go-to recommendation is Spalding. You only need the manual (Writing Road to Reading) and a set of phonogram cards and you have everything you'll ever need to teach spelling (it simultaneously teaches penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing--no need for extra books or anything, no extra time spent on those).