Spelling-Best Practice?

http://www.avko.org/avkoroot2/Sequential_Spelling/seq_spelling.html

It was recommended to me years ago by a Speech and language pathologist who taught in a special day class. It is Don Mc Cabe’s Sequential spelling and is published by AVKO. It is inexpensive and it really helps expand spelling and and vocabulary for kids who have spelling and vocabulary problems.

If your school is looking for a basal spelling program, Houghton Mifflin is quite good. It is similar to Phono-Graphix in that it moves from sound to spelling. It is set up to use word sorts in order to study spelling patterns.

Hmmm…I’m reading Reading Reflex right now. I like the concept of sound to letters. I’ll try to find the web-site. Thanks!

Janis

My dyslexic daughter had the Houghton Mifflin spelling in school last year. It did not work at all for her, and I had her excused entirely from spelling. The difficulty of the words was far beyond what she was able to handle, and each lesson presented too many different spellings for the same sound — impossible for dyslexics to handle.

This summer we started Sequential Spelling and, even though we are only halfway through the first book (there are 7), we see dramatic improvements in her ability to spell. SS is based on the Glass Analysis approach to reading, which teaches letter patterns in words. This develops some of the pattern recognition subskills many bad spellers lack, and it does not confuse dyslexics. It also requires *no* independent study time, so is very time-efficient for students.

Mary

Mary,

I am interested in Sequential Spelling. Do you feel that the words on SS 1 would be appropriate for second graders in a regular class? My hope is to get a program that would work for LD kids and regular kids in the regular classroom. Ideally, we could start with SS1 in second grade and go through SS 7 in eighth grade. I understand that older kids would still need to start with book 1 or 2, but the school might decide to start it next year in second and then add a level each year. My child also has extremely difficult words. As a matter of fact, I compared words from Houghton Mifflin 1st grade book and the Saxon words, and the Saxon words are much harder! So no wonder we are having problems with spelling. Plus she has 12 words per week versus 9 in HM.

I am probably going to let Saxon spelling go for the rest of the year to work on PG. I think she needs to be reading fluently before learning difficult words. I love the time-efficient aspect of SS! It is very inexpensive, too. It is just pure spelling, though, no vocabulary or dictionary skills, right? That’s okay…those can be learned through other sources.

Janis

Is there anyone using Sequential Spelling in the regular classroom? How is it working for you?

Mary: I did not mean to imply that the Houghton Mifflin spelling series would be good for dyslexics. However, if the spelling words were way above your daughter’s level, then the teacher was not using the series correctly. No surprise to me — the teachers at my children’s school do not use the series correctly, either. To do so would take a tremendous amount of work on their part. They are supposed to figure out what spelling level each child is at and individualize instruction according to the child’s level. I admit it would not be easy to do. It is not unusual for my younger daughter to come home with words that are one level higher than where she is. In that case, studying the words is not very useful for her.

I have heard good things about Sequential Spelling, but I’m not familiar with it. I know someone mentioned it uses word families. I was surprised that the same person was familiar with Phono-Graphix. I guess I had the idea of word families drummed out of my head when I took the Phono-Graphix training. I’ve steered clear of them ever since.

I have had both of my children tutored in Phono-Graphix, though and neither one of them can spell very well. Their reading is much better than their spelling. I am not sure what to do about their spelling, actually. Since my older daughter struggles with every aspect of writing, I’m thinking of having her take a keyboarding class next summer. I don’t know if I want to have her tutored also. Last summer I gave her a break and had no tutoring at all for her.

Sorry to babble. Again, the Houghton Mifflin is okay for the general ed. classroom, but only if used effectively, which unfortunately, it rarely is. I know that dyslexics need more.

Margo

— don’t ask me why, but my middle and high schoolers have said so just often enough for me to notice. Diana Hanbury King’s “Keyboarding Skills” is an excellent route for teaching typing to kids with language issues, by the way (from EPS www.epsbooks.com). Just a book, not software — but uses the alphabet and words, a more “whole-part” approach that just works better.

Sue,

I saw that keyboarding book a couple of years ago at a state IDA conference. It did look good. I can’t remember the ages that is is recommended for, though.

Janis

Sequential Spelling is best started after a child is reading at about a 3rd grade level — which means he/she is actually decoding words. Reading Reflex takes a child through this level, and Sequential Spelling makes a good follow-up to RR.

Developmentally, receptive language skills come before expressive language skills. It makes sense to hold off on spelling (an expressive language skills) until reading (a receptive language skill) is in place.

SS is pure spelling, nothing else.

Mary

We did PG too, and it was great for reading. My daughter was hopeless with scratch-sheet spelling, though. Last year she brought the 4th grade Houghton-Mifflin sheet home from school a few times (obviously cut out of a workbook). At the time her reading was on a mid-5th grade level, but her spelling was still on a 2nd grade level.

This year, for 5th grade, the teacher is having the students each pick one word from their reading material for spelling each week. The kids are actually choosing harder words than H-M — “momentarily, mosquitos, desperately” come to mind. Amazingly, my daughter can now learn these words and retain them for spelling tests and beyond. I attribute this to our work in Sequential Spelling. Currently my daughter is reading on an ending 6th grade level and writing/spelling on a beginning 3rd grade level (she still cannot incorporate good spelling into her writing, even though she can now memorize spelling words).

If you haven’t checked out the Avko website, there is a week’s worth of sample lessons you can try out. It’s really not a word family approach to spelling, but rather is based somewhat on the Glass Analysis approach to reading.

I have also started my daughter on Avko’s keyboarding program. Her handwriting is so slow and tedious, there’s no way she will be able to keep up with the writing demands of middle school without keyboarding. We are spending 10 to 15 minutes per day on it.

Mary

Mary,

My daughter is only in first grade, so it sounds like we will have to wait awhile for the Sequential Spelling. I did not realize that PG goes up to third grade level. That makes me wonder how much of it I will be able to do with her now through the summer. By the way, I showed her principal the RR book today and showed him the screening tests. We had talked before about needing a method to screen first graders who need extra help in reading and I think the PG tests are good. He was very interested, so I told him he could have the book for a Christmas gift! I am very much hoping that they will offer PG tutoring at school this summer.

Thanks!
Janis

If not, it would be a good idea. There are several people on that list who are working on implementation of school-wide Phono-Graphix programs, including screening all incoming K and 1st graders, etc. It would probably be a good source of information for you and the principal. The list has been quiet recently, but it will undoubtedly perk up again. It’s a good place to get professional answers to questions too.

Mary

Mary, no, but that sounds like a great idea! Thanks!

Janis