The 20-30 minutes was an estimate. Since it was only the first week of the new words, I was caught off guard and really didn't practice very much with him. And the 20-30 minutes includes the time for the meltdown.
He's an excellent speller, but I think it's more a case of he simply memorizes the word after seeing it a few times. So the challenging words I think are good for him to work on skills like sounding things out or other devices to help him remember how to spell things. I also see this as a way for him to learn study skills and other strategies to approach learning something new/challenging. That's why I wanted him in gifted education in the first place.
But I agree, I don't think it should be more than 5-10 minutes a day. He gets his new list today, so I'm going to try some strategies to prevent the meltdown and help him practice a little each day. The other kids do worksheets in class, but those are using the words from the regular list, not the challenge words. For him I was thinking he could make his own flashcards maybe? Draw pictures on the front to help him practice?
Thanks again for the feedback, it's helpful to know I'm not alone. --S
