Any suggestions on learning to spell better for DS7? In two years of spelling tests, I don't think he's missed more than two words total, but when he writes, he doesn't necessarily remember how to spell those words. He wants to know how to spell and complains that his teachers don't care and aren't teaching him. I think what is happening is that they want the kids to write and not to get stuck on spelling. As DS says, they only care that the children try their best. This actually has been good for DS, as last year he wouldn't write anything if he couldn't write it right. Still, his work does not come back corrected - he just gets the usual star or smiley face, and he is becoming increasingly frustrated - that and if I point out he made a mistake on a word, he won't correct it saying the teacher's don't care.

So, what do you think? Does it all come back to phonics? What do HS'ers do about spelling? As always, suggestions appreciated!

ps - Dottie, I included the icon with the question mark, but if you point the mouse at it, you'll see it's confused, not questions. Where is confused? Confused, if you're still out there, check back in. We miss you!

There are spelling curriculums out there. But we don't use any of them.

I have DS6 write a little every day, which is handwriting, spelling and composition practice, all rolled into one. If he asks me how to sell something, I always have him sound it out, but then I do correct him if he goes a bit off the rails and explain why it is the way it is (or if his sounding out makes more sense than the reall spelling, then I say that the real spelling makes no sense because it's English!).

We also play the "Last Letter Game" nearly constantly.

DS6 has never had a spelling test, but he's probably about as good a speller as I am.

I don't know if that helps you?

FWIW...It sounds like your DS just really wants someone to correct his mistakes, yes? Could you ask the teacher to do this for him? Special treatment, sure, but not difficult to do...

If it makes you feel any better, Dottie, early on, someone assumed I had an only child because I never posted about DS3, only about DS6.

<shrug>

When these are the kids you worry about, they're the ones you post about. Since then, I've had some worries about DS3, so I've posted about him, too.

If your DDs are dealing well with school and their role in it, they're mostly happy, mostly challenged, then of course you don't post about them. That doesn't mean you're ignoring them. We can't see your real life!

Don't let it bother you. I'm sorry you got personally attacked for your parenting. That seems ridiculously out of line to me! It seems obvious to me that you're a loving and conscientious parent!!!

Okay, now this myers-briggs stuff is bleeding into ALL the threads.
It's taking over the forum!!!!!!!
Darn you, you myers-brigs people whoever you are, you are enabling the categorizing people!!

Okay Kriston and Dottie, INFJ here, but very close to INTJ. I'll be the conduit of understanding since I seem to be close to both sides.

I see it as Dottie spells out the differences between the kids very black-whitish. This is done in a process that we all do here. To sort things out and make better sense of them. Data analyst.

I consider it an advanced parenting skill that actually helps us meet our children's unique needs, very well.

But if you step out of the analyst box, it can look very cold, especially because we are talking about our own children. I mean "good moms" are supposed to see(love) their children all the same. I put love in parenthesis because I think that's the root of the confusion. KWIM?
But, fair isn't everyone gets the same, it's everyone gets what they need. I think that is really what we are doing and my opinion is that it's the key to good parenting.
Now, if you are a intense F person like myself, for example. I "see" people's feelings, motivations etc. I actually think that's why I've had success with advocating at school. I'm able to manuever through meetings on the fly. I always "sense" what's coming next and am quick on my feet.

Okay, getting off subject, I'll pat myself on the back later. In my family I sensed that my mom favored my sister and my dad favored me. It was ever so slight and not obvious. In fact, most people don't pick up that stuff. But a kid is not supposed to know that stuff, so it kind of stinks.
If I were a different person, Dottie, some of your posts could have pushed several buttons with me, KWIM.
However, one of my letters allows me to put all this stuff in perspective and not internalize it. Which letter is that?
And, I'm not saying you favor your son. But someone that doesn't know you could misinterpret a post or two if they hadn't been here long enough to have read all/most of your threads.
I get you, though. I feel ya, girl.

Incog

Okay, back to spelling. I think the more you read, the better you spell. DS is obviously ahead of the curve in that subject compared to agemates because teacher doesn't seem concerned. Some kids are more intuitive spellers.

Read, read, read. That's my thought.

Sorry, that's all I could come up with!

I

We've never studied spelling either, and my kids do get tested on spelling every year when we do the CAT 5. They are always in the top 2%, even though we test "up" 2-4 grade levels. Every kid is different though, and if you really want a spelling program, you could try Spelling Power, which I have heard positive things about, or maybe look for spelling bee prep tools.

I think spelling is much less critical a skill to have these days, with spellcheck available on every computer. It's just icing on the cake, like nice penmanship.

Not correcting spelling errors in writing drives me nuts. DS5 teacher doesn't correct them either. At least that was my impression from the very few things I saw from his LA (don't let me start on that).

I am not happy about it. First of all as INTJ I need things to be right, you know? Second of all DS5 has amazing memory (like all gt kids I am sure) and when he writes a word incorrectly a few times he then thinks that his spelling is correct.

If he writes something at home I correct the spelling. At the beginning I used to correct only major mistakes and leave the smaller ones, now I correct everything.

When he started writing more he made more mistakes than when he typed on the computer without a spell checker. I think he put so much concentration into writing that he didn't see obvious mistakes. It's not a problem anymore, but you could see a clear difference just a few months ago. He is a very good speller though (4:0, 162 on WJ-III).

Questions, it could be that your son doesn't check what he wrote. He writes it and never reads it again. I am guilty of that myself, who has time for that? If you could get him to double check his writing it would probably help a lot. Could you ask his teacher to start correcting his errors? Or could you make a deal with DS that you will correct his spelling on the work he brings home?

My 9 1/2 year old homeschooled son always wanted to spell words correctly and whenever he had to write something, he avoided using words that he wasn't sure how to spell. This is one reason he decided to try out for a spelling bee. He knew that it would require focusing on words and vocabulary for a while. I told him if he learned the more than 3,000 words on the list, he would probably know how to spell well enough that he would only have to occasionally look up words and we would take spelling off of our list of things that he needed to learn.

Today we will do nothing but spelling since the spelling bee is tomorrow. It is funny how much I learn with my son. There are words on his list that I didn't even know the definition of. So I would recommend doing a spelling bee if you think he would like that kind of thing. Since my son started practicing for it, he really started paying attention to how words were spelled, even on his video games, especially Yu-Gi-Oh.

A few years ago he enjoyed the Vocabulary Cartoon books and saw some SAT words he remembered from these books, like the word ubiquitous, on his spelling bee list and he remembered how to spell it.

The strange thing is, he will remember how to spell what I think are really hard words and if he makes a mistake, it will be on what I think is an easier word.

He liked doing Every Day Edits on educationworld.com and looking for spelling errors. He also liked using an electronic dictionary to look up words.

Barging in here (I'm still new and trying to get the lay of the land) - on spelling, I have been told that if you can spell a word backward, you can spell it forward. I've been using this method with my dd (1st grade; am I supposed to write "DD6"?) http://www.visualspatial.org/Articles/app2spell.pdf and so far it is working. Of course, this would only apply to spelling test words, but if the theory is correct, then you wouldn't forget the correct spelling of those test words when you went to write the word later on. (alternatively, could the problem just be that it takes too long to stop and think about the correct spelling when the child's thoughts are moving many times faster than they can be written?)

I have never had much trouble with spelling, and I always thought it was from doing a lot of reading. But I know my dd, who has a ton of trouble reading phonetically, reads a lot of words by context, and does not focus on the spelling at the time she is reading it - she's already on to the next sentence.

Welcome

In terms of spelling, my DS(8) is already a far better speller than I am. He seems to intuitively understand how to spell most words unless they really don't follow any rules.

On the otherhand, although both DS and I are voracious readers,I really struggle to spell and often just plain give up if spelling concerns are getting in the way of effective communication.

I read a bit differently. I seem to just absorb each page without consciously seeing each word on the page. Therefore, I never really look at each word so the spelling doesn't register. I'm not sure how DS reads. Although I see his head moving like an old fashioned typewriter sometimes, so I think that he is reading each word.

I tried the backwards spelling idea and within about 30 seconds had a developing headache

Thank you all for your comments. Very helpful. I am working with him on checking his work. As I work from home, he sees me editing and rereading all the time, and I try to emphasize the importance of checking his work. (Often, he'll say the right answer to a math problem and then write down a different number, or transcribe the answer from the last question to the question he just solved. We are definitely working on these types of attentional issues. I'm always telling him, you know the answer, may as well get credit for it.)

I'm afraid to try the backwards idea, as it may confuse him. Then again, he may get a kick out of it. After all, he likes literal humor and there's nothing wrong with knowing a word "forwards and backwards."

I think I'll just go the route of write a first draft, then go back and reread and edit and I'll help him correct his spelling errors at that point. I think this is an example of his big disconnect with the teachers this year - they teach a certain way assuming a certain level and don't vary what they do for him.

At least he wants to learn how to spell.

Good ideas, Dottie.

and yes 99.9% of the population is more visual/spacial than I am.

You're welcome. Always glad to help.

(Though if you actually read how I responded there, you'll see that it's utterly Spock-like: "No reason to get all emotional about your other kids if they're not causing you any problems." Seriously, even when I'm empathizing, I'm INTJ all the way!)

You're doing great. Barge away!

Welcome!