ilovemy4kids Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I started SWR with my 10 year old last year but we didn't get far. My fault. Just sooooo busy! I REALLY need to do spelling/phonics with her. She will be 11 in March. She is doing great with Sonlight Core 3 + 4 but some of the readers are a bit difficult for her. She still needs a bit more reading instruction. SWR is a great program, just a bit complicated for me. I am willing to pull it back out and make sure I do it, just wondering if AAS would be a better fit/ easier to use. I use sequential spelling for my son 12. He is a natural reader and speller so it is working fine for him. Dd 10 wouldn't fare so well, I fear. Any opinions? Blessings Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 AAS is easier to use. She could also watch my online lessons, that's really easy! The phonics lessons also have all the spelling rules in them, and are for those reading below grade level. The spelling lessons have all the rules in them and also teach all the phonics in the reading lessons, but move at a very fast pace. She could try watching the first lesson of each and see which lessons are the best pace for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've been using SWR with my 10yo dd for a few months now, and it's really good. I would recommend pulling it out again, but don't get really bogged down in doing the program "perfectly" from the start, just do the placement test and start working through the lists, adding the enrichments and the other things as you get more comfortable. My daughter tested into list M, so after 2 months or so of figuring out how to do the program and starting my own learning log, and trying to do everything perfectly, I just finally started working through the lists. We are on list M-3 this week. This is how I do SWR with her: Monday - Introduce/"teach" the first 10 words. When I say "teach" that means that this is not a quiz or a test. We talk about the phonograms used, and the syllables, we clap it out, and finger spell it, then after I'm sure she knows how to spell the word, without just spelling it out for her letter by letter, but I'm sure she has the knowledge to spell the word thinking it out herself, then she writes it in her log book. Then we mark the word, then move onto the next word. This takes about 20-30 mins. for 10 words. (It took a week or 2 to get the groove of 20-30 mins, at first it took about 45 mins.) Tuesday - the same procedure as above with words 11-20. Wednesday - Quiz words 1-10. For each word missed I dictate a sentence, and she writes these in a separate "practice" book. Thursday - Same procedure as Wed. with words 11-20. Friday - Test all 20 words. I mark in my book what words she missed, and I underline the trouble letter/phonogram. Then we work on them again during the next week. Something else we do is we say the words "funny" to pronounce all the sounds in the word. I often say words "funny" in regular life too to emphasize the spelling of them. I do not recommend Sequential Spelling for anyone but a natural speller. We've tried everything, and nothing has helped thus far except SWR. I can hear my daughter now sounding out words and figuring out spelling on her own! It's really remarkable. I also recommend getting further help from the yahoo group website. They are really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Any program based on Orton-Gillingham is going to be easier for teacher and student, though maybe not as thorough. (Covering word roots, writing, etc, etc) I think you should try Elizabeth's lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Do a search with AAS WRTR and another with AAS SWR and you will get a ton of info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemy4kids Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 an option is SWR just doesn't work out. I am really hoping that it will. Hubby gets laid off tomorrow and I just don't have the money to spend right now. Blessings Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I thought of another option: The Phonics Road. It is based on SWR from what I understand. Here is a review: We use the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading. It is wonderful. I can't say enough about it. My son went from reading on a 2nd grade level to a 4th grade level in one school year. I have my kids watch the video everyday and write their words along with the teacher. It takes about 10-15 minutes a day and on Fridays we take a test. Many moms do not have their kids watch the video, they teach the lesson everyday, but it a program where you repeat the lesson all week and the kids learn all the rules just be repeating it over and over throughout the week. My kids do not "love" it, but they know it's quick and easy and thier done. More importantly for me, they are truly learning. The other benefit to me is that I can work with the one child while the other one is doing their lesson and then swap out and work with the other one. I don't have to "do" anything. They pop in the DVD and go. It's like Math-U-See in a way. It is so detailed. I and every mom that I know that uses this program have learned things!! It's awesome! For example, we learned that "a" has 3 sounds, not 2. We learned how to properly mark all of our words and also how to tell the origin of a word. For example if "ch" says "sh" it has a french origin, and many other rules like this. (This would be helpful to know if your child ever competed in a spelling bee since competitors are allowed to ask the origin of a word.) She teaches all of the rules with different songs. One song we like in particular starts out with, "English has 5 reasons for a silent final e, a silent final e, a silent final e..." The one thing that I do have to do on my own is dictation. She doesn't do that on the video, she just tell you, the mom, to do it every day with your child. She also has a book study lfor evels 2 and up. Those are not taught on the video, but are basically your child reading the assigned pages and doing the worksheets on their own. I could go on and on, as you can easily see!! :) :) HTH, Stephanie The PHONICS Road to Spelling and Reading is a complete K-4 curriculum offering the parent a comprehensive video teacher training text with an emphasis on accurate speaking, spelling, writing, reading, grammar, composition, and preparation for The LATIN Road to English Grammar. http://www.thephonicsroad.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 an option is SWR just doesn't work out. I am really hoping that it will. Hubby gets laid off tomorrow and I just don't have the money to spend right now.Blessings Sandra Sandra, Well in that case do keep SWR. Here is what I do with my oldest two in SWR: 1st: Memorize the phonograms: They would on Monday listen to the CD while writing out the phonograms and saying their sounds. Tuesday I went through the whole stack with them and set aside any they knew. Those they didn't know I reviewed again on Wednesday and Thursday. Actually they got sick of doing the computer thing, so I made a deal with them that if they got the whole stack right three weeks in a row they wouldn't have to do the computer. Neither are anymore. :D My 9yo in fact got them right the last 4 weeks in a row and now only covers them monthly. My 10yo is making silly mistakes from not focusing and I am sure will do the same soon. 2nd: work on memorizing spelling rules. I have them cover 3 daily till the first has been memorized for a week, then I retire that one and add a new. 3rd: Spelling my 10 & 9yo simply cover 10 words a day cold. If they mis-spell any then we mark them up and discuss the rules and any thing to spell situations. From there I make up a 3x5 card of the word. They have the spell it right 3 days in a row. After that they have to spell it right a week later, then a month later before I will consider it mastered. If they get it wrong at any point I go back to marking it up and getting it right three days in a row. That also creates a bank of 3x5 card of "problem words" I can have them read, practice spelling and such when ever I feel the need. It isn't the ideal way to do SWR, but it is working for us. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hubby gets laid off tomorrow and I just don't have the money to spend right now. UGH! That stinks!:grouphug: If you want to check out something else, Elizabeth's lessons are free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Sorry about your DH's layoff. I just wanted to add my plug for AAS. My ds is almost 10, and has really struggled with spelling even though he is a terrific reader. I bought SWR a few years ago, but couldn't stick with it. We've bounced around with a few other programs that didn't seem to help his spelling at all. We switched to AAS this past fall and it has made a huge difference. My ds is doing much better with spelling, and he feels so much more confident. I can't say that he loves spelling or excels at it, but he is making progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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