Raves for AVKO, Homeschool Enrichment Magazine
By Heather Idoni
Added Friday, October 31, 2008
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
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Vol. 9 No 86 October 31, 2008
ISSN: 1536-2035
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Copyright (c) 2008 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
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=================
IN THIS ISSUE:
=================
Notes from Heather
-- More Family Life Changes
Helpful Tip
-- Reading and Jumping Fun
Resource Review
-- Homeschool Enrichment Magazine
Reader Question
-- Poor Speller Getting Worse
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
=======================
Notes from Heather
=======================
More Life Changes...
For those who may be wondering what happened to Monday's issue --
well it morphed into Friday's issue! Monday's issue never
materialized due to some unexpected events in our extended family.
My dear younger sister has been some having difficulties in her
life, and as a result our family has grown by 2! Yes -- I now
have 7 children. We have our 5 sons -- and now my 2 nieces! The
Idoni household is very full these days... and we have much fuller
lives than ever before. Please keep us in your prayers (and my
nieces) as we embark upon a new life together. This has sure been
the year for life changes!!! I appreciate you all -- my Notebook
family -- thanks for being there for me through everything I've
had to walk through. I appreciate every loving email I always
receive when I share a little of my personal life with you. (And
to my local friends who subscribe, I sure do thrive on all those
hugs -- not to mention Melanie's homemade meatballs!) Thanks. :)
Love,
Heather
---
From Our Readers...
---
Late Answer for Stephanie (Recommendations for a Second Language)
"Hello, Stephanie, my fellow Canadian. We live in Quebec. Currently,
we are working on 'Le Francais Facile!', which was created by another
fellow Canadian who lives in Saskatchewan -- Marie Filion. This is
our first year using it, but so far it seems thorough and enjoyable.
I do not speak French well (even though I live in a French province!)
and so I needed something that could be followed without much depen-
dency on my knowledge. Secondly, I like her method of teaching the
language using phonograms, basically giving you a solid foundation
for learning how to read, write and speak with proper pronunciation.
We use 'The Writing Road to Reading' program for English because it
follows the same style. Wouldn't you believe that when our 'Le
Francais Facile' book arrived and I began reading it, the author,
Marie Filion, was taught English with the very same book! And her
curriculum is very close to the same style. No wonder I liked her
curriculum when I first checked it out!
It is designed to be a 3 year program for younger kids (elementary)
and a year program for independent learners, like older students and
adults. A lesson is done each week (she suggests every 2 weeks when
your younger students are in their second and third year). In each
lesson, you listen to the audio and vocabulary words each day as well
as a bible verse (a new one is taught and to be learned within 2
lessons = 2 weeks). You also have activities galore that will help
you through the 3 years of study, plus trivia about the French culture
and teacher helps to aid the parent. A great money saver is that it
comes with a disc that has all the worksheets you need for each lesson
so all you have to do is print up whatever you need. Reproducible
means money saved! I know I'm leaving out a whole bunch of stuff
about the program, but if you are curious about it go to their website
www.TheEasyFrench.com and there is a downloadable clip that you can
watch of Marie explaining the program to a home schooling parent.
I have a 12-year-old son doing the independent learning. He does
roll his eyes at the audio because he finds it too childish, but the
work involved is very appropriate and challenging for him. Following
the younger learner program are our 10, 9, 8, 6, and 3 year old. The
6 and 3 year old just follow along with the audio, participate in some
activities, and color some pictures, where the older ones are expected
to do more work. I have to say that I so far like this curriculum.
It is like a casserole; everything in one dish! It has age-appropriate
work, strong phonic foundation, Christian support, and it's affordable!
On a side note, I would like to share my appreciation for this home
school notebook; I have incorporated many suggestions that others
have written in and purchased items based on the recommendations and
curriculum reviews. I always look forward to receiving it."
---
Late Answer for Judy Regarding Dyslexia
"I just wanted to mention that AVKO -- at www.spelling.org -- helps
homeschoolers with Dyslexia. They have some helpful books and
give advice, etc. Your son's dyslexia may possibly be frustrating
to him. And does it make him feel bad that he has dyslexia when so
many others do not? The issue of dyslexia may be one of the causes
of his current behavior.
I may not have made a comment that is new to you, but I didn't see
in anyone else's advice a reference to AVKO. I hope this at least
helps in part. And don't forget to pray for your son regularly."
-- Linda L. in CA
---
Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails by mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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Helpful Tip
================
Reading and Jumping Fun
"My boys are 6. One thing I did (for reading) was to put words
on construction paper and lay them out on the living room floor.
I had the boys jump from word to word to get to the other side
of the room. They had to read the word that they wanted to jump
to. All four of my boys wanted in on the fun!" -- Janet
---
Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
======================
Resource Review
======================
Home School Enrichment Magazine
For more information or to subscribe: www.HomeSchoolEnrichment.com
Truly a family affair, Home School Enrichment magazine is published
by Frank and Kari Lewis along with their two grown sons, Matthew
and Jonathan. Together they produce a periodical that is both
inspiring, and filled with practical, encouraging articles that
touch on almost every area of homeschool and family life. They
believe that "homeschooling is the best lifestyle a Christian family
can have", and strive to be sure that every reader will find something
they can relate to, whether they are a new or veteran homeschooler.
Each bi-monthly issue of Home School Enrichment features articles on
a wide-range of topics, designed to speak to you no matter where you
are on your homeschool journey. In recent issues, regular columnists
and other writers have contributed articles on topics such as how to
stay inspired, tips for new homeschoolers, help for the reluctant
writer, tips on saving time and money in the kitchen, developing a
philosophy of education, handling the high-needs child, college test-
ing, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in our children, parenting,
teaching preschool, encouragement to keep going and enjoy the journey,
teaching art -- and so much more. In addition to the encouraging
articles, each issue also features a product review section, a unit
study, and a "Give It a Try" hands-on teaching article. At their
website you'll find forums, more product reviews, blogs by some of
the magazine's regular columnists, and more.
Sometimes magazines can be so overloaded with advertising that some
of the enjoyment is lost to the reader as they have to jump around
from front to back to finish reading articles. This is not the case
with HomeSchool Enrichment! They have struck just the right balance
and allow the ads to fit around the articles, not the other way around.
We all need support, and Home School Enrichment encourages families
while always reminding them to keep their eyes focused on the One Who
called them to this sometimes overwhelming, often exciting, and
extremely rewarding process called homeschooling. Packed with rich,
deep articles written by fellow parents on the same path, this is one
magazine you'll want to devour as soon as it arrives in your mailbox.
-- Cindy Prechtel, www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
===============================
Last Issue's Reader Question
===============================
"My ten year old daughter (5th grade) is a weak speller. Sometimes
I honestly think instead of getting better she gets worse. This
weakness is starting to affect all of her subjects. Recently, she
began writing answers to questions in a way that confused me. When
I pointed out the over-simplicity of her answer to a question, she
would orally answer the question perfectly. Suddenly it occurred
to me that the simplicity of her answers was a reflection of her
lack of spelling capability! When I confronted her with my observa-
tion, she admitted it. In the past if she would spell a word wrong
I always had her look it up in the dictionary and write it out five
times. She said she knows she can't spell these 5th grade words and
she fears the extra assignment. She is a smart girl and I hate to
see her 'fear' her school work. I would be so grateful for any ideas
to encourage her and for any suggestions of spelling curriculum. I
want to rebuild this weak foundational aspect of her schooling.
Thank you!" -- Kristi
=========================
Our Readers' Responses
=========================
"I would do two things. First of all, check out Spelling Power. I
have found it to be the most logical, helpful spelling program I've
looked at. There is a lot of teacher information which teaches YOU
how to teach spelling. The focus is on retention, not just getting
words right for the test. Lots of review is built in. I have tweaked
the program a bit for my non-speller in a way that seems to be helping
him.
The second thing I would do is to encourage her to write exactly what
she wants to and not worry about spelling. Then go over it with her,
and help her to spell the words correctly, but don't make a long spel-
ling list for her to learn or she'll probably get even more discouraged.
She may retain some of the words you're helping her write, and she'll
feel free to write even if she doesn't know all the words." -- Debbie
---
"I too have a 5th grade daughter that is a VERY weak speller. That
being said, I'm not sure I'm the best person to give help with how to
improve their spelling, since what I'm doing apparently doesn't work.
However I can say to NOT let this affect the other areas of her learn-
ing. If she can answer orally, let her do that. Let spelling be a
separate area/subject. There is no need for it to impact every other
subject at this point. During this time, just continue to work on
spelling. One of the errors that I previously made was trying to jump
ahead to 'grade level' words when they seemed to only frustrate her.
This year I have taken a different approach. I have gone back and
covered the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade words that she apparently has not
mastered. As her confidence has built, so has her ability. Just be
patient." -- Stephani in NC
---
"Our son has dyslexia and has a really difficult time with spelling.
After trying all sorts of things, just by chance I came across AVKO
sequential spelling. It turns out AVKO is a research organization
for dyslexia. There are 8 samples lessons on their website at
www.avko.com
The format is simple. There are 180 daily lessons per level book.
There are 7 levels. You start on level 1 no matter the age of the
child (except younger children who wouldn't be ready for it). The
lessons are based off the book 'The Patterns of English Spelling'.
So instead of learning the rules (which never worked anyway) they
learn patterns. Example:
all
tall
stall
install
installment
Each lesson builds on patterns like this. You read the word to the
child (put it in a sentence for clarification if it is a homonym),
the child writes the word, then you tell them the correct spelling
and they correct it right then and there. Then you move on to the
next word. That's it. It took a while to teach my son that it was
no big deal if he got it wrong - you just correct it and move on to
the next word. He still doesn't like to spell, but it is better than
anything else we have tried and there are not near so many tears.
It can't hurt to try the sample lessons - they are free!" -- Jennifer
---
"Try www.avko.org -- Two of my kids are dyslexic and had problems
with spelling. This system helped a lot although it took a while.
All of my kids were slow readers. It clicks for them suddenly about
7th or 8th grade. My oldest went from 3rd grade reading level to
10th in one year (7th grade). Until then they struggle. Their
spelling improves as their reading level increases." -- Cynthia M.
---
"Kristi -- Check out Sequential Spelling by AVCO. It was designed
by a man who is dyslexic. It starts out EXTREMELY basic and builds.
One sound/word group is covered at a time and built on. For instance,
the first lesson in level one is: in, pin, sin, spin. Each day
would then build on that using other 'in' words and adding prefixes
and suffixes as you go. You can see a free sample at www.avko.org
For drilling words your daughter needs help with, try more hands-on,
fun type activities. Two of my daughter's favorites have been:
1) Locking the keypad on the cell-phone and 'dialing' the letters
of missed words
2) 'Writing' the missed words with her finger in a bowl of rice.
I keep a plastic container of rice with our other manipulatives for
this purpose. (That way you are not wasting rice, rather you use
the same rice over and over again.) I got these and other ideas
from the 'Spelling Power' program. That might not be the best
program for you, but they do sell a box of 'Task' cards with activi-
ties such as these. We have also done things like spelling words
out with other objects, (eg. toothpicks, raisins, yarn, just about
any small object around the house), hop on one foot while spelling
words, write out words on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk, carve
the words in play-dough, etc. You get the picture. Oh, and some-
thing simple my daughter loves is writing them on the whiteboard.
I think it feels more like art than work. (Plus, she usually adds
some pictures... Hey, whatever works.)
My daughter was not a good speller when she was younger, but now
(at age 10) we rarely have to use these activities anymore. I
think they helped her to teach herself various ways of remembering
on her own. Sometimes if she struggles with a word I will catch
her doing one of these activities on her own. However, I must say,
now she can usually spell words verbally and get them right. I'm
sure some of that is natural ability, but I think some of it came
from using various techniques. Also, finding something she enjoys
reading will help... A LOT! For my daughter it was Zoobooks!
Seeing words in print helps." -- Kandyce
---
"We love AVKO Sequential spelling. It works well for older girls
(I know!) who are weak in this area. I have one daughter who has
a hard time writing -- spelling and handwriting included -- and I
allow her to do a lot of her work on a typewriter or word processor.
She is at the age (almost 13) where she likes to get the immediate
feedback of the spell checker, and it is pointless to make her copy
words, because she has dysgraphia.
I have four children; two are natural spellers, two are not. And,
I can admit, I have never learned to spell perfectly myself, yet I
communicate well. For us it is a technical issue and comes secondary
to true learning. Good luck!" -- Anne
---
"My daughter has been a phonetic speller since she was small.
She also hates rote work. Although she is extremely bright,
her spelling is atrocious. Spelling words just seem to seep
out of her brain -- and nothing I have tried has helped so far.
I finally found a spelling site -- www.spellingcity.com -- that
is helping us. This site allows you to make your own lists of
spelling words, and then a woman's voice will read them to the
child while they spell out in red on the screen -- and it will
also make games of the words. The site will also test on the
list, saying the word aloud and then using the word in a sentence.
What I've done is use their sample lists and start at 1st grade.
I have my daughter do one list and test on it. I make my own
list of all of the words she misses until I get a long enough
list of misspelled words. Then I have her work on those words
for however many days it takes for her to get them. I don't have
her spend long periods of time doing this; just a little each
day. The lists are saved so she can practice them again later
and make sure they haven't 'seeped' out of her brain. The best
part is that she can do it herself and it has taken away the
frustration factor."
---
"If she does well orally, maybe you can write down what she says,
then have her use that as copywork. Here's a nice website for
making copywork sheets where you can change the size of the lines
to fit the age/ability of the student:
http://www.worksheetworks.com/
Hope this helps!" -- Jennifer
---
"Hi Kristi -- I have a son who does not spell well for his age.
He's in 6th grade now, and he still has trouble remembering the
basic phonics rules. English is a difficult language to spell,
as we have many rules, and even then sometimes words break the
rules.
So far, we have made more progress through using these steps:
1) Reminding him repeatedly that it's okay if he misspells a word,
and that I would rather he write without being concerned about it.
We can always go back at the end of the writing assignment and
correct things.
2) As we correct a misspelled word, he puts it on his spelling
list for the week and I remind him of words that are similarly
spelled or other words that use the same rule. For example, we
have gone over the -tion word families quite a few times whenever
he misspells a word that has the -tion spelling in it. This helps
him understand the reasoning behind the spelling. (If you need
more information on word families, try googling phonics awareness
activities, or word family activities. Sometimes the activities
are geared toward children, but as teachers of our children, we
need to know the common consonant and vowel blends, etc. One of
my friends here in Virginia referred me to the activities at the
Virginia PALS website.)
3) Reading doesn't improve his spelling, so I try to make sure
that he journals, or works on a report or other writing assign-
ment daily. I tailor the amount to his writing ability. I make
him write enough to challenge him but not frustrate him.
4) I have him study his misspelled and/or vocabulary words each
weekday for approximately 15 minutes, encouraging him to make
games up or use white board and markers to maintain his interest.
Good luck to you and your daughter!" -- Shelly
---
"I too have a 5/6th grader that has really weak spelling. We
have tried spelling lists, tests, word walls. None of them
worked -- no improvement. My daughter hated to write because
her spelling was so weak. She still is a weak speller, but we
have found several things that have improved her confidence in
writing. First, we decided beforehand in what projects spelling
counts. Rough drafts for everything; spelling does not matter.
The whole idea is to get the ideas out. Second, I have taught
her how to use a dictionary, both a manual one and on the computer.
These help her with her good draft. Although she knows how to use
them, she still has a hard time with them as the sounds are diffi-
cult for her to pick up. I have found that all vowels, plus L's,
R's, and Y's, are her most difficult letters to spell correctly.
As for helping her to improve her spelling, I cannot say enough
good things about 'Sequential Spelling'. We have only started
using it this year, but the improvement is amazing. She has even
commented that she has found it helping her. There are no lists
to memorize, no rules to learn. I was very skeptical in the
beginning, but it works -- it really does. Start with book 1.
I use it with all 3 of my kids (grades 1,3,5/6). It is such a
blessing. The last thing I have to say is, don't worry about it.
If she is a poor speller, she will learn to deal with it as time
goes on. Just give her the tools to improve (i.e. dictionary,
thesaurus, and parent help). When I stopped making a big deal
out of it, so did she. If I can't read her work, I have her read
it to me. It is to the point now that we actually can laugh about
it sometimes (I never make fun of her). I hope this helps your
daughter. I do understand the frustration you feel." -- Stephanie
---
"My daughter is in 4th grade and also a terrible speller. This
year I started using Sequential Spelling and she loves it! It
starts with small words and builds on them until kids are spel-
ling long words with ease in no time. An example would be: all,
tall, stall, install, installment, installation. Every day they
take a 25 word 'test', but really you go word-by-word and they
correct their answer after each word. Start with level one.
My daughter, who wouldn't write at all, is now writing more and
walking around just spelling words for fun!" -- Erica
---
"We have had good results using AVKO with our struggling spellers.
You can access information at www.avko.org ." -- Mary Beth
---
"Hello Kristi -- Spelling is so important; it is the means by
which we communicate with others. Bad handwriting can be
corrected with typing, and letter writing can be substituted
with e-mail, but at any rate, spelling is so important in any
form of written communication. I am blind, and because most
of my school materials were read to me on tape (and because
Braille had abbreviated formats that contracted words in order
to take up less space), my spelling skills were weaker than my
vocabulary abilities. I have always been embarrassed by this
limitation. I am thankful for the spell checker function of
the computer era, but I have taken a particular interest in
improving my personal spelling and insist that my kids learn
to spell to the best of their ability.
This year we have began to use the 'Spelling Power' program.
At first it looked daunting to follow the steps, but in two
short weeks it had become second nature... and now spelling
is fun! In just 15 minutes per day we do our spelling lessons
and I cannot believe how easy it has been. Five minutes are
spent on a drill-like test where the child spells words from
pre-determined lists. He gets as many spelled and corrected
in 5 minutes, then he uses only the ones he misspelled as his
drill work. He follows a 10-step process for memorizing how
to spell the words. This not only teaches the word, but how
to study and apply it; skills that could be applied to memor-
izing anything. We love this program because it only has the
kids work on words they do not know how to spell and does not
waste their time on lists of words they know how to already
spell. There are review tests so you can check their long-term
retention. What I also loved about it is that it is one book
that will take your child and any siblings through 4-5 years
of spelling in a manner that is familiar and can be added to
other school work like grammar, writing, etc. I also love that
it teaches them how to study words -- not just to memorize it
this week and forget it next week. My very favorite part is
that you do initial testing and place him/her at the appropriate
level for that child and not a particular grade level. They
progress at their own pace in a very systematic and well-docu-
mented way.
I think the idea is revolutionary and I am glad we found this
program. My daughter is enjoying it. We use her misspelled
words in are creative writing, speaking, and other school sub-
jects so I feel confident that she really will know how to spell
these things for all time.
I hope this may help you and your daughter achieve a more
relaxed and easy way to improve spelling." -- Beth
---
"How about having her dictate her answers into a digital recorder
or tape recorder? She could read the question then state the
answer. Or have her simply discuss the answer with you when it
is convenient. My son had a similar problem and I decided that
unless it is a combined language arts (writing/spelling) lesson,
the important thing was to confirm what he understands from the
lesson at hand. This way it is non-confrontational; it does not
focus on what is difficult, creating anxiety, but rather it allows
him to focus on the subject and explain what he gets out of it."
-- Angela
=========================
Answer our NEW Question
=========================
"I am new to homeschooling and my state doesn't require any testing.
I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader and I can see improvement from
last year. However, for my own peace of mind, I wondered if anyone
knows of a good way to test and track how well my boys are doing
this year. I would prefer something free or close to. I've tried
searching online and end up with a lot of dead ends." -- Rachel
---
Do you have some information or experience to share with Rachel?
Please send your answer by mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
=====================
Ask YOUR Question
=====================
Do you have a question you would like our readers to answer?
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
==========================================================
Vol. 9 No 86 October 31, 2008
ISSN: 1536-2035
==========================================================
Copyright (c) 2008 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
==========================================================
Welcome to the Homeschooler's Notebook!
If you like this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend!
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=================
IN THIS ISSUE:
=================
Notes from Heather
-- More Family Life Changes
Helpful Tip
-- Reading and Jumping Fun
Resource Review
-- Homeschool Enrichment Magazine
Reader Question
-- Poor Speller Getting Worse
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
=======================
Notes from Heather
=======================
More Life Changes...
For those who may be wondering what happened to Monday's issue --
well it morphed into Friday's issue! Monday's issue never
materialized due to some unexpected events in our extended family.
My dear younger sister has been some having difficulties in her
life, and as a result our family has grown by 2! Yes -- I now
have 7 children. We have our 5 sons -- and now my 2 nieces! The
Idoni household is very full these days... and we have much fuller
lives than ever before. Please keep us in your prayers (and my
nieces) as we embark upon a new life together. This has sure been
the year for life changes!!! I appreciate you all -- my Notebook
family -- thanks for being there for me through everything I've
had to walk through. I appreciate every loving email I always
receive when I share a little of my personal life with you. (And
to my local friends who subscribe, I sure do thrive on all those
hugs -- not to mention Melanie's homemade meatballs!) Thanks. :)
Love,
Heather
---
From Our Readers...
---
Late Answer for Stephanie (Recommendations for a Second Language)
"Hello, Stephanie, my fellow Canadian. We live in Quebec. Currently,
we are working on 'Le Francais Facile!', which was created by another
fellow Canadian who lives in Saskatchewan -- Marie Filion. This is
our first year using it, but so far it seems thorough and enjoyable.
I do not speak French well (even though I live in a French province!)
and so I needed something that could be followed without much depen-
dency on my knowledge. Secondly, I like her method of teaching the
language using phonograms, basically giving you a solid foundation
for learning how to read, write and speak with proper pronunciation.
We use 'The Writing Road to Reading' program for English because it
follows the same style. Wouldn't you believe that when our 'Le
Francais Facile' book arrived and I began reading it, the author,
Marie Filion, was taught English with the very same book! And her
curriculum is very close to the same style. No wonder I liked her
curriculum when I first checked it out!
It is designed to be a 3 year program for younger kids (elementary)
and a year program for independent learners, like older students and
adults. A lesson is done each week (she suggests every 2 weeks when
your younger students are in their second and third year). In each
lesson, you listen to the audio and vocabulary words each day as well
as a bible verse (a new one is taught and to be learned within 2
lessons = 2 weeks). You also have activities galore that will help
you through the 3 years of study, plus trivia about the French culture
and teacher helps to aid the parent. A great money saver is that it
comes with a disc that has all the worksheets you need for each lesson
so all you have to do is print up whatever you need. Reproducible
means money saved! I know I'm leaving out a whole bunch of stuff
about the program, but if you are curious about it go to their website
www.TheEasyFrench.com and there is a downloadable clip that you can
watch of Marie explaining the program to a home schooling parent.
I have a 12-year-old son doing the independent learning. He does
roll his eyes at the audio because he finds it too childish, but the
work involved is very appropriate and challenging for him. Following
the younger learner program are our 10, 9, 8, 6, and 3 year old. The
6 and 3 year old just follow along with the audio, participate in some
activities, and color some pictures, where the older ones are expected
to do more work. I have to say that I so far like this curriculum.
It is like a casserole; everything in one dish! It has age-appropriate
work, strong phonic foundation, Christian support, and it's affordable!
On a side note, I would like to share my appreciation for this home
school notebook; I have incorporated many suggestions that others
have written in and purchased items based on the recommendations and
curriculum reviews. I always look forward to receiving it."
---
Late Answer for Judy Regarding Dyslexia
"I just wanted to mention that AVKO -- at www.spelling.org -- helps
homeschoolers with Dyslexia. They have some helpful books and
give advice, etc. Your son's dyslexia may possibly be frustrating
to him. And does it make him feel bad that he has dyslexia when so
many others do not? The issue of dyslexia may be one of the causes
of his current behavior.
I may not have made a comment that is new to you, but I didn't see
in anyone else's advice a reference to AVKO. I hope this at least
helps in part. And don't forget to pray for your son regularly."
-- Linda L. in CA
---
Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails by mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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================
Helpful Tip
================
Reading and Jumping Fun
"My boys are 6. One thing I did (for reading) was to put words
on construction paper and lay them out on the living room floor.
I had the boys jump from word to word to get to the other side
of the room. They had to read the word that they wanted to jump
to. All four of my boys wanted in on the fun!" -- Janet
---
Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
======================
Resource Review
======================
Home School Enrichment Magazine
For more information or to subscribe: www.HomeSchoolEnrichment.com
Truly a family affair, Home School Enrichment magazine is published
by Frank and Kari Lewis along with their two grown sons, Matthew
and Jonathan. Together they produce a periodical that is both
inspiring, and filled with practical, encouraging articles that
touch on almost every area of homeschool and family life. They
believe that "homeschooling is the best lifestyle a Christian family
can have", and strive to be sure that every reader will find something
they can relate to, whether they are a new or veteran homeschooler.
Each bi-monthly issue of Home School Enrichment features articles on
a wide-range of topics, designed to speak to you no matter where you
are on your homeschool journey. In recent issues, regular columnists
and other writers have contributed articles on topics such as how to
stay inspired, tips for new homeschoolers, help for the reluctant
writer, tips on saving time and money in the kitchen, developing a
philosophy of education, handling the high-needs child, college test-
ing, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in our children, parenting,
teaching preschool, encouragement to keep going and enjoy the journey,
teaching art -- and so much more. In addition to the encouraging
articles, each issue also features a product review section, a unit
study, and a "Give It a Try" hands-on teaching article. At their
website you'll find forums, more product reviews, blogs by some of
the magazine's regular columnists, and more.
Sometimes magazines can be so overloaded with advertising that some
of the enjoyment is lost to the reader as they have to jump around
from front to back to finish reading articles. This is not the case
with HomeSchool Enrichment! They have struck just the right balance
and allow the ads to fit around the articles, not the other way around.
We all need support, and Home School Enrichment encourages families
while always reminding them to keep their eyes focused on the One Who
called them to this sometimes overwhelming, often exciting, and
extremely rewarding process called homeschooling. Packed with rich,
deep articles written by fellow parents on the same path, this is one
magazine you'll want to devour as soon as it arrives in your mailbox.
-- Cindy Prechtel, www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
===============================
Last Issue's Reader Question
===============================
"My ten year old daughter (5th grade) is a weak speller. Sometimes
I honestly think instead of getting better she gets worse. This
weakness is starting to affect all of her subjects. Recently, she
began writing answers to questions in a way that confused me. When
I pointed out the over-simplicity of her answer to a question, she
would orally answer the question perfectly. Suddenly it occurred
to me that the simplicity of her answers was a reflection of her
lack of spelling capability! When I confronted her with my observa-
tion, she admitted it. In the past if she would spell a word wrong
I always had her look it up in the dictionary and write it out five
times. She said she knows she can't spell these 5th grade words and
she fears the extra assignment. She is a smart girl and I hate to
see her 'fear' her school work. I would be so grateful for any ideas
to encourage her and for any suggestions of spelling curriculum. I
want to rebuild this weak foundational aspect of her schooling.
Thank you!" -- Kristi
=========================
Our Readers' Responses
=========================
"I would do two things. First of all, check out Spelling Power. I
have found it to be the most logical, helpful spelling program I've
looked at. There is a lot of teacher information which teaches YOU
how to teach spelling. The focus is on retention, not just getting
words right for the test. Lots of review is built in. I have tweaked
the program a bit for my non-speller in a way that seems to be helping
him.
The second thing I would do is to encourage her to write exactly what
she wants to and not worry about spelling. Then go over it with her,
and help her to spell the words correctly, but don't make a long spel-
ling list for her to learn or she'll probably get even more discouraged.
She may retain some of the words you're helping her write, and she'll
feel free to write even if she doesn't know all the words." -- Debbie
---
"I too have a 5th grade daughter that is a VERY weak speller. That
being said, I'm not sure I'm the best person to give help with how to
improve their spelling, since what I'm doing apparently doesn't work.
However I can say to NOT let this affect the other areas of her learn-
ing. If she can answer orally, let her do that. Let spelling be a
separate area/subject. There is no need for it to impact every other
subject at this point. During this time, just continue to work on
spelling. One of the errors that I previously made was trying to jump
ahead to 'grade level' words when they seemed to only frustrate her.
This year I have taken a different approach. I have gone back and
covered the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade words that she apparently has not
mastered. As her confidence has built, so has her ability. Just be
patient." -- Stephani in NC
---
"Our son has dyslexia and has a really difficult time with spelling.
After trying all sorts of things, just by chance I came across AVKO
sequential spelling. It turns out AVKO is a research organization
for dyslexia. There are 8 samples lessons on their website at
www.avko.com
The format is simple. There are 180 daily lessons per level book.
There are 7 levels. You start on level 1 no matter the age of the
child (except younger children who wouldn't be ready for it). The
lessons are based off the book 'The Patterns of English Spelling'.
So instead of learning the rules (which never worked anyway) they
learn patterns. Example:
all
tall
stall
install
installment
Each lesson builds on patterns like this. You read the word to the
child (put it in a sentence for clarification if it is a homonym),
the child writes the word, then you tell them the correct spelling
and they correct it right then and there. Then you move on to the
next word. That's it. It took a while to teach my son that it was
no big deal if he got it wrong - you just correct it and move on to
the next word. He still doesn't like to spell, but it is better than
anything else we have tried and there are not near so many tears.
It can't hurt to try the sample lessons - they are free!" -- Jennifer
---
"Try www.avko.org -- Two of my kids are dyslexic and had problems
with spelling. This system helped a lot although it took a while.
All of my kids were slow readers. It clicks for them suddenly about
7th or 8th grade. My oldest went from 3rd grade reading level to
10th in one year (7th grade). Until then they struggle. Their
spelling improves as their reading level increases." -- Cynthia M.
---
"Kristi -- Check out Sequential Spelling by AVCO. It was designed
by a man who is dyslexic. It starts out EXTREMELY basic and builds.
One sound/word group is covered at a time and built on. For instance,
the first lesson in level one is: in, pin, sin, spin. Each day
would then build on that using other 'in' words and adding prefixes
and suffixes as you go. You can see a free sample at www.avko.org
For drilling words your daughter needs help with, try more hands-on,
fun type activities. Two of my daughter's favorites have been:
1) Locking the keypad on the cell-phone and 'dialing' the letters
of missed words
2) 'Writing' the missed words with her finger in a bowl of rice.
I keep a plastic container of rice with our other manipulatives for
this purpose. (That way you are not wasting rice, rather you use
the same rice over and over again.) I got these and other ideas
from the 'Spelling Power' program. That might not be the best
program for you, but they do sell a box of 'Task' cards with activi-
ties such as these. We have also done things like spelling words
out with other objects, (eg. toothpicks, raisins, yarn, just about
any small object around the house), hop on one foot while spelling
words, write out words on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk, carve
the words in play-dough, etc. You get the picture. Oh, and some-
thing simple my daughter loves is writing them on the whiteboard.
I think it feels more like art than work. (Plus, she usually adds
some pictures... Hey, whatever works.)
My daughter was not a good speller when she was younger, but now
(at age 10) we rarely have to use these activities anymore. I
think they helped her to teach herself various ways of remembering
on her own. Sometimes if she struggles with a word I will catch
her doing one of these activities on her own. However, I must say,
now she can usually spell words verbally and get them right. I'm
sure some of that is natural ability, but I think some of it came
from using various techniques. Also, finding something she enjoys
reading will help... A LOT! For my daughter it was Zoobooks!
Seeing words in print helps." -- Kandyce
---
"We love AVKO Sequential spelling. It works well for older girls
(I know!) who are weak in this area. I have one daughter who has
a hard time writing -- spelling and handwriting included -- and I
allow her to do a lot of her work on a typewriter or word processor.
She is at the age (almost 13) where she likes to get the immediate
feedback of the spell checker, and it is pointless to make her copy
words, because she has dysgraphia.
I have four children; two are natural spellers, two are not. And,
I can admit, I have never learned to spell perfectly myself, yet I
communicate well. For us it is a technical issue and comes secondary
to true learning. Good luck!" -- Anne
---
"My daughter has been a phonetic speller since she was small.
She also hates rote work. Although she is extremely bright,
her spelling is atrocious. Spelling words just seem to seep
out of her brain -- and nothing I have tried has helped so far.
I finally found a spelling site -- www.spellingcity.com -- that
is helping us. This site allows you to make your own lists of
spelling words, and then a woman's voice will read them to the
child while they spell out in red on the screen -- and it will
also make games of the words. The site will also test on the
list, saying the word aloud and then using the word in a sentence.
What I've done is use their sample lists and start at 1st grade.
I have my daughter do one list and test on it. I make my own
list of all of the words she misses until I get a long enough
list of misspelled words. Then I have her work on those words
for however many days it takes for her to get them. I don't have
her spend long periods of time doing this; just a little each
day. The lists are saved so she can practice them again later
and make sure they haven't 'seeped' out of her brain. The best
part is that she can do it herself and it has taken away the
frustration factor."
---
"If she does well orally, maybe you can write down what she says,
then have her use that as copywork. Here's a nice website for
making copywork sheets where you can change the size of the lines
to fit the age/ability of the student:
http://www.worksheetworks.com/
Hope this helps!" -- Jennifer
---
"Hi Kristi -- I have a son who does not spell well for his age.
He's in 6th grade now, and he still has trouble remembering the
basic phonics rules. English is a difficult language to spell,
as we have many rules, and even then sometimes words break the
rules.
So far, we have made more progress through using these steps:
1) Reminding him repeatedly that it's okay if he misspells a word,
and that I would rather he write without being concerned about it.
We can always go back at the end of the writing assignment and
correct things.
2) As we correct a misspelled word, he puts it on his spelling
list for the week and I remind him of words that are similarly
spelled or other words that use the same rule. For example, we
have gone over the -tion word families quite a few times whenever
he misspells a word that has the -tion spelling in it. This helps
him understand the reasoning behind the spelling. (If you need
more information on word families, try googling phonics awareness
activities, or word family activities. Sometimes the activities
are geared toward children, but as teachers of our children, we
need to know the common consonant and vowel blends, etc. One of
my friends here in Virginia referred me to the activities at the
Virginia PALS website.)
3) Reading doesn't improve his spelling, so I try to make sure
that he journals, or works on a report or other writing assign-
ment daily. I tailor the amount to his writing ability. I make
him write enough to challenge him but not frustrate him.
4) I have him study his misspelled and/or vocabulary words each
weekday for approximately 15 minutes, encouraging him to make
games up or use white board and markers to maintain his interest.
Good luck to you and your daughter!" -- Shelly
---
"I too have a 5/6th grader that has really weak spelling. We
have tried spelling lists, tests, word walls. None of them
worked -- no improvement. My daughter hated to write because
her spelling was so weak. She still is a weak speller, but we
have found several things that have improved her confidence in
writing. First, we decided beforehand in what projects spelling
counts. Rough drafts for everything; spelling does not matter.
The whole idea is to get the ideas out. Second, I have taught
her how to use a dictionary, both a manual one and on the computer.
These help her with her good draft. Although she knows how to use
them, she still has a hard time with them as the sounds are diffi-
cult for her to pick up. I have found that all vowels, plus L's,
R's, and Y's, are her most difficult letters to spell correctly.
As for helping her to improve her spelling, I cannot say enough
good things about 'Sequential Spelling'. We have only started
using it this year, but the improvement is amazing. She has even
commented that she has found it helping her. There are no lists
to memorize, no rules to learn. I was very skeptical in the
beginning, but it works -- it really does. Start with book 1.
I use it with all 3 of my kids (grades 1,3,5/6). It is such a
blessing. The last thing I have to say is, don't worry about it.
If she is a poor speller, she will learn to deal with it as time
goes on. Just give her the tools to improve (i.e. dictionary,
thesaurus, and parent help). When I stopped making a big deal
out of it, so did she. If I can't read her work, I have her read
it to me. It is to the point now that we actually can laugh about
it sometimes (I never make fun of her). I hope this helps your
daughter. I do understand the frustration you feel." -- Stephanie
---
"My daughter is in 4th grade and also a terrible speller. This
year I started using Sequential Spelling and she loves it! It
starts with small words and builds on them until kids are spel-
ling long words with ease in no time. An example would be: all,
tall, stall, install, installment, installation. Every day they
take a 25 word 'test', but really you go word-by-word and they
correct their answer after each word. Start with level one.
My daughter, who wouldn't write at all, is now writing more and
walking around just spelling words for fun!" -- Erica
---
"We have had good results using AVKO with our struggling spellers.
You can access information at www.avko.org ." -- Mary Beth
---
"Hello Kristi -- Spelling is so important; it is the means by
which we communicate with others. Bad handwriting can be
corrected with typing, and letter writing can be substituted
with e-mail, but at any rate, spelling is so important in any
form of written communication. I am blind, and because most
of my school materials were read to me on tape (and because
Braille had abbreviated formats that contracted words in order
to take up less space), my spelling skills were weaker than my
vocabulary abilities. I have always been embarrassed by this
limitation. I am thankful for the spell checker function of
the computer era, but I have taken a particular interest in
improving my personal spelling and insist that my kids learn
to spell to the best of their ability.
This year we have began to use the 'Spelling Power' program.
At first it looked daunting to follow the steps, but in two
short weeks it had become second nature... and now spelling
is fun! In just 15 minutes per day we do our spelling lessons
and I cannot believe how easy it has been. Five minutes are
spent on a drill-like test where the child spells words from
pre-determined lists. He gets as many spelled and corrected
in 5 minutes, then he uses only the ones he misspelled as his
drill work. He follows a 10-step process for memorizing how
to spell the words. This not only teaches the word, but how
to study and apply it; skills that could be applied to memor-
izing anything. We love this program because it only has the
kids work on words they do not know how to spell and does not
waste their time on lists of words they know how to already
spell. There are review tests so you can check their long-term
retention. What I also loved about it is that it is one book
that will take your child and any siblings through 4-5 years
of spelling in a manner that is familiar and can be added to
other school work like grammar, writing, etc. I also love that
it teaches them how to study words -- not just to memorize it
this week and forget it next week. My very favorite part is
that you do initial testing and place him/her at the appropriate
level for that child and not a particular grade level. They
progress at their own pace in a very systematic and well-docu-
mented way.
I think the idea is revolutionary and I am glad we found this
program. My daughter is enjoying it. We use her misspelled
words in are creative writing, speaking, and other school sub-
jects so I feel confident that she really will know how to spell
these things for all time.
I hope this may help you and your daughter achieve a more
relaxed and easy way to improve spelling." -- Beth
---
"How about having her dictate her answers into a digital recorder
or tape recorder? She could read the question then state the
answer. Or have her simply discuss the answer with you when it
is convenient. My son had a similar problem and I decided that
unless it is a combined language arts (writing/spelling) lesson,
the important thing was to confirm what he understands from the
lesson at hand. This way it is non-confrontational; it does not
focus on what is difficult, creating anxiety, but rather it allows
him to focus on the subject and explain what he gets out of it."
-- Angela
=========================
Answer our NEW Question
=========================
"I am new to homeschooling and my state doesn't require any testing.
I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader and I can see improvement from
last year. However, for my own peace of mind, I wondered if anyone
knows of a good way to test and track how well my boys are doing
this year. I would prefer something free or close to. I've tried
searching online and end up with a lot of dead ends." -- Rachel
---
Do you have some information or experience to share with Rachel?
Please send your answer by mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
=====================
Ask YOUR Question
=====================
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if we can help you out in a future issue!
=======================
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==============================
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