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Just don't understand

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I had an IEP metting yesterday for my ten year old daughter. She is learning disabled in math & reading.She is in the 4th grade and is reading at a second grade level ,but they told me that she was great in spelling. That it was a strong subject for her. Well how can she be doing so well in spelling and can’t read. I forgot to ask that question when I was there.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/22/2002 - 1:49 AM

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Just the way my daughter did it.
She memorized all the words.
Can she spell those same words now -
not bloody likely ;-)

My daughter reads and writes at a college
level, she has an extensive vocabulary but
her spelling sometimes causes the spell checker
to send forth smoke from the computer.

Anne

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/22/2002 - 2:05 AM

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You could ask them what they are basing that statement on. What is there data. You got to be careful of subjective information it can lead you done a misguided garden path.

Helen

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/22/2002 - 9:50 AM

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I AM A MOTHER OF 2 BOYS WITH READING DISSABILITIES, (9 AND 10 YEARS OLD) AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT FOR THESE GREAT KID TO MEMORIZE A FEW WORDS A WEEK FOR THE SPELLING TEST IS A TASK THEY CAN EASILY PERFORM. IT’S JUST REPITITION. WE ALL CAN LEARN THAT WAY. IT IS JUST STRAIGHT SHORT TERM MEMORY. BUT OT ACTUALLY PUT IT INTO THE USABLE, LONG TERM MEMORY THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RELATE THE WORDS TO SOMETHING—A PNUMONICDEVICE. BUT IF YOU WERE TO PUT THOSE SAME SIGHT WORDS THAT THEY MEMORIZED INTO TEXT FORM THAT THEY HAD NEVER PRACTICED THEY WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY MISS THE WORD. THAT IS WHY MY 2ND SONS TEACHER TEACHES THEM ABOUT “THE CHUNK FAMILIES”, (IE. WORDS THAT HAVE MANY OF THE SAME LETTERS, SUCH AS LIGHT, SIGHT, FIGHT RIGHT…ETC…THAT WAY THE LEARNING BECOMES EASIER FOR THEM BECAUSE ALL THOSE WORDS RELATE WITH “IGHT”. SO ANYTIME THAT THEY SEE A WORD WITH “IGHT” IN IT THEY WILL REMEMBER IT SO MUCH BETTER. SHE CALLS IT “CHUNKING”. I TOOK BOTH MY BOYS OUR OF RESOURSE DUE TO A POOR TEACHER AND THEIR REGULAR TEACHERS, USING THIS CHUNKING METHOD HAVE DONE WONDERS FOR THEM. IF SHE IS IN RESOURCE PUT IN HER IEP THAT SHE WILL BE TAUGHT THE CHUNK FAMILIES–—IT WILL HELP. GODD LUCK
MICHELLE

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/22/2002 - 12:16 PM

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Is she spelling 2nd grade words or regular 4th grade words? If you are having a private eval., I expect that they would do a battery of tests, including academic(reading, writing, and math). Ask if her spelling, and reading are equivalent with her cognitive ability, and how they evaluated these areas. Early spelling lists are sight words, and may be easy to memorize. How many words does she have to learn each week? My 3rd grader has 15, and my 5th grader has 25(much harder ones).

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 05/23/2002 - 9:26 PM

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Don’t be shocked. My guy has had straight A’s for 3 years on spelling tests but has weaker reading comprehension skills.

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