We don't formally study spelling either. My kids are good spellers (well, at least the first three are!) and it hasn't seemed necessary.
I let the kids choose what language arts to do most days. DD 8 might select her word roots book and do two pages, or she might write a short story. Other times she does a grammar lesson or a poetry lesson. Reading happens all by itself, so I don't even have to think about it. Language arts is scheduled 3 X week.
I do consider the physical act of writing as a separate subject, and assign either printing or cursive for about 15 minutes 3 times a week. We use handwriting without tears. Once a child has mastered decent cursive, they move on to typing.
