To study English grammar well is somewhat like studying spelling – it is something that requires a certain sort of memory and “sentence sense”.  Diagramming is an integral part of this process.  It allows kids to recognize how parts of speech fit together to make a sentence that is, in a sense, “spelled properly”.

There is a certain highly successful spelling program known as Spelling Power.  It is known as the very best of the best out there.  In just fifteen minutes per day, it transforms a child from a non-speller to a very proficient speller – sometimes raising test scores by several grade levels in a single year.  This is by utilizing a spelling list tailored to the … Read the rest of this post…

A spelling practice book is indispensable part of any spelling program.  This gives a designated space where students jot down words they need to work on, and where they then go and work on those words.  There are many ways to organize the spelling practice book.  Here are a few:

Use left hand pages for listing “words to be practiced” and the right hand page for doing that practice.  Be neat and tidy in writing out the practice list.  Be certain each word is spelled correctly.  Skip one line between words.  Make two neat columns.  Fill out the list gradually over time.  Where to get the words?  From the students’ own writing.  Any time the student or teacher … Read the rest of this post…

Sometimes there is nothing less fun than a spelling test—and practicing for a spelling test? Come on. Writing words twenty times in cursive might get the job done, but probably with boredom and frustration.  It doesn’t have to be this way! Here are six simple spelling games to take the nightmare out of test preparation.

1) Guess the Letter. On paper, parents write spelling words hangman-style, with blank lines for two or three of the letters. After familiarizing themselves with the spelling list, students guess what letters go in the blanks.  After one or two rounds of this game, students may be ready to fill in all the blanks from seeing only the first and second letter, and the length … Read the rest of this post…

I used A Reason for Handwriting Manuscript B with my second graders that were a little behind in handwriting skills.  It was a success and best of all they enjoyed the journey!

Strengths:
I appreciated the short but structured daily lessons offered in A Reason For Handwriting.  Each day the student has so much handwriting in other areas of their school work that I didn’t want them to focus to much time and energy on a lesson where the sole benefit was handwriting but instead be introduced to healthy techniques and be able to apply those learned that day and previously to their other  assignments.  The first four days of the week the student learns the proper formation for all … Read the rest of this post…

“Why study spelling?” many students ask.  It’s about courtesy.  A person who spells well and forms paragraphs correctly makes things easier on the reader and builds a good rapport, just as someone who is well spoken in oral communications.  Just as clear enunciation of the spoken word contributes to the clarity and pleasantness of a conversation, correct spelling is important to the clarity and pleasantness of written communication.  Good oral and written verbal skills make a good impression.  They convey professionalism and competence; and courtesy towards the other person.

On the other hand, mumbling and inarticulate words in oral conversation are rather inconsiderate, and sometimes seen as lazy or nervous or dishonest.  A person who spells badly is similarly seen … Read the rest of this post…

The interesting thing about teaching spelling is that it is just exactly the opposite of teaching reading.  When students learn to read, they learn to decode the phonetic symbols that stand for the sounds of English words.  On the other hand, when students learn to spell, they must learn to correctly encode a word into written form.  Thus strategies for teaching spelling are thus closely related to teaching reading, but still look very different.

Some students are excellent readers, but poor spellers.  Teachers who see this and who have tried very hard to improve students’ general reading and language skills with no spelling improvement might wonder what other strategies are available.  The good news is that with the … Read the rest of this post…

STRENGTHS
There are several strengths in the 3rd grade Spelling Workout 2002 curriculum (Spelling Workout Level C). The teacher guide is helpful, and the curriculum follows a simple and consistent format. Each lesson in the student book has varied exercises and the list words are selected to exemplify a particular spelling rule. The lesson begins with an interesting reading section and the exercises include fun stuff for students to look forward to, such as puzzles or riddles. An added bonus is that with each lesson’s list words is provided a handwriting sample of each word. This can be used to integrate handwriting practice with practice of the spelling words.

A great strength of the Spelling Workout 2002 Teacher Edition is … Read the rest of this post…

Beverly Adams-Gordon’s daughter Angie couldn’t spell.  In sixth grade, she was spelling on a second grade level.  Her mother was determined to change that.  After nearly two years of research, Adams-Gordon hit on a program that worked and Angie gained three grade levels of ability in a single year!

Thus was born Spelling Power, the “best of the best” spelling program that combines the most effective techniques from existing research and curricula into a usable program.  Spelling Power is a program that uses only fifteen minutes per day to teach spelling, yet is more effective than almost any spelling program out there.  It was developed in a homeschool classroom, which helped to bring about two of the program’s … Read the rest of this post…

Christian Liberty Press Building Spelling Skills Book 7 completely focuses on more advanced words with prefixes and suffixes.  The beginning of each unit gives the prefix or suffix and its definition as well as an example of a root word with that prefix or suffix, the new word created by adding the prefix or suffix, and the definition of that new word.  After students learn the prefix or suffix for the unit, they move on to a list of twenty words that have that prefix or suffix.  Through exercises of writing, matching, sentences, dictionary skills, word comparison, scripture verses, and more, students learn the spellings and definitions of their list words for the week.

Students are also exposed to extensive … Read the rest of this post…

The Building Spelling Skills series by Christian Liberty Press is one I have used for all three of my home schooled children. This publisher has been around for many years and I wholeheartedly trust their curriculum. Book 1 is the first grade spelling book in this series. It is a consumable workbook which always makes life easier!

Strengths:
This spelling book has a unit for each school week. Each unit is outlined into five lessons for daily spelling practice and familiarization with the unit’s spelling words. There are clear instructions in the introduction to this book on the best way to teach and learn spelling. Everything is covered here from vowel sounds to blends and digraphs. There are even test … Read the rest of this post…