Alternative Spelling Lists

Since my daughter who is using Logic of English is older (11yo), I decided to add the alternative spelling lists provided on the LOE blog.    Lists 1-4 and 6-9 include videos taught by the author.

Logic of English Alternative Lists

A few of the words on the first list are easy ("mob") but others have been a fun challenge ("squalid").  My goal for 11yo is mastery, so we will be working at a much slower pace on these lists.  For example, this week we are working through lesson seven in the book and also using alternative spelling list one.

note: The slower pace (one lesson per week) has been a better fit.

Logic of English - Lesson Four

Much, much better!

• We were forced to split the lesson into four sessions due to chauffeuring my older daughters to and from their play practice.  
• I tried to rely on my brain more and on the script less.

The Future?

As much as I want to propel her forward I need to take into consideration that 11yodd's brain needs time to absorb and practice using the information that is being thrown her way.  I want her to own it!  If we try to maintain a lesson a day it may be like too much rain on dry ground.  The water runs off because the ground is too dry to absorb it.  I don't want to create a flash flood.

So now the question is...just how fast do we move through the material?

Logic of English - Lesson Three

This is an excellent program.  I am the problem.  I know I should break the lesson into several sessions, but I ... just ... can't ... make ... myself ... do ... it!  I am killing our love of learning.  My 11yo has never been excited about school but today I could tell she was seriously fried.  Me too.

Logic of English

The one thing she DOES like is the games.

My goal for tomorrow (lesson 4) is to break up the lesson into at least three sessions.  

Logic of English - Lesson One

Logic of English

Hoo Boy!  This is a well laid out program but the first day of any program always takes forever. 11yo is easily distracted but once she discovers the pattern of the lessons it will be much smoother.  Ditto for me too.  Thankfully today's information wasn't new to either of us.  We knew the phonograms A-Z from using All About Spelling (AAS) and the grammar from Rod & Staff English.

The phonograms are a little different from what we learned in AAS.  "I" and "U" have one extra sound and "O" has one less.  We (okay I) decided to stick with four for "O."

The lessons will be longer than AAS even when we get the hang of things and move through them more quickly.  I may need to split up the lessons into two or three sessions during the day.  AAS lessons are typically 20 minutes while the suggestion for "struggling readers and spellers" in LOE is 75-130 minutes per lesson.   Of course that includes grammar and some composition.

Having only had LOE for several days I think a pro is being able to see the big picture.  The advantage of All About Spelling is the gentleness of the approach.  Both programs are excellent in my opinion.

All About Spelling 1 and 2

warning: another spelling post ;)

All About Spelling

Okay, spelling for 11yo isn't going as easily as I would like.  I feel like it is my fault for not actually reading through the lessons or following the plan as laid out in the book.  I am learning that I can't rely on visual and auditory alone.  It worked for me, but she needs more.

This is what worked in level one:

• she would practice the phonograms using the CD
• I dictated the words and she spelled them on the dry erase board

Here is what I hit upon today and it seemed to work well:

• showed her the word card and pronounced for spelling
• she clapped the syllables
• she spelled each syllable using the letter tiles
• on her own she decided to mark the vowels as long or short according to if the syllable was open or closed
• she pushed the tiles together and pronounced for spelling
• she wrote the word above the tiles while saying each individual sound

A real stumbling block is our relaxed pronunciation of words.  I believe using different modes of learning (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) will be powerful, however I think pronouncing for spelling will be essential for her success.

As the teacher I am now convinced that skimming the lesson won't work anymore.  I need to read the lesson and actually follow the suggested steps.

Slowing down

Sometimes homeschooling just feels like a slog.  You want to accomplish a certain amount each day but the child's brain can only handle so much information.  Slow, then slower, then really slow.  It feels like we're trudging through mud rather than skipping along the yellow brick road.  Can I blame my "check list" mentality again?

Spelling - My goal was to make it through AAS 2 and 3 by the end of next school year.  We were moving along and then we hit a group of words which she naturally mispronounces (mixes short i's and e's).  Instead of calling out the word and having her spell it on the dry erase board while sounding out each phonogram, we've added in the visual aspect for reinforcement.  I show her the word on a flash card, say it for spelling (emphasizing the correct sounds), have her pronounce for spelling, and only then does she get to attempt it on a board.

example:
until - 11yo pronounces it  "un tell"
I show her the flashcard and pronounce the word overemphasizing the short i sound in "til"

dentist - I actually pronounce this as "dintest,"  I know, weird, huh?
Again, I have to pronounce for spelling.  I never realized my pronunciation was so poor.


We'll probably spend all week on this spelling list which means we will be behind where I would like to be.  In order for her to truly learn these spelling words, we have to move at her pace.

reminder: It's not above covering the material, it IS about learning it.

Confidence and Spelling

I never realized how important spelling is or how it can affect one's self-esteem.

13yo learned to read at home. Using phonics based readers was tongue twister torture. She couldn't get past the 5th BOB Book, but she could read Frog and Toad are Friends. She was closer to the sight word end of the spectrum than the phonics end. I decided to work with her strength and we ditched all phonics study. She learned to read by reading books from the library.

I thought that someone who enjoyed reading would automatically be a good speller. Nope. DD would read all day but would panic if anyone asked her to write. Why? Because she knew she could barely spell.

What was I doing about it? We used words from her writing and then very briefly tried Sequential Spelling. She used Rod & Staff spelling workbooks for awhile but my lack of follow through meant that we didn't keep up with that either.

Last year she started writing a book. Even the spell checker couldn't help her. I would go through her work and change words for her. Eventually she saw the words modeled correctly and learned that way. Plus she began using Level A of Phonetic Zoo.

Her spelling has improved, but she still lacks confidence. I believe she is haunted by the fact that someone might ask her to spell something in public. It is only recently that I've realized what a handicap this has become.

Thankfully, I think I've found a program that will give her the background knowledge that she needs to become a more confident speller - All About Spelling. The step-by-step lessons are scripted, so I'll know what I'm doing and what I need to do in the near future. No more guessing and wondering.

The biggest drawback? It will take time. I won't be able to hand over a workbook or CD for independent spelling work. I'm going to be teaching a lesson or reviewing with her every day.

Once we learn the sounds for the phonograms a-z, we'll be able to dive into the program. I'll update once we are farther along in Level 1.

BTW, don't be shocked that we don't know all of the sounds of the alphabet. The five vowels plus "y" have 19 sounds total. Even Mom is finding it challenging memorizing the vowel sounds in their correct order.