Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: All About Spelling, spelling, Using Language Well

This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 5 months ago by Rachel White.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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December 5, 2015 at 3:45 pm
4my4kids
Participant
One of my kids is a great reader but not a good speller. I’ve done some research through the blog posts here at SCM. Apparently good spelling begins with teaching reading. Where the kids can use the letter tiles and see how the word is spelled. My problem is what if they didn’t do that when they were younger? What can I do now to help with spelling for a 12yo?
I have done All About Spelling, Level 1 with my kiddo last year. Then Using Language Well was developed and we are completing Book 1 now. However, I wonder if I should go ahead and work on AAS, Level 2 with him. I’ve noticed that ULW, so far, doesn’t point out spelling rules to the child. Do they intend to do this at all?
Any help would be great. Thanks!
December 5, 2015 at 4:59 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
Sometimes a child is a good reader but not a good speller because he is reading so quickly he doesn’t take the time to look at the words’ spellings as he reads. Prepared dictation can help establish that skill as a habit, because the first step in dictation is to read the passage and look for any words he doesn’t know how to spell. If he practices that skill every week, it should help over the long haul.
Using Language Well does not put emphasis on spelling rules because Charlotte didn’t. With all the exceptions to the rules in the English language, they can become more of a hindrance than a help.
That being said, if you think the rules are important to this child’s success, you could introduce applicable rules as you come across words in his dictation exercises that he needs to learn. If a particular rule will help him learn a particular word, go ahead and see if it helps.
December 5, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Kristen
Participant
ALL my kids are bad spellers. But are SLOWLY improving over the long haul. I wish there was a quick fix!
December 6, 2015 at 8:24 am
retrofam
Participant
Another option is Spelling You See.
December 6, 2015 at 6:55 pm
psreitmom
Participant
What Sonya said is exactly right. All the exceptions to the rules can make it difficult, especially for poor spellers. My daughter is one of them. She is poor speller, but rules just bring her frustration. I do what Sonya said and may introduce a rule, depending what words she is learning. My daughter is currently doing Spelling You See. That is chunking, copywork, and dictation. Can’t say how much it has helped yet, but SUS is working well.
December 20, 2015 at 4:38 am
Jessica
Participant
I also agree with Sonya. We have down Spell to Write to Read in the past and I will tell you that it is not helpful to focus on all those rules. Sure they should be taught, but there are too many exceptions for them to be helpful in the area of spelling. My daughter has problems in this area. She started out with the very phonics and rule intense program and it did not create a good speller in her. She also LOVES to zoom through her reading. 😉 We are working on that 🙂 If she is forced to really look at those words she remembers how to spell them. I totally agree with Miss Mason that spelling is part phonetic but greatly memorization. I know it is not popular.
December 20, 2015 at 4:40 am
Jessica
Participant
*done Spell to Write and Read
December 20, 2015 at 8:19 am
andream
Participant
I am using spelling you see with my ten and seven year old this year and I love it. There are two books with each level, they have both finished the first book. It is copy work with dictation at the end of the week. It also revisits some phonics by having them color code the word in chunks. My ten year old is finding this especially helpful. When doing the dictation part she will remember that she marked a word in a particular color earlier in the week and she’s able to remember the spelling. I also like that it is an open and go program, it clearly tells you what you are to do each day on the page. They also focus on how many words the child got right rather than wrong. There is a placement test you can give the child to determine what level they are ready for.
December 28, 2015 at 9:26 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Highly recommend Megawords. My son was also an early, strong reader, but then I noticed around age 11 or so that he was getting multi-syllable words incorrect. He is 15 now and I have seen improvement. It is not a teacher-intensive curriculum at all. It is not juvenile as it’s intended for older children.

http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/products/literacy/phonics-word-study/megawords-2nd-edition/about-the-program