5th grade..spelling or vocabulary? (SWO, TGTB, Word Roots, R&S, Wordly Wise,IEW, etc)

[Janeway]

I used Spelling Workout through all the levels with my older kids. Now, since I am not already using Spelling Workout, I am trying to decide what to use with my 5th grader. She has been using TGTB and does not wish to use it anymore. I enrolled her in an IEW outsourced class for this fall. I am unsure what to pair with it for spelling and vocabulary. I could go the route I used to do and pick up a spelling program. I used to use Spelling Workout but I have heard good things about Rod and Staff or CLE. Or I could switch over to a vocabulary program.  I do not want to do something that is only spelling. I am fine with SWO because it morphs in to a vocabulary program. I forgot to add, I could pull just the vocabulary and spelling parts from TGTB, the level she left off at, and just use that too. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Janeway

[Ellie]

Spelling by Sound and Structure (Rod and Staff Publishers) is an excellent spelling course. You can get a free curriculum sample by calling the publisher at (606) 522-4348. 🙂

[mathmarm]

Since you already have TGTB, then you should start there and pull out the spelling/vocabulary exercises that you have at your disposal.

Personally, we liked and used Spelling by Sound and Structure. It's very affordable, offers explicit instruction and thoroughly teaches what's in its scope and sequence. After SbSS your children will not be ready to compete at the Scripps, but they'll be able to write most of the 10,000+ words in their active vocabulary and look up the rest in a print dictionary with ease. Also, SbSS is easy to streamline and accelerate. We like that SbSS is gentle and gradual, but accomplishes a lot by the end of the spelling program (SbSS 6). SbSS is a program that teaches children to spell the words in their world and in their active vocabulary. 

Of course no program is perfect so I will share some of the drawbacks of SbSS.

The Teacher's Manual for SbSS 2 and SbSS 3 contains 14 learning drills and ideas for learning/practicing the spelling words that are applicable for all the levels through 6. Unfortunately the TMs for SbSS 4 and up do not offer that same bit of guidance, but if you've already been teaching spelling you probably have many good ideas or exercises that work for your students. Additionally, you could simply search online for ways to practice spelling words.

SbSS 3 teaches alphabetization throughout the level--and unfortunately the alphebetization is basic all the way through. L25 of 34 teaches alphabetization to the 2nd letter. Even after alphabetization to the 2nd letter is taught, it's limited to words like bigger vs broken. The simplicity of the alphabetization track is a little redundant if your kids get alphabetization already or catch on quickly, so I recommend streamlining that tract.

SbSS4-6 has a "Bible Thoughts" activity, so each lesson has a part where kids are expected to use their bibles and the spelling list to complete words from bible verses, so the program assumes you're using a specific translation that aligns with their program.

The entire program has religious references scattered throughout. If it doesn't align with your faith, then its' a nuisance to filter it all out if you use the students workbooks.

Most of sentences provided in the Teachers Guides are all Old-Timey, Agricultural or religious, so that can be charming or annoying depending on the day of the week, lol. We tend to make up our own every couple of lessons. A few of the sentences contain erroneous facts, for example, one of the dictation/context sentences is that Tigers are big cats from Africa--we just fixed it on the fly.

 

Despite these short comings, we use the TMs and teach the program directly to our kids and we like it well enough.

[Ellie]

16 minutes ago, mathmarm said:

Since you already have TGTB, then you should start there and pull out the spelling/vocabulary exercises that you have at your disposal.

Personally, we liked and used Spelling by Sound and Structure. It's very affordable, offers explicit instruction and thoroughly teaches what's in its scope and sequence. After SbSS your children will not be ready to compete at the Scripps, but they'll be able to write most of the 10,000+ words in their active vocabulary and look up the rest in a print dictionary with ease. Also, SbSS is easy to streamline and accelerate. We like that SbSS is gentle and gradual, but accomplishes a lot by the end of the spelling program (SbSS 6). SbSS is a program that teaches children to spell the words in their world and in their active vocabulary. 

Of course no program is perfect so I will share some of the drawbacks of SbSS.

The Teacher's Manual for SbSS 2 and SbSS 3 contains 14 learning drills and ideas for learning/practicing the spelling words that are applicable for all the levels through 6. Unfortunately the TMs for SbSS 4 and up do not offer that same bit of guidance, but if you've already been teaching spelling you probably have many good ideas or exercises that work for your students. Additionally, you could simply search online for ways to practice spelling words.

SbSS 3 teaches alphabetization throughout the level--and unfortunately the alphebetization is basic all the way through. L25 of 34 teaches alphabetization to the 2nd letter. Even after alphabetization to the 2nd letter is taught, it's limited to words like bigger vs broken. The simplicity of the alphabetization track is a little redundant if your kids get alphabetization already or catch on quickly, so I recommend streamlining that tract.

SbSS4-6 has a "Bible Thoughts" activity, so each lesson has a part where kids are expected to use their bibles and the spelling list to complete words from bible verses, so the program assumes you're using a specific translation that aligns with their program.

The entire program has religious references scattered throughout. If it doesn't align with your faith, then its' a nuisance to filter it all out if you use the students workbooks.

Most of sentences provided in the Teachers Guides are all Old-Timey, Agricultural or religious, so that can be charming or annoying depending on the day of the week, lol. We tend to make up our own every couple of lessons. A few of the sentences contain erroneous facts, for example, one of the dictation/context sentences is that Tigers are big cats from Africa--we just fixed it on the fly.

 

Despite these short comings, we use the TMs and teach the program directly to our kids and we like it well enough.

What a great review!

The first two books are reviewing phonics as well as teaching some spelling skills. There's a big difference between the 3rd and 4th books (and beyond). As a Spalding geek, some of the things that are taught make me cringe (one of the lessons which teaches the days of the week--surely, that must be the 4th book--point out that people often say "Mondee" instead of "Monday." There are a couple of others, which I cannot remember now because it's been a long time since I've used the books, but compared to the spelling series of other major publishers, IMHO this is the best (MCP's Spelling Workout is a close second). The 6th grade text and above are hard-copy, requiring the children to write on actual paper. You might be surprised to know how much that ups the learning curve!

[Servant4Christ]

We are using R&S grade 5 right now. CLE doesn't have a spelling program unless it's something new in the last couple of years. They embed spelling into their LA curriculum and it just wasn't enough, IME.. We switched from CLE to R&S a couple years ago and haven't looked back.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[Servant4Christ]

10 hours ago, Ellie said:

Spelling by Sound and Structure (Rod and Staff Publishers) is an excellent spelling course. You can get a free curriculum sample by calling the publisher at (606) 522-4348. 🙂

You can also preview samples at milestonebooks.com. I look at their samples but usually buy direct from R&S during the annual spring textbook sale. 

[Ellie]

3 hours ago, Servant4Christ said:

You can also preview samples at milestonebooks.com. I look at their samples but usually buy direct from R&S during the annual spring textbook sale. 

Yes, but you can request the samples from the publisher and hold them in your hand and slip back and forth and make notes and everything. And the samples include everything for that grade not just one subject, so you can also get an idea of how a whole grade looks. 🙂

[Servant4Christ]

7 hours ago, Ellie said:

Yes, but you can request the samples from the publisher and hold them in your hand and slip back and forth and make notes and everything. And the samples include everything for that grade not just one subject, so you can also get an idea of how a whole grade looks. 🙂

Very true. I hadn't thought about that. The sample books were very helpful for me when I was looking at multiple subjects. I now have all the TMs and nonconsumable texts for all grades covered in the sample books in every subject except reading and history! 🤣 

[SilverMoon]

Another option is Megawords. 🙂 It's aimed at 4th grade+. There are regular sections on the definitions for vocab work. 

My older kids were successful with the R&S series but it simply didn't work for my youngest. 🤷‍♀️ Megawords is huge on syllabication right from the start and explicitly teaches spelling rules. It's workbooks all the way. You do need the TM for calling out words or parts of words occasionally, no more than a time or two a week generally. The workbook drives the course though. 

 

[2_girls_mommy]

Good reviews of R&S. We used it all the way through. I just wanted to add that at some point after 5th, I think in 6th, but I'm not at home looking at it right now, it switched to more of a vocab program anyway. The language roots exercises and language history is very good. I kept my natural speller in it even though she never needed spelling practice because there was so much good I didn't want her to miss out on.