My daughter’s summer school teacher actually gave each child a developmental spelling test. She didn’t even realize it wasn’t part of the Read Naturally assessment. I went in to help out today and I did some Phono-Graphix with them. The children only have six days left of summer school so I don’t think anyone could get too far with spelling unless they were willing to spend much of the time on it. But they are also working on writing as well. I think my daughter may have at least improved her writing a little.
Many of the children probably weren’t ready for Read Naturally yet, as I agree with Shay who said that children need to be able to decode before starting Read Naturally.
Margo
You don’t say how old your child is or how many years below grade level she is functioning in reading, but I may have a great solution for her and perhaps others in her situation. I am a special education teacher ande the author of a spelling series, Looking Glass Spelling, which I developed specifically for children with serious problems in decoding. Looking Glass Spelling is a unique, multisensory method of spelling instruction for students grades 2-8 who are reading 2 or more years below grade level. A single, reasonably priced binder of materials provides sufficient work for an entire school year with the kind of reinforcement and practice that LD students need. Looking Glass Spelling teaches strategies (not lists of words) that also improve reading and vocabulary because it is based on Glass Analysis, a recognized instructional technique for teaching decoding, and it uses age-appropriate vocabulary. To learn more about Looking Glass Spelling, see a sample chapter, or to order, just go to our website at www.gwhizresources.com