Now I'm thoroughly confused...

[jenL]

I'm reading Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Willis & Hobbs, and I'm LOVING it. However, now that I better know my son, it appears I've made some possible curriculum mistakes for next year (grade 1). My biggest fear is for SPELLING... I know this is such an important skill, so I want to get it right.

 

Based upon his personality, he's a thinker and a kinesthetic learner all at the same time. Short lessons are highly encouraged for someone like him. I bought SWO for next year, but I've recently learned he doesn't like workbooks (his own words). The learning style book has mentioned Sequential Spelling, but for some reason & after much research, my gut is not feeling comfortable with that.

 

I guess I'd like to know what the hive would do. Do any of you have wiggly boys that are doing SWO? Do they enjoy it? Most importantly, is it working? I'm so fearful of doing him a disservice in spelling and reading... making sure he has a strong foundation will affect every future lesson/subject matter.

 

Thanks in advance for any help/insight!

[PeterPan]

Most small kids are kinesthetic learners to some degree at this age. And many kids (boys AND girls) are pencil-phobic and don't like workbooks. If you like SWO and want to use it, just modify how you use it and be sensible. Short lessons are fine and are what everybody does. Set the timer for 7 minutes, race, and see if he can get the page done. If he gets it done, he gets an edible treat. No done, no treat. Move on when the timer is done.

 

You're going to face a lot of things where you have to just decide and do it. Really though, you can't mess up spelling with a 1st grader. If it flops, then in a few months you try something else. If he hits 7th grade and you're still switching, looking for the perfect thing, you're in trouble. But I'll bet you find something that works for him before then. :)

[Jen+4dc]

and it's going fine. We only do 1 page a day. We won't get through it as fast, but he's getting it and it's fairly painless. After we got through the 1st few lessons which were just copying out the letters of the alphabet (ugh) I feel like it's a pretty thorough program. I also use it for my ds9 in 4th grade and he loves it (but he's a "give me structure and predictability and rules to follow" kind of guy).

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I'm reading Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Willis & Hobbs, and I'm LOVING it.

 

I don't have advice, but I did want to say that I love, love, love that book! :D

[Spy Car]

:lurk5:

[In the Rain]

I haven't seen SWO, but my wiggly first grade dd is excelling with AAS.

[Alana in Canada]

he's a thinker and a kinesthetic learner all at the same time.

 

My son was exactly like this, too. (Still is, really!)

 

We had other issues which completely drove my choice of curriculum. He had been at public school for K and Grade One, he'd been in French Immersion, he had a really low tolerance for mistakes and "not knowing" how to spell something sent him ballistic and he was quite down on himself. He couldn't read, either. So, when Alphaphonics failed and SWO confused him, I researched my options and settled on SWR.

 

AAS was not available then and may have done the trick just as well. I don't know. SWR worked exceptionally well. I was really happy with it. But you may not need it.

 

Try SWO. Do what you can to try and make it work for you. It may be fine. But if it isn't, there are lots of programs out there!