Spelling which curriculum?

[alexfam]

I am looking at using Spelling Workout but would like to hear what others are using for Spelling. The pros and cons.

thank you
Kathy - tx

[Closeacademy]

I like Spell to Write and Read.

It is logical. There are 70 letter combinations that make a set number of sounds and there are 29 spelling rules.

It is K-13. I used it to teach reading and will be able to use it to teach spelling to a college reading level.


The drawback--you have to learn the program to teach it. But once you know it it is so easy to adapt to the needs of your children and it works. :)

[nitascool]

We are using Sequential Spelling (http://www.avko.org/sequentialspellingsample.html) with my 7yo. after going through 4 spelling programs that were "too" easy last year. It's not like the typical program that requires you to drill words that the child already knows for a whole week. It does not have exercises... there isn't a bunch of busy work. It uses all 4 learning styles and is great for both the child who has spelling issues and the natural speller who misses something now and again. It teaches spelling by using spelling pattern (word families). It takes us 10 minutes a day but we do two lists each day. If your dc has writing (penmanship) issues or isn't reading at a 3rd grade level yet then it would be too difficult. The first 8 days are on their web site if you want to see if the program would be right for your child.

[Sue in TX]

We are really enjoying Spelling Power. My dd6 can breeze through the words that she already knows and she doesn't mind the 10 step review for the ones she needs to study. It is quick, simple, and effective. She is definitely NOT a workbook kid. She also really likes to record her own spelling words (it comes with the computer -CD to record your tests & drills) and make up sentences for the spelling drill.

Susan
Mom to dd6 dd4 and ds2

[Donna]

I use Spelling Power with all three of my dc. They don't have to study words they already know and I only had to purchase one curriculum for all their years of spelling. Also, it works. They all spell well for their ages.

[earthmother]

great program, no wasted time.

[galimom]

I have purchased SWR and found it very overwhelming at first (i just posted this on another thread) however i have read that it is a really great program.
hope this helps b/c when i bought it 2 years ago and still haven't found the time or energy to figure it out. i think spelling workout appears to be more user friendly. where i worked before we used spelling power and that was ok, and easy.

[Kalah]

We picked up spelling last year for Huck's 1st grade. I jumped in at B and found that it challenged him but gave him a lot of confidence in one of his weaker subjects. He likes the stories and likes the word games.
The only con I see is that the word lists starting half way through C (third grade) are in formal cursive. Huck can read MY cursive but found this confusing so I just wrote the list out on an index card for him. Otherwise I like the format.
Huck IS a workbook kid. So we have no problem with workbook heavy programs.
HTH

[dangermom]

I also like Spelling Workout. My kid likes workbooks, and the "puzzles" make it a little more fun for her. She's one of those 'natural spellers' so I just have her do the lesson on Monday, and then a test on Friday. It's very low-effort, which lets me put my work in somewhere it's more needed, and we still have a real spelling program. I think we're on C now; since she's been doing Italic cursive, it was a little hard for her to read the cursive at first, but I figured that's a skill she would need anyway, and she got it pretty quick.

[SS in MD]

My just turned 11 yo is using SWO. She is finishing up book H and like others have mentioned she is a workbook kid. If she gets 100% on the pre-test. I have her skip to the bonus words page and learn those and do the final test. We've trilled Spelling Power, but it seems didn't work for her and she wanted activities. So, we switched.
HTHS

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My dd liked SWO (we did A and half of B). She enjoyed the puzzles and games, but she didn't learn to spell anything. It became a time waster.

We stopped spelling for awhile, and she just started to spell well, naturally.

Meanwhile, my ds (who is 2 years behind dd) came along and hated SWO-A. It was just busywork to him (he's not a workbook-y person).

I got Natural Speller for both of them. Like some of the others, it's not a workbook. It's a list of words grouped by like spelling patterns. There are lists for each grade. You simply go through the list, pre-testing, and make a list of missed words. They have exercises (ideas) to help learn the spelling of those words. They also have ideas for enrichment exercises you can do (adding prefixes, suffixes, alphabetizing, dictionary usage, etc) to get your dc more familiar with the words. Then, you retest.

Both of my kids are doing well with Natural Speller. Maybe they're just both natural spellers. It may not work for a child who has difficulty with spelling. But, it's a good fit for us.

[Basketmaker Amy]

We've just started using Simply Spelling. It combines spelling within the context of dictation and copywork. We've only been using it a couple of weeks, but so far, so good. We had used Spelling Workout and he would memorize the words each week, but I couldn't see the carry-over into his writing. The Simply Spelling approach makes them look at the words in context.

[angela in ohio]

We tried everything else and ended up coming back to good old Spelling Workout.

[KarenNC]

Spelling Power here for my 7.5 yo (started after we finished Explode The Code 8 in December). She likes the workbook format, but we have enough of those in other subjects, so not using a workbook for spelling helps. As others have said, the child only works on the words she doesn't already spell correctly and you spend 15 minutes a day, tops. There are numerous suggestions in the book for exercises, games, etc to reinforce, but I don't believe it covers Latin and Greek roots (we are going to use Vocabulary Vine for that next year).

Paula's Archives has some good suggestions on using it http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/SPhow.htm (she also wrote Vocabulary Vine and Science Roots). My daughter particularly enjoys using the alternative spelling rules suggestion.

[WendyK]

I use spelling workout. We are almost done with B. I like it because it doesn't require much time. My son is a natural speller. It isn't the most exciting program, but spelling just isn't exciting IMO. :D

[gandpsmommy]

My dd is a natural speller, so we haven't really encountered words that she didn't know how to spell, but she has learned so many helpful rules, definitions, etc. She has learned the rules for dividing words into syllables, how to determine syllable types and how this affects spelling, etc. She is learning why we spell words a certain way, which helps her to be able to spell many more words than are included in her list for that unit. Because she is accelerated and is a natural speller she has been able to fly through the lessons. She completed the level one book in the fall, is almost finished with the second level book, and we are ready to start the third. The only issue for us is that it is a new curriculum, so I think the third level book is the last one currently available.

[flutistmom]

We use Spelling Workout, and dd likes it a lot. She really enjoys the little puzzles, and I like the fact that every lesson has some sort of creative writing exercise. My only complaint is that some lists are too simple, and present little challenge to the child. The one that comes to mind is the "oo" list from level B. (We're in level C now.) Weeks like that, we simply do two lessons.

-Robin

[WendyK]

We use Spelling Workout, and dd likes it a lot. She really enjoys the little puzzles, and I like the fact that every lesson has some sort of creative writing exercise. My only complaint is that some lists are too simple, and present little challenge to the child. The one that comes to mind is the "oo" list from level B. (We're in level C now.) Weeks like that, we simply do two lessons.

-Robin I feel like we haven't gotten to any "real" rules (we are almost done with B). Saying the "th" sound is spelled t-h doesn't feel much like a rule! Ya know?

I'm hoping it gets better in that department.

[pixelroper]

I feel like we haven't gotten to any "real" rules (we are almost done with B). Saying the "th" sound is spelled t-h doesn't feel much like a rule! Ya know?

I'm hoping it gets better in that department.

my experience-
dd has used SpWo A-E, she does very well with spelling, I've always attributed it to OPG(highly recommended)... I did not get the teacher manuals for the SpWo. As her spelling lists advanced, the lack of a structured rule list started showing. I realized my mistake- I was bad:( and did not have dd keeping a list of the rules in a notebook as SWB suggests(I felt as you do about many of the "rules" so...). IMO after the fact, this was not very bright, had I done that she would have had rules organized. I started using StoR&W since the rules are there and memorized as part of the program. DD already knew how to read & write so we flew through most of the list just to learn the rules, stopping when practice was needed and dd actually likes to make the marks. It also gives me a better idea of where she is. Maybe... get a copy of spelling rules from a resource and make sure your dc keeps a running list of their own in a notebook as they appear in SpWo?
DD does miss all the 'fun' activities in SpWo. Maybe get the teacher manual, it probably addresses that? I also recommend StoR&W, but it is more involved, as a previous poster pointed out, you need to learn it.

in short IMHO, bad idea to use just the workbook.

[moki4]

We also like spelling workout:).
Our ds (#2) just asked me today "why do they have to write the spelling words in cursive?" But, he does just great! HWT also helps reinforce the cursive issue.
dd(#1) is finishing up SW F, so I am thinking of getting "vocab in Classical roots"...not sure of the exact title.
Moki4
dd10
ds8
dd6
ds4

[ArwenA]

Happy with SWO. It works for everyone here, the one's that spell well and the one's that need more practice.

[LadyNancy]

We used Spelling Workout for several years and my dd continued to be an awful speller! It's funny to see how many people love this program while my dd really disliked it. Don't know why but it just didn't work for us. http://easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-confused-smileys-423.gif (http://easyfreesmileys.com/) The first year we switched to Rod & Staff spelling, we saw remarkable progress.

[Leslie in MO]

We tried everything else and ended up coming back to good old Spelling Workout.

We have also come back to Spelling Workout after trying ABeka, private school, and public school. My dd is in book H in 6th grade. She likes it and I like it because I don't have to prep for a lesson, I have not had to buy any of the teacher's books (we used B, C, and now H), and she can skip some parts of a lesson or the review if she knows the words.

Leslie in MO

[jail warden]

:iagree: We love SWR here too. It looks complicated to start, but you just dive and it's not nearly as complicated as it seems. Actually, it's quite easy and it works great. It's quite logical and as a side benefit has helped me with spelling too!:D

[paula j]

I use spelling workout also and my ds also has trouble with reading cursive. I fold a piece of notebook paper in half lengthwise and write the words on one of the sections each week. I use the front one week, the back the next, then I open it up and fold it the other way and use the other two sides. This also comes in handy for the review units as you have all four weeks words right there on one page.

We picked up spelling last year for Huck's 1st grade. I jumped in at B and found that it challenged him but gave him a lot of confidence in one of his weaker subjects. He likes the stories and likes the word games.
The only con I see is that the word lists starting half way through C (third grade) are in formal cursive. Huck can read MY cursive but found this confusing so I just wrote the list out on an index card for him. Otherwise I like the format.
Huck IS a workbook kid. So we have no problem with workbook heavy programs.
HTH

[Kalah]

I like it because it isn't time consuming which is important because spelling is a dreaded subject for Huck. He is midway through D right now. He likes the pretest which weeds out the words he already knows. He also likes the score board at the end of the lesson. It gives him a sense of accomplishment. If he receives 100% on all lessons, we skip review chapters.
HTH