Difficulty with spelling….

1. Normal for boys this age, at least at our house and for most of the boys I’ve taught in the past.

2.  You might want to back track a bit and slow down.  There are other OG spelling resources that are more detailed.  But, each of them have strengths and weaknesses.  Searching for a better curriculum sometimes just means more time and money spent.  Using the same one a little later, a little slower, a bit differently, consistently may be just as good as finding another curriculum and it not producing any better results at this point. 

@Christie, didn’t you go back to SWR after AAS?  That’s the only similar curriculum that focusses more on rules that I can think of that’s reasonably user friendly.  WRTR can be a nightmare to figure out.

3.  Probably, or slow down and discuss what’s going on with each card more than once.

4.  I’m not sure I’d correct his notes that are written outside of learning time.  Others may not agree.  You’re not going to be able to catch everything he’s trying to write at this point.  Maybe make note of words you notice him not spelling correctly and go over those in a format with which he is familiar the next day/week?

5.  I’d continue copywork, but postpone dictation lessons.  Again, just me.  I think the Spelling Wisdom (dication focussed spelling lessons) are suggested for 3-12 grades.  But, I’d say that’s also based on readiness.

As far as AAS is concerned, you might use the tiles more, even if he balks, instead of writing.  That movement uses a different part of the brain and may help make things move from the concrete to abstract.  There are times when he most likely knows how to spell correctly, but rushes, or doesn’t connect that fact that he does know how to figure it out.  I’ve seen this with my kids anyway.  I can ask them to look at a misspelled word and say “tell me how this word should be spelled instead of the way you’ve written it down on the paper.”  If they are forced to go through the process more carefully, they usually get it right.  Works this way for early years math for mine, too….especially with borrowing/carrying types of problems.  I make them “teach” it to me for quite a while until there are fewer and fewer mistakes.

hth….I get stuck in these areas with mine, too.  It’s easier to consider options when it’s not your own kid.  When I’m in the middle of it with my own, my brain tends to freeze and I forget that I know how to help them solve it.  That’s why I think helping them slow down and think things through works.  They are doing the same thing I do in other areas.  Brain freeze.  Slowly thaw it out.  Voila!