11 yo can only spell a few words

[Gwenny]

Okay! I have read many times that people just follow the directions for the two spelling lists and then move into dictation. Even if they still miss some words each week, just keep plugging along. I have tried to be on board with that and think it will soon 'click' and he will get some. My son is reading better (he is reading a Liza, Bill and Jed mystery to me right now-1 chapter at a time-with the other reading in Preparing he is exhausted) but he still can't spell. He can spell two letter words and and, but not much more than that. We are about 1/2 way done with the second spelling list. He typically, at the end of the week, will miss a few of the words. When doing the review after a few weeks, will miss some, until he figures out what the pattern is that week. The starred woods he almost always misses.

I decided to try the dictation, knowing that he would not get it, but maybe he will start learning the process. Oh my! The first day he missed some words. I can't remember exactly what right now. He did get the sing, king, ring, wing since he remembered with sing that it was ing. We had gone over and over that in the studying of the passage. The second day, he spelled can, 'kan', because he can never remember if he should use c or k. He spelled call, 'kol'!!! He has never been able to remember 'all' words. He reads them well now but those took forever for some reason and he can never remember that all is spelled all--and all of the many words with it. Short 'a' words have always been the hardest for him. He almost missed sing also, had to really think about how to spell it. He started to use an e, but then remembered and changed it to ing and then could do all of the other ing words. He actually enjoyed the challenge and asked when we could try it again.

He has no trouble with reading comprehension. Larger, more complicated words are much easier for him than the short words. He will still trip up on the 3 letter words sometimes, especially if it's a short a. It's definitely less and I rarely have to help with a word in his reading. He still switches, almost every time, what and that and when and then.

Any takers on this one?!

[daybreaking]

If he is struggling that much with dictation and he hadn't finished the spelling lists, I would drop the dictation and go back to the spelling lists. I'm not sure what Carrie recommends, but I would not move on in the spelling lists until he can get all of the words correctly for a given list. I do know, with dictation, if a student makes any mistakes - even a missed comma - he is supposed to repeat the passage the following day, for as many days as necessary, until he can write it 100% correctly. My son is not a natural speller, so when we started dictation, he had to repeat passages more often than not, sometimes even for several days. It was frustrating for him, but it finally started clicking and he eventually started doing much better, where repeating the passage was an exception, rather than the rule. There was a day I wondered if spelling would ever click for him, but the slow and steady pace is bearing fruit. He's not perfect, but he's far from where he used to be. Hang in there, there's hope!

[hs.mama07]

Maybe knowing a few spelling rules would help?

Like "c says "s" before e, i, and y" and you should always try using c before trying to use k. (so, in "can", he would try c first and it would work, but in "kit" he would try c first, and realize that the letter i comes next, which makes the c say "s"...so he'd change to a letter k.

And knowing the letter e doesn't comes before "ng". So if you hear the "e ng" sound, it will be spelled with an i. (I think the only two exceptions to this rule are English and England. Just about any other time you hear that sound, it will be an i).

My son, who isn't a visual learner nor a natural speller, has really been helped with a few guidelines of that nature. There are always exceptions, but for most common words, it follows the rule.

(we do use a rule-based spelling program alongside HOD--which I plan on dropping when he's ready for dictation. For now, though, the rules are helping him SO much! If you want more info, feel free to PM me.

[Gwenny]

Thanks---but we have gone over those rules 4 million times--I am a broken record. He can't remember any of them.

[hs.mama07]

Oh my. He sounds like me. :-/ I struggled with spelling all through school, though I did fine in every other subject. It just took time and lots of practice. Things didn't start improving until I could type. The computer would indicate when a word was spelled wrong, unlike in public school where it took a day or two to grade. So, suddenly, I was able to make corrections immediately. It did help...though slowly. I am a decent speller now, but it was a long road. Just sharing so you know he's not alone! Don't give up--he'll get there!

I wonder if there is an easier level of dictation available somewhere. It seems like dictation might really help him, if it weren't too challenging. Or maybe adding some copywork that focuses on common words so he can see those trouble words over and over. Highlight a word you want him to focus on as he reads the sentence/passage and then copies it. The more he can see the words written correctly and write them correctly himself, the better!

A cute story: I remember, in 7th grade, my English teacher saw that I was upset with another bad spelling grade and he knew that I loved writing. He leaned over and whispered to me, "Even the best writers have editors." I've always loved that!

[Mumkins]

We too use a rule based program. It's not just about going over rules, but staying on one rule til it's mastered.

That said, becoming a fluent reader has helped her more than anything. That only happened this year. Her spelling is coming along now that she's seeing words more often. I guess that's kinda how dictation works too. We are doing dictation as well. It's slooooow going. But, I see it's value, so we stick with it:)

[hs.mama07]

Yeah, that's true for our program too. It introduces the rule then we study words that follow the rule for several days or more until the student really learns it well. Then we review the rule and the words frequently. Just sharing what has helped us, everyone is different. Hope you find something that works for your son!

[MelInKansas]

I would say don't be discouraged by his mistakes. Obviously spelling doesn't come easily or naturally for him, but he can get it, and he is making progress. Trying to drill and make him remember more rules probably won't help much either (as you said you've already tried).

I would give it more time and realize it's more of a "slow and steady" type of thing. If you see any progress at all, rejoice in that. Dictation (once you get there) will be difficult and he will have to repeat passages, but after a little while it will start to click and he will get better. There are people who have testified that their kids are terrible spellers but the dictation really helps them.

And yes, ultimately there's spell check on the computer. Though my husband is not a good speller at all and spell check only helps you as far as you can recognize the correct spelling (if you spell badly enough even spell check can't help you).