Starting spelling?

[caitlinsmom]

When should I do this ideally? What is a good program to use?

[nukeswife]

I'm using All About Spelling (www.allaboutspelling.com) with my going to be 7 year old first grader. She's really enjoying it and it's really easy for me to implement. I wasn't sure about it since I also have a 4th grader and a 3.5 year old in tow, but I'm amazed at how well it's going. Even my 4th grader likes to use it with us and it's filling in a lot of his spelling gaps. It uses an approach similar to SWR, so they teach spelling rules which also helps reinforce her phonics as well. There's only 24 steps in book 1 so you don't necessarily do a step a day. Sometimes we take a week to do a step to make sure she's got it down. We do a little bit each day, they are generally divided into going over the cards, introducing new card, spelling with the letter tiles and then spelling on paper, so it's pretty easy to break it down.

The All About spelling website is great and the creator is wonderful about answering emails with questions about the program.

[newlifemom]

I am one of those strange WTMers who actually use everything SWB recommends(sp?). Anyway, I am using Spelling Workout Series and have for 5yrs now. I like it and it has worked so far. Very text book, but based on phonics.

[cillakat]

I started out using SWB's recs for everything incl spelling. But so many of us jumped ship on spelling workout when it didn't work for our kids.

We do spelling with reading....it's all rolled into wilsonlanguage.com but as a dyxlexia/reading failure intervention, that's more than the typical user wants:)

Apples and Pears spelling from prometheustrust.org is fantastic and it's what I'd be using if I wasn't doing wilson.

3rd grade is the typical rec for spelling.....but again, knowing what I know now, I would NOT wait till third grade. What ever they're learning to read, they should be learning to spelll and write.

The first part of the lesson can be 'decoding'....the second part should be 'what makes the sound of'.....then they point to the letters (magnetic or cards or written'.... if they're doing cvc words, then the next step is 'how do you spell cat (after they spent the first part of the lesson learning how to decode it).

imo the rules are very important....ie in English:
/k/ is always the letter C if it's followed by a, o, u.
/k/ is always a 'K' if followed by I or E.
if it's written out like that, it's easy to make the association b/c the K is straight lines, as are the capital I and E....the c is rounded and so are the lines in the a, o, u.

http://www.dyslexia.org/spelling_rules.shtml

:)
katherine

[AnneC]

We started with Spelling Workout but the kids hated it and I had to agree that it was pointless doing the lessons if they could already spell the words. Now we are using Spelling Power and it is working much better. It did not work for my son that is reading at a grade 1/2 level though, we will try again later when he is reading better. It works for my daughter and other son who read at a higher level.

[arcara]

Another AAS user here! We love it! I'm using it with my 3rd and 1st grader. The 3rd grader started level 3 this week and the 1st grader is half way through level 2. I started both in spelling in 1st grade, but this is our 1st year with AAS.