spelling-dictation?

[twyla]

o.k-- we have had two good days of preparing so far--well, i must say they have complained-i have 9 year olds but they are not use to doing "real" work. They are use to fill in the blank or just listen to me read. However, i still feel very unsure of the dictiation aspect of this program. One of them is a great speller and they other struggles. I am wondering how they learn the rules of spelling-such as i before e except after a c, and doubling the consonant when adding -ing. I am afraid they will miss these important lessons. I don't have the list of the beginning words(words before dictation starts)and i am sure one of them could spell most of them. Not sure about the second guy. Anyways, sorry i am rambling. Just wondering whether i should continue the workbook (spelling work out)or really switch and take a leap and do the diction. Any long timers have success with "just" dictation?
twyla

[blessedmomof4]

Dictation is working wonders with my 11 year old. Her spelling has improved over the course of a year, as well as her listening skills. It takes time for the fruits of dictation to be apparent, but it is well worth the time invested! Give it at least a full year.

[Mom2Monkeys]

I can attest to dictation! It took me a while at first, to drop the program, but my DD got me sold in it. We continued both the workbook and the dictation. After a long while, I noticed which words she spelled correctly and incorrectly in free writing to find mostly, the correct words she practiced through dictation and the incorrect were generally list words. So, I asked her which helped her learn the best. She didn't like dictation and her workbook was fun...but she said she'd fess up b/c the dictation was helping her so much! She was/is a struggling speller. Superb reader, with very poor spelling ability. Even though she was able to place THREE grade levels above with the workbook program we used, and could ace every. single. test. She was a poor speller. She is now doing much better and truly spells about grade level. So, of course, I dropped the spelling program and haven't looked back!

[MomtoJGJE]

I can't say from a spelling list (other than what's in Beyond) rules type point of view... but I can say that my dd1 who is just beginning dictation (is on 15 today) has never had spelling rules spelled out for her. She's now taking an enrichment class every other Thursday that is a prep class for spelling bee. They aren't supposed to start the class until 3rd grade and the spelling bee until 4th grade, but they allowed her in because the other classes she wanted to take fell through... Anyway, she is doing just as well, if not better, than the other older kids in the class because she can picture what a lot of the words are supposed to look like. And MOST of the ones she misses she KNOWS they aren't right but has never seen or heard the word before and just misses a couple of letters or switches them around. She's up to the 4th grade list in the spelling class, and has only had 8 classes.... MOST of her improvement (from end of 2nd to 4th grade lists) has come since we started dictation.

So I say that to tell you, dictation DOES work. My kids have never known a different way of doing spelling, and they can all three (Evie can spell her name ) spell words they've seen often enough just because they can picture it.

[Carrie]

Twlya,

Here's a link to a past thread that has several great links within it on dictation to help you as you ponder! Just know you're not alone in your pondering on dictation.

Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6835

Blessings,
Carrie