So, my ds9 is a "not so good" speller...what do I do?

[Sue G in PA]

I wanted to say HORRIBLE but felt I should phrase it a bit more gently. :) A bit of background...He's in 4th grade and has never been a great speller. We began using SWO this year (after 2 years w/ a charter school using their spelling program which I liked). I placed him in level D. Probably a bad choice on my part. He struggles to read the cursive unless I print it for him b/c he's "just" getting cursive handwriting. Okay, he should know it by now but he doesn't. After he studies the words, he usually aces the tests. Okay, fine. WELL, the kid can't spell the simplest of words. For example, in a recent assignment he misspelled the following words: pear (pare), piano (peano), travel (travle), prickly (prickily), money (mony), etc. There was more, but you get the point. He can't spell the simplest of words w/out asking for help. UGH! Even my dd11 commented that he should know how to spell "such and such" w/out asking. "Sound it out she" says! What should I do? Seriously...I must nip this in the bud...NOW! What are my options here?

Should I:
1. Switch spelling programs? I'm thinking about Simply Spelling next year.
2. Place him back a few books in SWO so he can review?
3. Start him in a remedial phonics program (b/c that does seem to be his issues...lack of a good phonics foundation thanks to ps!) and if so...WHAT?
4. Not worry so much and keep on keeping on. My gut tells me I can't ignore this, though.

TIA for any and all suggestions. This is a bright kid. He just struggle more academically than his older sister and younger brother. Ask him something related to science...and you'll get an earful of facts you never knew. Ask him to pick up a musical instrument he's never even seen before and he'll be playing it w/in the day. Drawing? Very talented. Academics? Not so motivated, KWIM? Very talented kid, just not very motivated in the "core"subjects. Anyway, thanks again for your help.

[hsmom]

I had the same problem and I switched him to sequential spelling and I love the way the program runs. Also almost everyone I have talked to has had great success with the program.

[Sue G in PA]

I'm game for anything at this point (even though it pains me to sink more money into curriculum that may or may not work!). Thanks!

[Lolly]

This is the only program that has helped my nonspellers.

Basically, you give a word from the list for that day; they spell it; you have them check their spelling immediately and make corrections if necessary. The list the next day takes the word and adds go it. The student learns the pattern for that word and applies it to increasingly longer and harder words. It is amazingly simple and effective.

The company that publishes the program is AVKO. Google their website and you will find a whole lot more information.

Also, your son's spelling really isn't that bad. He is simply spelling very phonetically. His worst mistake was prickily, and I'll bet he adds a short "i" or a schwa sound after the "ck" when he says it. (My kids do.) You may find that you need to add copywork if you aren't already doing it. Using words in sentences is a whole 'nother leap in spelling.

[Sue G in PA]

I looked at the website and I like what I see so far. It might work, but to get all 7 units would be a bit too pricey for me. If I got a single book, which would I get? Start with 1? That seems a bit easy, but for ds9 that might not be a bad thing. Thanks.

[nmoira]

Start with 1? That seems a bit easy, but for ds9 that might not be a bad thing.It doesn't stay that easy, and words are grouped by pattern instead of reading level. AVKO recommends that everyone start with Level 1. FWIW, SS is for 3rd grade and up (the website says 2nd, but I think that's overly optimistic), so your son isn't really "behind" by starting at Level 1. It may be beneficial to use a white board with different coloured markers for the first few weeks. The instructions are detailed and you'll see how to use these.

Each level has 180 lessons; you'll be fine purchasing them piecemeal.

[Lolly]

It will be easy for a while, but more difficult words are quickly sprinkled into the mix. Your ds is actually a little on the young side of this program. I would not recommend using it any younger. In fact, if he finds it to be too difficult this year, I would recommend just putting it away and starting it over next year. You could just work on copywork until the new school year begins. :001_smile:

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

It has worked miracles with my 9 year old that sounds much like yours (would pass test, but never could spell words he hadn't seen).

Megawords has taught him to break words up from the get go. He's only on the 3rd list (book 1) and I can see a great improvement.

hth
kd

[KAR120C]

We've used both Sequential Spelling and Megawords, and both have worked very well. At this point we use more Megawords because eventually we both found Sequential Spelling really really boring.... which if it were the only thing that ever worked we'd just put up with but since Megawords is working too, we felt free to drop SS. ;)

Basically what I've found with DS (...NOT a natural speller to say the least!) is that almost anything works, provided he gets lots and lots AND LOTS of repetition and practice. And then we go back and do it again. He doesn't need a particular structure or order to his approach. Actually I have to take that back for a minute to say the Megawords approach was practically magical in turning around his attitude toward big words... before we tried that he wouldn't even try to spell them -- just say they were too hard! But other than that, he can practice any way I ask -- copying, reciting, dictation, chunking, etymology -- they all work, provided he does them enough times.

So right now we're using Megawords, Dictation for Spelling, Evan Moor Daily Spelling Practice, aaaaaaaand because there are some days when I need to be removed from the process because I just can't keep a good attitude myself, a Turbo Twist Spelling game.

For the OP, the good news is it looks like he is sounding things out -- that is, you don't have random letters thrown in, or sounds reversed (which would make me worry about actual LDs or something)... he may just need more practice to either remember the rules or recognize how words look, or both. I think Megawords would be a great approach for that, as would Sequential Spelling. My personal preference is Megawords, but I don't think you would go wrong with either one.

[Karenciavo]

Nothing worked with my ds13 until Phonetic Zoo, it's pricey though so maybe you want to try SS first and if that doesn't work give PZ a try.

[Jenstet]

Same problem with a 9 year old and we use sequential speller too.Book 1. Some days are easier like when we start a new group of words but they do get harder. It added to her confidence though and she doesn't feel like a "bad speller" now. She is quite confident about it . I think we did Day 112 or so and she finally spelled schedule correctly. :hurray:

[Lolly]

I have my 10 yo do a page of it a day in addition to his SS. I don't focus on learning to spell the words from it. He simply does the exercises. I think of it more as continued phonics than spelling for him. It does give him some practice on the spelling rules (which SS does not cover in a specific rule-like way). Combined SS and Megawords (both book 1) only take a short while each day.

[nmoira]

We've used both Sequential Spelling and Megawords, and both have worked very well. At this point we use more Megawords because eventually we both found Sequential Spelling really really boring.... which if it were the only thing that ever worked we'd just put up with but since Megawords is working too, we felt free to drop SS.We switched too, but for different reasons. DD wanted more, NOW. There was no practical way for us to accelerate SS (you can do it 2x per day, but her writing is still slow), so we switched. However, we found ways to make SS fun: we'd tell silly stories based on the words or make up goofy sentences for those days that things just weren't going to flow.

[Lolly]

After using SS, dc are able to be successful in other spelling programs. My older dc have switched to Spelling Power which I had because we had tried to use it earlier and it bombed. Now, they love it. Why they like it better than SS, I'll never know. But, they are now successful with it. I don't think they ever would have been if they hadn't used SS! (Can you tell I"m a big fan of SS? I promise, I am not a rep for their company.):lol:

[Mrs. H.]

"Sound it out she" says!

He is, lol! Your son is spelling words phonetically, which means he is trying, but he's missing the mark.

I don't use a spelling program with my dc, and I have one natural speller, and one who isn't. We use the Charlotte Mason method for spelling, which takes words that are misspelled in the children's writing, like from narrations, dictation, or compositions.

Allow children to change the spelling of the incorrect word as soon as you find it. The goal here is not to allow the child to see a misspelled word, because looking at it commits it to memory. After correcting the word, you add it to a list of commonly misspelled words by the child. Take a white board (or white sheet of paper) and write the word with a black marker. The contrast is important. Have the child look at the word until he/she things they can "see" it in their heads, then have them write it without looking. Correct any mistakes immediately. They can spell it aloud if that helps as well.

This method works quickly and effectively. I usually have the children correct any misspelled words right away, and I jot them down on a list in my notebook, and we go over them together using this method whenever I get five or ten on the list, depending on which child it is. My natural speller catches on quickly and moves on, and my non-natural speller needs to do only five words and go very slowly.