Hello,
I have an 11 yo son who spells VERY phonetically and doesn’t seem to have a visual memory for spelling. He could make 100’s on all his spelling tests and then never spell those words correctly in writing. He still misspells words like were and where in his writing, even though if I asked him to spell them orally he would get them correct - usually. :roll: He also has trouble reading multi-syllable words.I have done the first 3 levels of Barton Reading and Spelling with him. He has breezed through it. I am thinking of switching to Wilson just because it is less expensive, has more time and research behind it etc. The are both OG based, so I thought the transition would not be too difficult. I have seen Wilson and understand it is not scripted like Barton. Also, for anyone who has used Wilson, would it be possible to just use this as a spelling program too. I just quit on the regular spelling program we were using because it was a waste of time - as I mentioned above. I used more dicatation sentences made up by me with frequent word lists last year. Would it be possible to just pull some words out for spelling from Wilson each week with whatever skill we are learning? Also, would it be possible to use this with my daughter too - she is almost 8 - going into 2nd grade - reads fairly well - still has trouble with long vowels? Thanks for any advice…sorry this is so long.
Thanks,
Debbie
What I would recommend is using Sequential Spelling for awhile. This program seems to teach visualization skills and pattern recognition skills that other programs take for granted. Also, carryover into writing is automatic. Usually you see improvements in writing after the first 60 lessons or so. Website for this program is http://www.avko.org
In my experience, pulling spelling words out of other materials works best for children who are already pretty good spellers. It doesn’t seem to work for those who are very poor spellers, and ends up being a waste of time and energy.
I have never used Wilson, but thought that it was designed for older children who need remediation. It may not be particularly appropriate for your younger child.