I bought Spelling Power and was all excited about it. My son reads well but is not great with spelling. So I was reading through Spelling Power and came to a page that says if your child is below 8 years old or tests at level a or b you should start with a different program. Now I have no clue what to do. Has anyone else been in a similar situation. What did you?
My kids continue with phonics programs through 2nd grade. That gets them through all the basic spelling. Then when they hit 3rd I start them on a more advanced language arts program. This year I am really liking SOS language arts for my older two. My 4th grader mastered the spelling of "encyclopedia" this week! Cool! Edie
I'd look into something like Rod and Staff spelling or All About Spelling. I've heard great things about Apples and Pears Spelling, but I haven't seen or used it.
I started Spelling Power with my 6 yr old this year, and just started on the first level. I did the placement tests, and he tested at level A, so we started there. He's doing great so far. His spelling is age-appropriate, I think, he's on a first grade level, so there are new words he has t learn every day, but with the constant reviews and repetition, he's progressing along fine. The way the program is set up, you continue to redo a certain word until it is spelled correctly, so sometimes he has the same word two or three days in a row, but thats ok, we're not in any hurry. The book is a bit rigid about how u follow the program, theye ven say that if you want to change sth abt the method, you should first contact the writer...but I think thats rather extreme
I am using Spelling Power with my 7 and 8 year old sons, when we did placement tests they were in level a. They are doing great now and their spelling is improving greatly! Just like any curriculum, you may have to make a few modifications, but you make it work for you.
My 7yo dd isn't a great reader, and I'm hoping the spelling lessons will actually help her. I'm going to tweak it though: no actual spelling tests, and I'll just spend a lot of time having her orally spell the words while reading them off the paper. I tweak Spelling Power a lot, anyway, so that's nothing new :lol:
If a child reads well they will see the correct spelling and eventually learn to spell most words correctly. It is my belief that we don't need to use dedicated spelling programs, and if you use one, I wouldn't use one with a 7/8 year old, but wait until they are older. The worst spelling books to give a child are those with incorrect spellings and the child chooses the correct one. Because what they see they remember. I was raised in England and we never learned spelling words, we just learned to read and to write. I was very surprised by the American method of learning spellings and actually think it's a waste of time. When I was in school I wrote, my writing was corrected, my spelling was corrected, I rewrote the words correctly and that was the extent of my learning spelling words. The method is much better because the child is learning words they actually use. I'd just like to say though that in England I did a lot more writing than I see in American schools.
I really like using a phonics program for my kids. All About Spelling is supposed to be designed to work by teaching why the letter combinations make certian sounds. So, it's less about memorizing, and more about understanding it. We are just starting it with my DS, so we'll see how it goes. Tina Razzell - I like using phonics or spelling programs, b/c reading did not = spelling well for me. In grade 9 I tested at a university reading level, but my spelling had me sent to a writing tutor!
Might want to try www.kidspell.com for the time being. Then in about 6 months, test again with Spelling Power.
That's pretty much how it was when I went to school too... My ds' first grade teacher told me that it didnt matter that he spelled "I luv skool"...what mattered was that he could write. There was no need to correct his composition, that was what they had spelling lists for. I disagree though: At home, any written work they bring to me is promptly corrected.
Thanks everyone! I am thinking I may go ahead with Spelling Power. He tested at level b. Just didn't know after reading what SP said.
