My son's school for HG kids uses sometimes difficult words. I know they pull from all kinds of lists, including lists of words commonly misspelled by adults. I think it's great. Many HG kids will not have learned how to memorize spelling words, since they are familiar with so very many words. I think this is another method of teaching them to learn how to learn.
The teacher may just be getting a feel for the kids, too, and may have different plans for spelling later on. I think half the year in my son's second grade, the kids were able to pick their own words.
ETA: If you find your son is still struggling after a few weeks, it can't hurt to talk with the teacher.
ETA2: I see I'm in the minority here. I guess for my son, the challenge was welcome. He did and does use rather abstruse words in his daily vocabulary... He was reading at a really high level even in 2nd, and the lists he had gotten in his local school before he transferred to the HG program were a waste of time for him.
Last edited by st pauli girl; 09/04/13 09:15 AM.
