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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 4:47pm | IP Logged
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So once again I have decided my kids need some help on their spelling. And once again I have dragged out my old SWR book, did a little with one of said children and then immediately felt like packing it back where it usually stays in the basement.
My two older kids are in no way 'natural' spellers. My dd10 still is at the quite slow reading speed (but has grown leaps and bounds this year). My ds12 is a stellar reader but reads so quickly that I think he doesn't take in the individual spelling of words.
But when I get down to it I can never follow through on the spelling lessons. I think deep down I always believe that working with them through their writing would be a way better method for us, and this is what we generally do. They have made improvements but sometimes I think not quite enough  of them.
I am thinking maybe I should just hunker down and work on this with ds12 this year and give him more tools to work with in his spelling. We have done heaps of dictation and this always works well- but this child doesn't often organically pick up things unless they are pointed out.
I am basically just thinking out loud here. I apologize for the lack of brevity of the post!
How do you folks handle spelling? I really like how Julie from Bravewriter talks about the fact that it takes many years to grow a good speller- I just wonder sometimes how long I should leave it 
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Kristie in Canada
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Lavenderfields
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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Kristie,
We all have to find what works best for our families, and it can take some time. This year I have decided to use SWR and really stick with it. My dd11 was reading at a 2.0 grade point level when we started and she is now reading at a 4.3 grade point level  . My dd7 was reading at a 1.9 grade point level and now is reading at a 4.0 grade point level . And, they are both spelling words pretty well. But, this is a very intense program. I decided this was going to be my main focus this year because I want the girls reading by next year. It is very difficult to try to do school and read all their books to them  .
The rules just make so much sense that the girls just seem to be really understanding them and applying them to their words . I am very happy with this program and my girls like it too. They always want to do SWR. And, the benefit is that they are reading more on their own. They read every night before bed without me asking them to, it is part of their night time ritual now.
God Bless
Robynn
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mama251ders
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 5:39pm | IP Logged
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We use Spelling Power and really like it. It works really well for my kids, one of whom is decidedly not a gifted speller. At least not yet! I didn't buy the whole kit and kaboodle, just the basic book and I think a rather old edition at that. I found it on homeschool classifiedshomeschool classifieds for a really good price which made the risk of a new spelling program worth it. The thing that makes it great is that the speller has to spell each word right at least once before the word drops off their list. I don't have time to explain more as my ride for my book discussion just showed up. I'd be happy to answer any questions later on, though.
Blessings,
Betsie
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 7:12pm | IP Logged
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Thank you both for your replies.
Robynn, I hope you didn't think I was saying SWR was no good. It just doesn't fit us. That said, my dd10 has improved immensely but still needs to work a heap on her reading. Maybe, just maybe this would be the ticket. It never took when she was younger (phonics never made sense to her) but it may now
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Kristie in Canada
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 7:13pm | IP Logged
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Betsie, we worked a bit on SP by borrowing it from a friend one year. It did seem to be set up well, but I just remember my kids acing every test then proceeding to forget it the next week
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Sunflowermama
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 3:02pm | IP Logged
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I am sorry, but what is SWR? I haven't heard of it before.
I too need to work on spelling with my kids.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
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It is the book that can be used with the Writing Road to Reading program: it is called Spell to Read and Write.
What we seemed to have settled on for the moment is to look more at what my son is writing and going over the major spelling offenders here and there in the day: right now that is the why, where, when etc. batch!
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Kristie in Canada
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Sunflowermama
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Thank you very much for your quick response Kristie.
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Lisbet
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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I always end up coming back to The Writing Road to Reading and Starting a Spelling Notebook. Nothing else has ever worked for my children. I have learned TONS myself from it!
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Willa
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 5:51pm | IP Logged
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I just got SWR recently, I think indirectly because of Robynn since I got a chance to preview Chari's copy of it and she mentioned how much Robynn liked it.
I have been using it with my elementary age children and I have never seen a spelling resource I liked half so well. That being said, I use it more as a resource manual for me at present than directly with my kids.
My older set were natural spellers. I never actually even taught spelling to them. The younger ones simply aren't. They were later readers and I don't know if this is a cause of the slower spelling development or simply two symptoms of some other difficulty. They improve every year and stay close to grade level but make the kind of mistakes that reveal to me that they don't altogether understand the language.
That is what I like about SWR -- the way it delves into the reasons for the spellings rather than just relying on memory, and the way it is linked to reading.
One thing I do is apply the SWR rules to their actual writing -- from dictation and from their progym-type exercises.
Another thing I have done is have the children type the SWR dictated words into the computer rather than write them out.
I see I am probably not addressing your questions just adding my own thinking-aloud.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: March 03 2008 at 9:44pm | IP Logged
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I always see the benefits of SWR but always seem to balk at the execution. I always just comes off so schooly to me! However, mine are also not 'natural' spellers (excepting my 7yos ). If I could find a way to incorporate it in a more natural way I think it could be beneficial.
(Thinking out loud here too...)
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Kristie in Canada
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Spelling...again
