Spelling Workout and HG 4yo

[nova147]

DS4 is HG and will be starting kindergarten (at home) this fall. I am thinking of using Spelling Workout because WTM says that it spells out the phonics rules. DS is constantly asking me about the phonics rules, so something like this would be great, since I don't plan to use a phonics program with him. He taught himself to read using phonics, but still seems to want to know the explicit rules (which I don't know!). Here's my question -- what level do I start with? WTM suggests beginning with A to allow plenty of practice and give the child a sense of mastery, but I worry that with a HG student, this will just lead to lots of frustration. Thoughts?

[JenneinAZ]

Have you looked at All About Spelling? It has the rules explicitly and allows your child to go at their own pace and write in whatever size is necessary. It is what I am going to use for my youngest.

I don't know about levels for Spelling Workout. Good luck!

[Dana]

I used Spelling Workout A this year with my 6yo. At this level, they talk about vowel sounds and blends, but I wouldn't say it really has much at all in the way of phonics. Book B has a bit more.

I ran across The ABCs and All Their Tricks and got it as a reference for me since I wasn't going to use any specific readers or phonics instruction separately. It does give pretty explicit rules for phonics and talks about when and why there are exceptions to the rules. You may want to try it before getting a spelling program.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-All-Their-Tricks-Reference/dp/0880621400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241640818&sr=8-1

[Mommy22alyns]

Spelling Workout A wasn't so great for us. It just seemed like busywork, though I could have been using it wrong.

All About Spelling has been a much better fit.

[WendyK]

I started my DS with Spelling Workout when he was 4. We are still using it, but basically only because I bought several levels of the books. We will finish level D and I think I will either drop spelling altogether or find something else. It isn't a bad program, it just isn't great for a child who is a natural speller. It seems best for the average speller.

[Donna]

I used Spelling Workout for one semester with my oldest when he was 5yo. I didn't like the program at all. The words in the lists seemed to have no rhyme or reason plus he went through the books so quickly, I would have been buying new books every few months. We ended up with Spelling Power and have been using it with all my kids. The program is initially a relatively large cost but it has lists from 1st through high school and is easily used with multiple learners. There are placement tests so you know where to start as well.

[EKS]

I second AAS. I have my son write everything on the whiteboard because that elicits fewer complaints. I'm talking about my 12yo here but I think that the whiteboard would appeal to a 4yo too.

[Blessedfamily]

It wasn't my thread, but thanks for the suggestions. We haven't found anything fruitful to use with my dd either. I'm going to try AAS, though dd is really a natural speller and has already learned the rules.

[aly9712]

We started Spelling Workout A with DD at 4 (5 this month) and I can't really see any benefits so far. I agree the words seem totally random and I'm surprised it was recommended by WTM. Probably going to try AAS once this workbook is done.

[Amber in AUS]

I third All About Spelling. My DD is wizzing through Level 1, thankfully i got levels 1 to 3 all together. We LOVE that you can go as fast or slow as you need to. LOVE that it is systematic and explicit. LOVE that it builds in review.

My DD will ask questions like "Why does the word 'love' have an e on the end when it isn't helping the o?" I had no idea of the answer and had to go searching to find the answer for her. She sees the phonics in words and just gets it. We are finding AAS awesome after loads of tears with Explode the Code.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

We love AAS too. We are about half-way through and it's all been review. We're about to start new material.

[Kalah]

Spelling Workout has worked for my oldest, so far. He was reading at 2 and because he taught himself, he's an awful speller. Really bad. It's the only thing so far that he struggles with. So, he likes the idea of the word locker and this year we've started the writing portion in earnest. He likes the challenge of seeing how many list words he can use in one story. He also likes puzzles. We didn't begin at A though. I only found it for him at the end of first grade. I began with book C.
HTH

[Truscifi]

I used Spelling Workout A with my 4yo this year. It was a bit easy for him and kind of boring. The only thing he objected to was writing the story at with list words at the end of each chapter (like his mother he is lazy and doesn't want to work that hard ;). I also agree that the list words seem pretty random, and it uses phonics but doesn't really explain the rules that well. I am not familiar with AAS, but I may look at it for next year based on this thread.

[Karin]

The only benefit to Spelling Workout, in our case, was that it gave ds more time to improve his fine motor skills by doing more writing. He didn't learn to spell, nor did he retain the spelling rules.


Does SWB include Spelling Workout in the latest edition of WTM?

A Beka Spelling includes rules, too. It didn't do much for us, either. Others have suggested other things. I have yet to find anything I like for my two who are not natural spellers. I love Spelling Power for my eldest, who is (she no longer needs a spelling programme.)

[budeb]

I need a spelling program too. Thanks for the suggestions.