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Erin
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| Posted: May 26 2005 at 3:12am | IP Logged
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I'm needing help in improving my children's spelling ability. They are all very poor spellers, we have not followed any formal methods or approach.
Years ago I did a Spalding course, it made alot of sense to me, however I worried that it was too much for children. I have tried it in the past and they were very negative, I was thinking about whether that was the way to try again.
Has anyone used Spalding? What were your experiences?
Or anyone like to share any other approaches that they use that works well.
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 05 2005 at 10:50am | IP Logged
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Erin,
We have used Spalding's approach. The first time it was a disaster and we both were exhausted and hated it. The second time, I had a few hints which made all the difference in the world - that dd thrived on it and is the only good speller in the family. I'm planning to use it again with my ds (maybe next year).
The first thing we did was order the Spelling Notebook since that was the part we wanted - not the reading. Then we had St. Thomas Aquinas do some testing to tell us where to place them in the spelling (they start using the spelling program around 4 th grade, we used it with our dd in 6th grade). I'm sure you could probably figure out where to place them, but I have to admit, I had trouble figuring that part out.
St. Thomas also suggested that we make copies of the spelling rule chart and the markings and blow them up poster size and display for use. We also made phonogram cards and quickly reviewed and memorized phonograms before beginning the actual spelling. We also copied all the charts the children were supposed to make so that all our children were doing was putting words in the right columns, etc.
When we began the spelling, I did allow our dd to use pencil and to erase. But I did dictate every word using the cheat sheet for parents in the Spelling Notebook (it told you how to say the word - basically scripted for a busy mom who didn't have time to spend hours figuring things out from Spalding herself.) She could use the charts for reference, particularly the marking chart - we did get her to try spelling the words without the rules in front of her.
I will say that it took a lot of mom time. However doing it for one year was worth it! We haven't continued with it, but that one year just seemed to unlock the mystery of spelling and we got almost to the end of the spelling lists. My dd started out as a really bad speller partially due to developmental vision problems which had caused problems in letter reversals, left/right and other things that affect learning and we began the Spalding program right after she completed her vision therapy.
Hope this helps! I'll probably be digging out the suggested plans that St. Thomas Aquinas sent me as they were very helpful. If I find any other little hints or remember them, I'll pass them along.
Janet
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Erin
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| Posted: June 07 2005 at 7:18am | IP Logged
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Janet,
Thanks for responding. You have given me the impetus to keep on plodding. I really wanted to know if anyone felt that Spalding made a difference.
I have been getting all three of my oldest together to review their Spalding sounds. In fact some of them never learnt many of the sounds.
Once they have mastered them we will start with the list, I think right from the beginning for all. Do you bother with all the numbers, or just use the rules and highlight the phonograms? I was thinking about skipping the numbers over the letters. Thought it would drive my children nutty.
I really liked your idea of making up some charts! And the idea of making charts for the children to write in. I think that would make my children less resistant. St Thomas has some good ideas.
At present after re-reading my Ruth Beechick, I have gone back and been getting the childen to write every day, we've been using Nursery Rhymes, the following day they have been using the rhyme for dictation. I'm hoping if I'm consistent we will see improvment.
Thanks for the tips.
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momwise
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| Posted: June 07 2005 at 8:53am | IP Logged
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Hi Erin,
I haven't tried Spalding but I've had a lot of success with using dictation and narration. We go back after dictation or narration and highlight the misspelled words and then go over the rules for those words. When the passage is recopied with all the correct spelling.
It sounds almost too simple to work but it's one of the methods where you see the outcome over time. Some words get spelled wrong over and over but every time we review the spelling rule (if it's an exception word, review the rule and point out the exceptions) and eventually they spell them correctly.
God bless,
Gwen in Denver
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 07 2005 at 10:26am | IP Logged
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We did use the numbers, but usually I would prompt with a question - which phonogram sound and didn't worry too much over the numbers, after all we wanted to learn the words, not all Spaldings conventions. Ie, if necessary, I would lead her right to the answer and not let her sweat it. Most of the time, though, she actually did not have trouble when I asked which sound.
I will say that starting at the beginning is one mistake we made with our first daughter - among many. The first words were very basic - bed, etc. and I don't want to spend a lot of time with busy work. Our daughter actually tested somewhere in the middle of the book and that was a real boost to her.
The placement testing was not super formal. Nor was it lengthy. I think there are some tests in the Spalding or the spelling book that should give you an idea. But even if I couldn't figure it out, I think I'd eyeball the spelling lists and come up with a good place to start - even if it is a guess, unless your children are young.
I do think the method is too intense for young children and wouldn't use it below 4th grade. I also wouldn't want to use it year after year. I look at it kind of like a means of showing them how to think to spell and then once they have the hang of it, they seem to apply it anytime. I do find myself helping them spell with some of the techniques - like syllabication, but not using the formal program after the initial year.
Janet
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Erin
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| Posted: June 07 2005 at 11:23pm | IP Logged
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Some words get spelled wrong over and over but every time we review the spelling rule
Gwen
How do you know what rules to teach?
I will say that starting at the beginning is one mistake we made with our first daughter - among many.
Thanks for this tip Janet, I was going to get them to start at the beginning. I will now go and see if I can find the test you mentioned and see where to start from.
I do think the method is too intense for young children and wouldn't use it below 4th grade.
Glad you said this as I was going to include my second grader with the older two. I think I will now wait and take him through it in a couple of years. Actually I think he may be a natural speller anyway.
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Mary G
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A woman at the CM conference this past weekend has a theory that spelling can be successfully taught using "studied dictation" rather than lists of spelling words. Basically, you give them dictation that focusses on a few of the words they're having trouble with, but in context to make it easier to remember how the word is spelled and what it means. Very much how we adults learn a new word.
I personally haven't tried this as mine are still trying to learn letter sounds  , but you might see if this helps.
The conference tapes are available from Sound Word -- check under the "Charlotte Mason 2005" link and breakout sessions. The woman who gave that talk was Cheri Hedden.
Hope this helps 
Blessings
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Erin
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| Posted: June 09 2005 at 6:23am | IP Logged
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Basically, you give them dictation that focusses on a few of the words they're having trouble with
That sounds like a good idea.
I was shown another good idea today. A friend has made a 'personal dictionary' for her children. She purchased a small spiral notebook, and cut tabs down the side, like a phone book for the letters of the alphabet. When her children need to spell a new word they add it to their notebooks.
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ALmom
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It's funny but that is essentially the part of the Spelling notebook we focused on mostly. We began by dictating spelling words from a list associated with a few spelling rules but dictation does involve using the word in a sentence (and the sentences given in using a spelling notebook are mostly from real literature). If our child spelled the words correctly from initial dictation and then spelled them correctly as used throughout the week in her regular work, we didn't see a need for a spelling test and moved on to the next list. We also didn't spend a great deal of time with spelling rules other than to introduce them as one more tool for correct spelling. We filled a few charts but if your child places high enough on the spelling lists, there aren't tons of these. I think this is one of the reasons it works best with older children.
The markings were the only additional part, but for that one year it really helped our daughter think about the word and why it was spelled as it was. I think this helped because our children tend to be superb memorizers and could get 100 on any spelling test if they were just memorizing words, but would never spell them correctly in real work.
After the first year I use the dictation aspect with words they repeatedly misspell or we simply discuss a word that needs correction asking some of the same sort of marking questions and we haven't done spelling tests with this dd other than that 1 year.
Janet
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Lisa R
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Hi Ladies, 
Can someone explain the Spalding method? Is it a book you buy? We've tried many of the "spelling list" programs to no avail. My kids do great on the daily list but not so well on a final test. However, they both almost aced their annual state test in spelling! Go figure.
Any advice?
Blessings,
Lisa
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 10 2005 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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Spalding wrote a book which is based on the 70 phonograms of the English language. Her contention was that English really was quite regular and that if reading, writing and spelling were taught together you could avoid a lot of the problems caused from the silly sight word and non - phonetic way that reading was being taught in the schools at the time. It also seems to be a great approach for those with dyslexia and a means of preventing a certain tendency towards reversals which was becoming more prevalent.
Her book, The Writing Road to Reading, comes with a tape of phonogram sounds and outlines her method. It was a bit cumbersome to use, so Wanda Sanseri wrote Teaching Reading at Home which actually scripts and illustrates in a practical way, how to put her method into practice in the home. She also wrote The W.I.S.E. Guide for Spelling for those who use Spaldings method with children already reading but needing the spelling.
All three of these books are available through Emmanuel Books.
Her method uses a lot of dictation. You begin by dictating letter sounds and they form manuscript letters. It is also multi-sensory and relies a lot on saying, hearing and seeing. The charts made are meant to help assist the students to think about things as opposed to sight memorize. It involves a lot of mom time because the child does not usually see the material until they have written it from dictation. They then repeat the sounds, etc. It is very thourough, incorporating the latest spelling lists, teaching spelling rules in context and even addressing the influence of words from other languages.
We, personally, have never used her program to teach reading or writing. We have however been quite impressed with how her approach has helped our 2nd dd spell. We have a tendency to do just as you describe with other programs - memorize words, do well on spelling tests but have written work full of spelling errors. This involves so much thinking that straight memorization doesn't happen.
It is very intense and very time consuming so we have not used it consistently year after year, but I have learned a number of valuable things from it and use it fairly closely for 1 year after the children are established readers. One hint, for example, is that the y as a vowel often replaces the i in the English language. This makes the rule drop the y and add the suffix make more sense and is easier to remember.
I am not an expert on Spalding and have not followed her ideas exactly. We did have vision problems and numerous letter reversals similiar to what a dyslexic would do, and we found that her program for spelling did help significantly.
Hope this helps some.
Janet
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Lisa R
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Thanks so much for the explanation.
Could I just purchase the Wise Guide to Spelling and use the program or would I need to purchase more?
Lisa
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Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 11 2005 at 7:46am | IP Logged
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You would at least need the Teaching Reading At Home book and phonogram cards and spelling rule cards. I photocopied these and made my own from The Writing Road to Reading but you may be able to purchase those seperately from somewhere.
Janet
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Needing Spelling Help/ Ideas
