Where do I go from here?

[blessed2fosteradopt]

Hi all:

 

I am here to ask, yet again, for some advice. I am still homeschooling my son (this is our first year, 5th grade) although I have to admit I am struggling and definitely second guessing my decision even though I feel it is in my son's best interest to continue on and there really aren't many other options. I am sure a lot has to do with my state of mind and surroundings (lazy husband, (2) 2-year olds that are constantly arguing and one that is extremely high spirited, a house that is in a constant state of disarray, etc., etc.) As a result of all of this, I am becoming extremely short and this is not how I want to be. I am trying to pray through it but my Christian witness is severly lacking these days and as I am the spiritual torchbearer in my home, I need to get it together.

 

The area of most concern currently is my son's inability to write much of anything at all and his spelling. We just finished Writing with Ease Level 1 and I am not quite sure where to go from here (he did OK with it, not great). I have been trying to get him to write summaries on short subjects (we are working on a summary of the Earth today) and this is what he has managed to crank out in the course of 45 minutes:

 

God put us in a perfect distance from the sun. Were not to hot or cold. God also gave us good mass, too. It keeps us from floting in the air. Are rotation is good, too. It It was faster there would be more storms. Also, are atmosphere keep objects (like space rocks) out of earth. Earth has one moon.

 

For spelling, we are using Sequential Spelling and I am not sure it is effective or working for us. I don't see an improvement at all and I find it very boring although he doesn't seem to care either way. He is not enthusiastic about much when it comes to learning unless it encompasses Star Wars, video games or the sort. :sad:

 

So, what do you suggest we do or go from here? I do have IEW WWSS and IEW-B. What would you do for writing and/or spelling if you were encountering the above?

 

I am looking forward to your replies. This board is always so supportive and I am greatly appreciated.

 

Frazzled in Florida,

 

Lisa

[MIch elle]

for 5th grade in my experience. Consistent work on writing and spelling will improve his skills. I think you're being too hard on yourself and your dc. These are skills to be worked on over the middle school years and you'll see dramatic improvement over YEARS not one school year (at this age anyway).

 

Breathe and be patient!

[SonshineLearner]

Some kind of co-op for next year is what I'd think. OF course, you have to think if that'd be more or less stress for you. We do Classical Conversations, which uses IEW for it's writing portion. It's a breath of fresh year having another tutor for my children and having other Christian families to surround yourself with. There are many other co-ops and you just find which one aligns with your goals. For us, I just love the fellowship with others who are serious about schooling.

Carrie:-)

[hornblower]

How are his narration skills?

IME, with my kids, it was not helpful to have them try to write on their own before they were really ready & I'd assess your ds as not ready. Instead, I'd have him narrate to you the 2-3 sentences, you write them down in proper English with proper spelling & punctuation, and have him copy them out.

 

I'd focus on narration & copywork for now, as well as reviewing basic spelling rules & the sight/memory words for which spelling rules don't really work.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

That paragraph is normal, and quite good. He included many details that show he understands the subject, and is interested in it. The spelling/grammar errors aren't a sign of failure, but simply words to add to the spelling list next week, or to mention and hit a bit harder when it comes up in a grammar lesson. I would praise his attempt, and point out the good things about the paragraph. It is quite good. I'd be very happy if my fifth grade ds produced this paragraph.

 

As for the time it took him, you might break the task into two parts: the composing, and then the writing. Have him dictate his composition to you, or to a recorder. Then, dictate it back to him as he writes it down (or let him listen to the recorder and write). Breaking the thought process apart from the physical writing process may help him tremendously.

[Tree House Academy]

Does he read much?

 

I ask because this sounds like something my 4th grader would have written before he started reading like books were going to be destroyed tomorrow. With reading, IMO, comes a better comprehension of writing and spelling.

 

For spelling, we use a combo. My son stays "on level" with the Calvert Spelling program. We do the CD AND the book (which I buy seperately and used). Then, we picked up spelling power and started at level A. By doing this, we went back and picked up all the words that he just wasn't getting on his 4th grade level. He was good at memorizing stuff and regurgitating it for a test, but lacked the skills to actually use the words correctly or spell them correctly in his writing. We are working through Writing Tales II as well as doing summaries for Science, and working through LLATL Orange. I have a BA in English, so it is VERY important to me that he starts to "get" English...and slowly but surely, he is!

 

I guess my advice may be to drop back and punt...i.e. go back to something more basic and get a good foundation before moving on to something more challenging. And if he is not a reader, get him reading.

[blessed2fosteradopt]

Thank you so far for the replies. A lot of the problem is probably an over anxious mother that is not confident in her teaching skills. I have learned from this board not to compare him to others and am trying to just relax a bit. We will continue to work on the narration/copywork/dictation and also light writing assignments. I would love a co-op but have not found one yet. Also, any suggestions for a spelling program that teaches the spelling rules or should I just stick with Sequential Spelling for now?

 

Please keep the suggestions coming and thank you!

[blessed2fosteradopt]

Does he read much?

 

I ask because this sounds like something my 4th grader would have written before he started reading like books were going to be destroyed tomorrow. With reading, IMO, comes a better comprehension of writing and spelling.

 

For spelling, we use a combo. My son stays "on level" with the Calvert Spelling program. We do the CD AND the book (which I buy seperately and used). Then, we picked up spelling power and started at level A. By doing this, we went back and picked up all the words that he just wasn't getting on his 4th grade level. He was good at memorizing stuff and regurgitating it for a test, but lacked the skills to actually use the words correctly or spell them correctly in his writing. We are working through Writing Tales II as well as doing summaries for Science, and working through LLATL Orange. I have a BA in English, so it is VERY important to me that he starts to "get" English...and slowly but surely, he is!

 

I guess my advice may be to drop back and punt...i.e. go back to something more basic and get a good foundation before moving on to something more challenging. And if he is not a reader, get him reading.

 

This is my son. He has been in private school since PreK and has always gotten A's in spelling. He is good at memorizing lists but a week later, it is out the window. He is doing fairly well in English (we are using Rod & Staff 5). He does NOT enjoy reading much to my dismay. It is hard for me to fathom since it is one of my favorite things to do. He doesn't mind being read to but to read silently or aloud is a big chore for him. Should I assign him a certain amount of time/pages a day to read? Thoughts?

[H.S. Burrow]

This is my son. He has been in private school since PreK and has always gotten A's in spelling. He is good at memorizing lists but a week later, it is out the window. He is doing fairly well in English (we are using Rod & Staff 5). He does NOT enjoy reading much to my dismay. It is hard for me to fathom since it is one of my favorite things to do. He doesn't mind being read to but to read silently or aloud is a big chore for him. Should I assign him a certain amount of time/pages a day to read? Thoughts?

 

 

This is my DS with the spelling. I own all of the Spelling Workout series but it does no good. DS can ace the spelling test and misspell all those words the next week.

 

What I have found to work best for his spelling is to circle any misspelled words on compositions, History, and Science papers and have him correct those. That is what really made a difference. Especially with words like 'are' and 'our' and 'their', 'they're' and 'there'.

 

We are also using R&S 5 and he's doing very well in it. If he's a reluctant reader, then I would probably have assigned reading and read alouds.

 

As for his summary, I thought it was pretty good. As others have said, the idea is to slowly build upon each summary.

 

I think you're doing fine mom!

[MIch elle]

Also, any suggestions for a spelling program that teaches the spelling rules or should I just stick with Sequential Spelling for now?

 

Please keep the suggestions coming and thank you!

 

 

I learned with my oldest that the spelling program doesn't matter. We used many different spelling programs over the years with him. He would ace the tests and then spell those same words wrong the next day in his writing! I've learned this is common. He was a bad speller until he matured (gr. 7-9 saw marked improvement).

 

My 11yob is using IEW Phonetic Zoo spelling because we owned it and it's easy to use.

 

Use what you have!

[rwalizer]

One more thing. I used to think my ds hated learning. Then I found that he loves to learn, just not history, math, literature, grammar, and so on. He has taught himself tons of stuff about cars, car engines-pretty much anything pertaining to cars. Now I try to provide him with a lot of opportunities to read books and magazines about cars and he devours them. These are professionally written and edited materials and so they can only help him develop good writing skills and vocabulary. I don't think it should replace good literatue, though. My ds reads these materials on his own time. I only recently had this realization when I noticed him sitting at the kitchen table reading a library book about Grand Prix racing. He was reading and I didn't even tell him to! I would provide your ds with plenty of material to read,even if it is about Star Wars and it can only contribute to help his writing skills. And be patient while struggling to get him to read the books he isn't particularly interested in.

[LaxMom]

I would provide your ds with plenty of material to read,even if it is about Star Wars and it can only contribute to help his writing skills. And be patient while struggling to get him to read the books he isn't particularly interested in.

:iagree: Even books that seem like insipid drivel to you will make him more comfortable with the natural cadence of written language.

 

Another thing you may want to try - because composing and writing simultaneously can be difficult at first and he is only just entering the age of self expression - is having him answer review questions, restating the question as part of the answer. Then you can expand that to include the answer and another statement giving further details about the first, then arranging them into paragraph form, and so on. Baby steps.

 

We like Spelling Power. We have friends who like Sequential Spelling. Both seem to require a more systematic approach to actually learning the correct spelling of words than merely memorizing a list. Both allow the student to progress at their own pace, rather than being "done" with the lesson without knowing the words or being bored to tears because they already know them by the end of the first lesson.

 

Also, it is not uncommon for kids who can spell in the context of a spelling test to not translate that ability to writing their own thoughts. Again, it's the simultaneous composition and writing thing that seems to hose up the works.

 

And, if it makes you feel better, I've seen that level of writing in a college English class. :glare: