Giving up on spelling

[Mom2boys]

I really need some advice. My 6th grade ds is a horrible speller. We have tried 4 different curriculums over the years. I really think it comes down to the fact that he is just not a natural speller. I mean, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and spelling is definitely his weakness.

I am wondering if for 7th grade, I should just give up on teaching spelling as a subject. I would continue to correct his spelling mistakes in his writing of course. I'm just feeling like a spelling curriculum would be a waste of time. And, the weekly spelling tests are negatively effecting his self-esteem. (Ironically, he does very well on the spelling section of the IOWA test. He can identify when a word is misspelled, he just can't tell you how to spell it correctly.)

So, has anyone just accepted that their child is a bad speller and moved on? Or would it be a mistake to not keep trying to find some method/curriculum that will teach him how to spell? How much will it handicap him in the future if he isn't a good speller? Anyone given up on spelling and then regretted it?

[Wendy B.]

So, has anyone just accepted that their child is a bad speller and moved on? Or would it be a mistake to not keep trying to find some method/curriculum that will teach him how to spell? How much will it handicap him in the future if he isn't a good speller? Anyone given up on spelling and then regretted it?

I also have a child who is not a natural speller and who did horrible with every spelling curriculum that we tried. Spelling isn't a real problem in the real world when you can use spellcheck. The problem is that college entrance essay and any college class that requires essays written in class . Poor spelling will drop your score.

I ultimately dropped a spelling program and instead we used Vocabulary from Classical Roots (http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/series.asp?seriesonly=2252M). If you are not doing a latin program VCS will help improve your child's vocabulary and spelling. We did have a weekly spelling list from her writing mistakes and VCS. She is very creative in her wording and has become a walking thesaurus so she can have an essay with no mispellings!

FWIW, she did fine on her college entrance exam essay! No spelling errors!

[deeinfl]

And what I did was focus one whole year on improving his spelling. We used Megawords, which mixes vocabulary, spelling, and reading in one workbook, and we also continued our other program from AVKO, Sequential Spelling (presently on book 3, but we think it may be our last one).

In one year we worked through Megawords 1-5, and this year we will be completing 6-8, hopefully we'll make it to 8 as we have only 10 more weeks left of school.

By doing this, my son has improved in his spelling so dramatically. He will never be a great speller, but at least every other word in his papers now is not a misspelled one.

Also, I just recently purchased, Spelling Demons, Week by Week, and this looks like a great last course for my son. I think we will lightly go through this next year and then we are done and I will just correct misspelled words in his writing. This is a 40 week course targeting the most mispelled words in the english language.

At this point, I figure if anyone comments about his spelling when he is an adult, I'll just take all the completed Megawords books and the completed Sequential Spelling workbooks and throw it at them and say, "There!" :tongue_smilie:

HTH,

Dee

[EKS]

I have a 7th grader who is also a horrible speller. He has dyslexia and this is one of the more difficult aspects to remediate. We have used Sequential Spelling going on four years now and while his spelling has improved somewhat, it is not remotely where it should be.

Since the beginning of 6th grade, he has been typing his written work on the computer. I don't even look at his writing before he has spell checked it. This has been a huge boost to his confidence, as he feels like he has some ability to produce work with properly spelled words, even though he is getting help from the computer. It has also improved my attitude, because instead of being horrified by all of the misspellings, I can get beyond that and be horrified by something else, like the grammar or punctuation or lack of coherence, LOL! Actually, all of those things have improved by using the word processor.

So, part of my approach to spelling is to realize that he will never be a great speller, probably not even an acceptably good speller. But he is getting good with the spell checker and hopefully he will get into the habit of having a good speller (me, a friend, whatever) go over his papers before they're handed in when he goes to a real school.

I have also decided to make one last effort to help him with his spelling. I don't want to spend a huge long time on it every day, but I want to try using a program that teaches rules. He makes the same mistakes over and over, both in everyday spelling and on his SS lists, that could be corrected if he just knew some basic rules. So I have decided to try All About Spelling. I figure it is worth 15 minutes per day (not more) to try to help him.

For myself, I think I would feel uncomfortable with just letting it go. I am going to probably be doing a little spelling with him until he spells at a high school/adult level (not likely, unless there is a miracle) or until he graduates.

[Nan in Mass]

I switched to just teaching him a few rules, like how to add ed to a word, or ing, or the difference between the theres. That improved his spelling more than the two different curriculums we tried. I just kept correcting his writing and telling him the rules and eventually he got better. He still spells badly, but not nearly as badly as he was when he was little. He got a slightly higher than average score on the SAT essay, and 98% or something almost perfect like that on his community college placement test, and a 4.0 in community college composition. His bad spelling hasn't been a problem so far.
-Nan

[OhElizabeth]

Some things to consider if you haven't tried them yet:

-use the rules cards from SWR to break apart words and discuss
-dictation-this has been a lot more effective for my dd than isolated word lists. I think it's a story/context thing.
-Spelling Works! by Jim Halverson--This wouldn't replace the above, but my dd is enjoying it this year. It hits the nitty gritties (possessives, plurals, etc.) in interesting ways.

Definitely ditch the tests. When we were doing lots of dictation, we made it a team effort, something we tackled together, not a test of right or wrong. As you say, it really messes up their view of themselves not to spell well. My dd kept saying she couldn't spell, even when she tested well according to SWR, because she couldn't spell what she WANTED to spell. Somehow my efforts were backfiring and making her feel worse about it instead of better! This year, with the baby, we haven't done any formal spelling, just that workbook, a page a day. She has improved dramatically, and I think it's her visual memory kicking in. But learning the rules, phonograms, and analysis methods of SWR creates a foundation, pegs if you will, for the visual memory to cling onto.

If you want me to show you any of those things, you're welcome to come over. I wouldn't give up entirely, but I'd definitely make a change. For us, it was dictation and LOTS OF WRITING that got us over the hump.

[HiddenJewel]

Spelling isn't a real problem in the real world when you can use spellcheck.

Spellcheck does not take away the need for knowing how to spell. It is not a catch all and if you rely on it you will still put out poorly written material.

Definitely take your poor speller back to the basics of the phonics and spelling rules. It's tools they need for their toolbox of life.

[Mom2boys]

I ultimately dropped a spelling program and instead we used Vocabulary from Classical Roots (http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/catalog/series.asp?seriesonly=2252M). If you are not doing a latin program VCS will help improve your child's vocabulary and spelling. We did have a weekly spelling list from her writing mistakes and VCS.
FWIW, she did fine on her college entrance exam essay! No spelling errors!
Thanks for the suggestion. I was considering using Vocabulary from Classical Roots next year. I thought breaking words down into chunks and analyzing their meaning, would help him see patterns in words and improve his spelling in the process. I'm glad to know it helped your daughter. :001_smile:

[Mom2boys]

And what I did was focus one whole year on improving his spelling. We used Megawords, which mixes vocabulary, spelling, and reading in one workbook, and we also continued our other program from AVKO, Sequential Spelling (presently on book 3, but we think it may be our last one).

At this point, I figure if anyone comments about his spelling when he is an adult, I'll just take all the completed Megawords books and the completed Sequential Spelling workbooks and throw it at them and say, "There!" :tongue_smilie:



We tried Sequential Spelling, but not Megawords or Spelling Demons. Thanks for the suggestions. And, I am so with you on the tossing the books at them thing. I already want to do that when the relatives comment on his spelling. :D

[HiddenJewel]

Apples Spelling could be an option. It doesn't take long each day but does cover the rules.

[Mom2boys]

I switched to just teaching him a few rules, like how to add ed to a word, or ing, or the difference between the theres. That improved his spelling more than the two different curriculums we tried. I just kept correcting his writing and telling him the rules and eventually he got better. He still spells badly, but not nearly as badly as he was when he was little. He got a slightly higher than average score on the SAT essay, and 98% or something almost perfect like that on his community college placement test, and a 4.0 in community college composition. His bad spelling hasn't been a problem so far.
-Nan

Thanks Nan! That is so encouraging to hear. :001_smile:

[Mom2boys]

Oops!

[Mom2boys]

Since the beginning of 6th grade, he has been typing his written work on the computer. I don't even look at his writing before he has spell checked it. This has been a huge boost to his confidence, as he feels like he has some ability to produce work with properly spelled words, even though he is getting help from the computer. It has also improved my attitude, because instead of being horrified by all of the misspellings, I can get beyond that and be horrified by something else, like the grammar or punctuation or lack of coherence, LOL! Actually, all of those things have improved by using the word processor.
Thanks for the suggestion to use the word processor. He is using a typing program currently, with the goal of building up to a decent wpm so he can type his papers on the computer.

So, part of my approach to spelling is to realize that he will never be a great speller, probably not even an acceptably good speller. But he is getting good with the spell checker and hopefully he will get into the habit of having a good speller (me, a friend, whatever) go over his papers before they're handed in when he goes to a real school.

I have also decided to make one last effort to help him with his spelling. I don't want to spend a huge long time on it every day, but I want to try using a program that teaches rules. He makes the same mistakes over and over, both in everyday spelling and on his SS lists, that could be corrected if he just knew some basic rules. So I have decided to try All About Spelling. I figure it is worth 15 minutes per day (not more) to try to help him.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look at AAS.

For myself, I think I would feel uncomfortable with just letting it go. I am going to probably be doing a little spelling with him until he spells at a high school/adult level (not likely, unless there is a miracle) or until he graduates.
I agree. I do feel uncomfortable with just letting it go at this point. I was at a loss as to what to try next, and wondered if it was just an exercise in futility. So, thank you for the thoughtful reply.

[siloam]

Greta,

Please do not give up. One of the low points of my life was loosing a job due in part to poor spelling. Now I did warn the boss ahead of time that I couldn't spell, and it was a position where I had to hand write orders, but in the end the boss was ok with it, and the rest of the staff was not. I got hourly corrections to my mistakes and they were brutal about it. :001_huh: They didn't care that I was writing a whole program to computerize the order process at the same time, and with just a few more weeks they wouldn't have another mis-spelled word. They lost all confidence in my ability to do anything right because of my poor spelling, and let me go.

It will affect what other people think of him in the real world, and he will be better off if he can spell well.

I adore AAS, but I hear good things about Megawords too.

Heather

[MerryAtHope]

I started All About Spelling at the end of my son's 5th grade year, and this has turned things around for him in a way that no other spelling program we've tried has. (And we had tried so many! I know how frustrating it is). I really encourage you to take a look & see what you think. (They also have a great, 1-year, 100% satisfaction guarantee--so if it doesn't work you can return it & won't be out the money). I blogged (http://hopeismyanchor.blogspot.com/2008/09/spelling-progress.html)more about our progress and what it's meant to my son especially.

Merry :-)

[dcjlkplus3]

I haven't read all of the responses.
You didn't mention what spelling programs you have tried.
Have you looked at Spelling Power - it is made for poor spellers and there are many options of different ways to practice.
I wouldn't give up on teaching spelling yet.
It is an important skill - I get calls from my sister who is a VERY bad speller - she can't even get a word close enough that spellcheck knows what she is trying to write and even in our technological age, we still have to write things out and bad spelling can leave a bad impression (IMO).

[PollyOR]

Yes, could you name which programs you've used?

My 13 yodd has made a lot of progress this past year. I wonder if age sometimes help.

[Cadam]

Spelling isn't a real problem in the real world when you can use spellcheck.

I wish. You are wrong. Spelling is a real problem in the real world. My written vocabulary is limited when the spell checker can't figure out what word I mean or when the possible options are so close I can't figure out which is correct (and I am pretty good at that). A quick handwritten note to one of my kids, or worse, another adult is opening myself for huge embarrassment and criticism. It is not always practical or possible to type everything.

I am taking the time to really learn the rules while doing All About Spelling with my dd. Yep, a first grade spelling program has taught me a lot!. I was lucky that my oldest kid is not cursed with my genetics and he is a natural speller. Dd doesn't have such luck so we are learning together.

Please don't give up on spelling but do teach the the phonograms and spelling rules very explicitly. He may never win a spelling bee but he needs a fighting chance. I actually came a long way in the 7th grade with the help of a friend. It isn't too late.

[one l michele]

that's no reason to throw in the towel, one can always improve.

What I would do is take a look at the subjects your dc does well with. Think about why he does well with those subjects, is there a common approach? Can you weave spelling with his favorite subject? Tweak one of the programs you already have to fit his learning style? I wouldn't keep doing the same thing and expect a different result, but do think about why it may not be working for him. Also for now act as his editor when writing and keep spelling seperate. Toss the tests. Does he have a spelling only dictionary? How about keeping a personal dictionary of words he finds challenging?

[Mom2boys]

I haven't read all of the responses.
You didn't mention what spelling programs you have tried.
.

We have tried Spelling Power, Spelling Workout, Sequential Spelling, and Flashkids Spelling.

[Mom2boys]

My 13 yodd has made a lot of progress this past year. I wonder if age sometimes help.

I've wondered that too. He will be 12 in a few months. I have hoped (or should I say "desperately clung to the belief") that a little more maturity will make a difference. Surely something will click for him eventually, right? :001_huh:

[Mom2boys]

She has improved dramatically, and I think it's her visual memory kicking in. But learning the rules, phonograms, and analysis methods of SWR creates a foundation, pegs if you will, for the visual memory to cling onto.

If you want me to show you any of those things, you're welcome to come over. I wouldn't give up entirely, but I'd definitely make a change. For us, it was dictation and LOTS OF WRITING that got us over the hump.

Thanks Elizabeth. I have been reading some of your other posts about SWR too. I also think lots of writing could be helpful. We definitely need to make a change.

[Mom2boys]

Apples Spelling could be an option. It doesn't take long each day but does cover the rules.

Thanks for the suggestion. :seeya:

[Mom2boys]

Greta,

Please do not give up. One of the low points of my life was loosing a job due in part to poor spelling.
It will affect what other people think of him in the real world, and he will be better off if he can spell well.

I adore AAS, but I hear good things about Megawords too.

Heather

Thank you Heather for sharing your experience. I will definitely take a look at AAS. :001_smile:

[PollyOR]

Thanks for letting us know what you've used.

My dd was almost 12 and couldn't write. She went on a trip with her dad and he asked her to write a paragraph. She forced out two sentences with lots of tears. Now that I look back I believe the reason she wouldn't wirte was because she knew she couldn't spell.

A year ago she announced that she wanted to write a book :001_huh:(me)! Her spelling was so bad that the spell check didn't even come close to what she was trying to spell. I would read through her writing and be her human spell checker. This helped with words that she used often, because she could look back to see how I had spelled a word.

We also started using Phonetic Zoo last spring. It is expensive, but I was desperate.

Her spelling ability has changed so much in the past year and so has she. So, I'm not sure if it was the program or maturity.

Good luck!

[Mom2boys]

I started All About Spelling at the end of my son's 5th grade year, and this has turned things around for him in a way that no other spelling program we've tried has.


Thanks for the recommendation Merry. I'm going to pop over and read your blog when I am done typing this. And I will take a look at AAS. :001_smile:

[blessed2fosteradopt]

I just had my son (age 10, very poor speller) go through ElizabethB's phonics program www.thephonicspage.org/Phonics%20Lsns/phonicslsnslinks.html (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/www.thephonicspage.org/Phonics%20Lsns/phonicslsnslinks.html) and I have already seen an improvement in both his spelling and reading. We are now going to continue on with her spelling lessons and will go to Megawords from there. We tried Sequential Spelling but both of us did not care for it. He needs a rhyme and a reason behind the method and was not retaining much with SS. Definitely take a look at ElizabethB's program. It has been a blessing for us.

Hope this helps,

Lisa

[OhElizabeth]

Greta, a lot of the programs that have been suggested (AAS, SWR, WRTR, Megawords, etc.) are actually very similar and use a phonogram-based approach. I don't know if you're familiar with this, and you're welcome to come look at my stuff (SWR, etc.). Each of those programs has its own niche (hands-on, a cadillac with lots of extras, affordability, independent with workbook, etc.), but the general idea is that it breaks down spelling into sound components and a limited set of rules that make most words that trip people up end up following rules. When you teach spelling explicitly, analytically, like that, it gives them a REASON for what they're seeing. The rules and phonograms become mental pegs for the visual memory to hang things on.

So I just wanted to clarify that for you, that actually a lot of the recommendations in this thread have been for the same conceptual approach, just with a lot of different programs that use it. Thought seeing that would help you with your research. :)

There was an SWR trainer at the Cincy convention a couple years ago, don't know if she'll be back. I'd be happy to explain my stuff to you. It's not so much about the particular program as it is seeing how the approach works (breaking things into phonograms and the rules), then picking the program that has the doodads that best fit your situation. At least it would be something different to try!

[Cafelattee]

well my oldest is a natural speller

my youngest inherited my terrible spelling

we tried Calvert, spelling power, asvo, and a few others

He is almost to the end of Phonic Zoo level A and his spelling has improved so much

He will use all 3 levels, so yes he will still have a spelling program through 8th grade but it is worth the effort

[ElizabethB]

I am wondering if for 7th grade, I should just give up on teaching spelling as a subject. I would continue to correct his spelling mistakes in his writing of course. I'm just feeling like a spelling curriculum would be a waste of time. And, the weekly spelling tests are negatively effecting his self-esteem. (Ironically, he does very well on the spelling section of the IOWA test. He can identify when a word is misspelled, he just can't tell you how to spell it correctly.)


I was the same way. I got 99% on my IOWA tests for spelling, but my spell checker would find 5 to 6 words per page that I misspelled.

After teaching phonics and learning and teaching all the phonetic spelling rules and sound spelling correspondences, I finally (mid 20's or so) learned how to spell! I now only misspell 1 word every page or 2.

I would teach all the rules and then have him work from his own misspelled words, trying to figure out a rule or a reason for each one. (He can pile them up and do them every few days or once a week so that he can have more words to work with and try to spot some similarities.)

A good book series that explains how to use your own words is Gayle Graham's series, How to Teach Any Child to Spell and the corresponding Spelling Notebook, Tricks of the Trade. You can get them at CBD or at Common Sense Press Spelling.

He could also try my online spelling lessons, they summarize what I learned through teaching phonics.

And, here is a good thread with links to online spelling rules:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77560

[Julie in Monterey]

:iagree:Spellcheck does not take away the need for knowing how to spell. It is not a catch all and if you rely on it you will still put out poorly written material.

Definitely take your poor speller back to the basics of the phonics and spelling rules. It's tools they need for their toolbox of life.

[shanvan]

Before teaching my son I did not believe in "poor spellers". I just thought there were people lazy enough not to care about their spelling. Well, God gave me the correction I needed! We too have tried several different programs. We've tried Spelling Power, BJU, Natural Speller, Calvert, Phonetic Zoo and Rod & Staff (I just sold this right away because I knew it wasn't the right approach). None of these helped my spelling challenged son.

Last year I had him using Zaner Bloser's Spelling Connections. Of all the workbook type spelling, I think this one was the best. Zaner Bloser also has online spelling games on their site which have the kids sort words. These were very well designed, meaningful sorts that forced him to pay careful attention to the letters in the words. You can also print a spelling list for the week on their parents (or maybe teachers?) webpages. This is all free. Really, you could use all their free stuff to make your own curriculum. I thought buying the workbooks just gave me a little less to worry about. He did improve while using it, but I wanted to move away from the workbook approach.

This year we are using Spell to Write and Read. I switched so I could work with both children on phonograms and rules together. I also have Megawords which we might use this summer. SWR is working, I think, but we just started it halfway through this year. It was very time consuming to learn the approach, but the SWR Yahoo group helps. My son actually thinks that ZB's Spelling Connections helped him learn better, but he admits he didn't enjoy it as much.

I saw that you are already using ZB's Handwriting, so I thought I'd mention it as another possibility.

Shannon

[bethben]

My friend was in a similar situation. Her 7th graders spelling was horrifying to her. She started at the beginning with Level 1 All About Spelling. Her daughter is obviously going faster through it, but her spelling is improving. It does use a lot of dication. I rely on those more than a spelling test where the word is used and then never used again. The dictation makes sure the words they should know are not forgotten.
Beth

[Sara R]

I'm using Laurie4B's Overteaching Spelling Method (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23896). It's free, and requires less than 5 minutes per day of my time to compose the new spelling list, and then about 15-20 minutes to give her a daily test, practice her list, and do dictation. (She also learns Spaulding phonograms at school.) Learning rules is good, but in the end knowing the proper spelling, for someone who isn't a natural speller, comes down to memorization. With this method you can be confident that they are actually learning the words to mastery. It takes time but it's sure and steady.

[ilovemy4kids]

try espindle.com It is awesome!
Blessings
Sandra

[Ginger]

No one has mentioned Apples and Pears Spelling. This has saved my dd11. I can finally see that she is learning how to spell. I'm not sure about Megawords...to me that sounds like something that teaches how to spell 'big words'???? My daughter had trouble with little words, too. So this program has been a Godsend. I believe you can look inside the books on their website. (which I'm not sure what it is...you'd have to google Apples and Pears Spelling). Please take a look at it, it might be what you need.

[siloam]

No one has mentioned Apples and Pears Spelling. This has saved my dd11. I can finally see that she is learning how to spell. I'm not sure about Megawords...to me that sounds like something that teaches how to spell 'big words'???? My daughter had trouble with little words, too. So this program has been a Godsend. I believe you can look inside the books on their website. (which I'm not sure what it is...you'd have to google Apples and Pears Spelling). Please take a look at it, it might be what you need.

Ginger,

Megawords is a spelling/vocab program. It teaches all the spelling rules, but starts with multi-syllable words vs. CVC words. To my knowledge it doesn't work on words that are unusually big for the grade level the book is at (it starts at 4th grade I think).

It is my back up plan if I ever need something independent.

Heather

[TaraTheLiberator]

I want my kids to have good spelling, and I plan to work on spelling with them after they finish phonics.

However, my dh is a terrible speller. Despite the fact that he is extremely intelligent and very successful at his career (designer), his spelling is poor. Despite the fact that his mother is teacher with a specialty in reading and languages, his spelling is poor. Despite the fact that he is widely read, his spelling is poor.

Honestly, it has not held him back in life.

He does plan to work through Natural Speller, but poor spelling his not ruined his life.

If spelling is torturing your son and making him feel bad about himself, I'd say let it go for a while. Maybe he's bad at it because he's convinced he's bad at it.

Tara

[Mom2boys]

I cannot thank you all enough for taking the time to offer me words of encouragement and advice. You have given me some great options to research. I will have ds take a break from spelling for a few weeks, until I have a new plan in place. But I am not going to give up on trying to teach this child to spell. :thumbup:

[mktyler]

My 10 y dd has really struggled with spelling and so I ditched all the curriculums and have gone to only dictation. It has done wonders. We have tried list-style programs only to see 100% on the tests and error in her writing. Her confidence has dramatically increased as she has to write a paragraph each day. Here is the general idea:

I pick out passages of 2-4 sentences. She reads the passage several times and notes which words might be difficult for her. I am working through selections from Hilyer's A Child's History of the World.

The passage is:
At first, however, our world, or Earth, was nothing but a ball of rock. This ball of rock was wrapped around with steam, like a heavy fog. Then the steam turned to rain, and it rained on the world, until it had filled up the hollows and made enormously big puddles. These puddles were the oceans. The dry places were bare rock.

First day: She reads the passage several times. Then I dictate it to her. She misses these words: however, wrapped, heavy, hollows, enormously, puddles. We talk about the words: however is a combination of how and ever, wrapped (double the consonant when adding past tense -ed, I chose not to teach her about "short" and "long" so omitted discussing it at this time), -ous of enormously means "full of" so the word means full of enormity, etc.
She studies the words. I have her underline the spellings for each sound: wrapped would be wr a pp ed. She says the sounds as she writes. I have her write the words 5-10 times. Then she copies the passage, including all the corrected spelling words. This takes 4 tries. (She's a tough, lovable, brilliant, nut to crack!)
Second day: Dictate the passage. She misses: wrapped, hollows, enormously. Study again. Copy again. Oh, she can now say the passage verbatim.
Third day: She starts throwing in some omission errors: tured for turned, seam for steam, etc. and misses enormously. We talk about ways to remember enormously and she decides to read it as /e-nor-mouse-ly/as she studies the word. Studies words. Copies. Require her to reread her writings by sound then word rather than by word alone (I know that doesn't make much sense, but it sounds like /a/ /t/ /at/ /f/ /ir/ /s/ /t/ /first/ /ou/ /r/ /our/ . . . she hates it but she catches her letter omissions that way)
Fourth day: Gets it right. Now I am going to through her for a loop and have her write some sentences with the words she missed over the week. Misses hollows as "hollowes." We talk about adding -s for plurals (again).
Fifth day: Dictation and sentences. Gets them right.
Add another passage next week. I throw some old passages in on occasion for review.

This actually gets her learning more words than the list method, which at most I was doing 20 words a week. Some words she just has to go over and over and others she learns more quickly. I can see that this is working much better because her general writing is improving. She is also wanting to write more, I think because she is feeling more confident. She has to write so much now that it feels natural.

The list method worked as far as a spelling test went but would never seem to cross over into her writing. With the dictation method, it is, because she is practicing what she needs to be doing: writing words in context.

The benefits of this method are:

1) The words are learned in a meaningful context. Meaning and spelling are linked.

2) It is efficient. It eliminates the work that is not producing effect (lists and tests) and has them practicing the skills spelling is meant for (using the words in context).

3) Its free!

4) It focuses effort on the words the child does not know. Patterns and rules can be addressed as they come up, in a word specific way. For example, my daughter had the word 'edition' to work on and she missed the spelling of 'tion'. We talked about the meaning of the word-part 'tion' in which it changes a verb to a noun, connecting it to the word 'edit'. The /t/ sound of the word 'edit' helps remind her that the /sh/ sound in 'edition' is spelled with a 'ti'. If you don't feel confident with breaking words down yourself, a rule based spelling program used as a supplement would work. Just use the rule parts, not the spelling list parts. Keep track of the rules in a notebook and then you can refer to them as you work through words.

5) Frequently needed words are written over and over and over and over because they are in all the passages.

Melissa
Reading Program Junkie
dd(10) dd(6) ds(4) ds(1)

[TaraTheLiberator]

Melissa, what you do with your daughter sounds fantastic! I'm bookmarking this post for when we start spelling. Thanks for sharing!

Tara

[southmetromom]

I'm coming in late on this and haven't read all the replies, but just want to say that All About Spelling has radically improved my 10 yo son's spelling. (He can read at high school level, but couldn't spell 1st grade words when we started this).

Finishing up Level 3 and he wanted to perform at a spelling bee this year! (We couldn't -- schedule conflict).

Good luck.

Sandy

[Nan in Mass]

This is very like what I did with my son after I gave up on spelling. I made him read what he had written backwards word by word to make him notice the words he had missed. Then he wrote the ones he still couldn't spell 5 or 10 times and we talked about them. Within a few months, more than half his spelling errors had vanished.

[DeeDeeMarie0]

I have four ds' and a husband with poor spelling. I had them tested by an educational psychologist last year and if it is any consolation, she mentioned that spelling has nothing to do with a person's intelligence. She suggested that we do the Wilson Reading Program which breaks down all the word patterns and teaching them systematically. We have been doing the program for about 14 months and I have seen improvement in their spelling. Quite dramatic with one of them, but not as dramatic with the other three ds'. In learning about the program, I was told that the spelling improvement will not come until the last part of the program. It is a program with 12 units of study, with about 5-8 sections in each unit. We are on unit 11.