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For those using Spelling Wisdom
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I’m trying to get a handle on how Spelling Wisdom works. There seems to be a very large selection of passages in these books, far more than could be covered in a year or maybe even two if you are only doing one selection a week. Do you use every passage sequentially or are there a couple of passages to choose from that will cover all the necessary words? I am looking at starting a sixth grader in book one. Is there a placement test to see which lesson he should begin on? I’m new to the idea of prepared dictation and really unsure about this program. I see there is a Canadian spelling version, so that is very helpful to know. Any Canadians out there using this? What is your opinion of it?
We do these twice a week. I’d say start simple and then move ahead a bit if the child is doing very well–not missing any words, doing the passages correctly. I skipped ahead something like 50 lessons once I figured out one of my children was not being challenged. There is an index of words used if you need to use that, but I tend to move sequentially through until I determine no one is being challenged, then I move ahead farther. My sixth grader is in Book Two. I began SD with him last year and he buzzed right through the first book with me skipping ahead some and skipping passages where I know he knew all the words and all the other conventions I wanted to teach (punctuation, etc.)
I’ll let some of the others jump in on how they use and like Spelling Wisdom, but I can answer some of the details.
We reccomend a pace of two or three lessons per week, based on Charlotte Mason’s practices. At that pace, each book should last about two school years.
The lessons are designed to be used sequentially to cover all the words and naturally increase in difficulty. However, if you need to reinforce a word that has been missed you can use the index in the back of the book to find other lessons that use the same word. You can then use those lessons, or even a small portion of one, for additional practice without just repeating the same lesson.
The sample book download contains a lesson from the beginning and middle of each book. The book and the Spelling Wisdom page give a rough guideline of the grade levels for each book. You can use that along with the sample lessons to determine placement.
Spelling Wisdom is available in versions with American and British spellings. We don’t have a specific Canadian version.
We have a prepared dictation video that tells more about the technique and demonstrates how it works.
I am a Canadian and we use the British/Canadian version. We have book one and we are using it for our dd 9. She was VERY concerned with her spelling skills and we started very slowly. We started out using it exactly the the way they said to use the prepared dictation and were trying to aim for two a week. It didn’t work so well. We kept trying for our whole first term, so I don’t think we gave up to easily. My dd has anxiety issues (rather large ones) and she started getting panic attacks and second guessing herself during the dictation part (even though she had studied all the words) so much that a lot of times we would BOTH end up in tears. I was thinking of getting a totally different spelling program that taught through “rules” etc. but DH did not like that idea and thought it may only confuse her further because SO MANY words in the English language do not follow these rules. So this term we are still using SW but are trying it in a completely different way than what is normally used. It seems to take the pressure off a little (not all the way, though) but I am still not sure if it is effective.
As for the passages themselves, we are finding them very enjoyable so far.
I don’t know if that helps you out at all! Ha! Probably not so much. LOL!
Blessings!
Miranda
lol – I’m planning on using the US one, and Canadianizing the spellings. I considered the UK ones, but there are words that are different in the UK than in Canada too…. (gaol anyone?)
So now I’m not sure which one would be better for us….
@Linabean We tried using Spelling Wisdom for the first half of this year but it didn’t work out so well. My ds also has anxiety issues and once he started seeing more than about 3 words that he couldn’t spell he would start to panic. This was the reason we stopped using a “regular” spelling program and tried studied dictation. I wanted to believe this method would work but it wasn’t working out as I had hoped. Then I came across “Delightful Dictation with Spelling” by Wiggletoe Press. This has worked better for a couple reasons I think… The passages are shorter to begin with and use words more familiar to my ds (less scary and able to build confidence from the start). Then there is a spelling section that reinforces one or two spelling rules used in the dictation passage. The spelling words can be ones of your own choosing that you think your dc need to practice or you can use the suggestions from the book “The ABC’s and All Their Tricks: The complete Reference book of phonics and spelling” by Margaret M. Bishop.
I am hoping to go back to Spelling Wisdom at some point. The passages are more “meaty” than those used in Delightful Dictation. But this seems to be a nice way for us to transition into the whole studied dictation thing.
Just something else to consider
Blessings, Michelle
Hmmm … my son becomes very anxious when there are too many math problems on a page and I usually have to isolate a few questions at a time for him to work on. He is still doing regular copy work with ruled paper because of his dysgraphia. I’m afraid he’d be overwhelmed with passages if they are too long. We’ve only been hsing since September. Generally he does extremely well with narration, but we’ve not attempted to move him to written narration yet. I don’t know if I should require it in 6th grade next year, or wait until his printing has improved. Maybe I should hold off on spelling as well? Should they start about the same time?
Well, just don’t overwhelm him with too much “new” requirements at the same time. =) i noticed that our dc handwriting improved when I started having them write more as a regular thing, and not as just copywork and a few odds-n-ends.
Also, if you are getting the words they don’t know pulled out of a passage, they don’t have to write the entire longer passages as dictation. I have mine copywork them, and pull the uncertain words out and practice those. Then when we do dictation, I usually just do the part with those words in it – and/or choose another exercise to do the next week with some of those practiced words to make sure that we cover them (love that index thing!). I don’t have them do a whole paragraph or more of dictation. My dc anxiety levels would go out the roof (not to mention my patience). =) My 5th grader is doing pretty well with this…(she is almost 12).
Keep in mind that there should only be two or three words in a passage that your child doesn’t know how to spell. You can choose the book and starting point within the book to hit that sweet spot. (I forgot to mention that regarding placement earlier.)
If your child tends to get anxious you can start with easier lessons or only do portions of lessons to build confidence. You can also make a huge impact with your attitude and how you treat the lessons. When a word is missed don’t make a big deal about it. Simply cover it in some way (the really small sticky notes are great) so your child can write the correct spelling in its place after the dictation is finished.
If you haven’t watched the prepared dictation video yet I would encourage you to do so just to see how Sonya presents it and how relaxed the technique can be.
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