Spelling in Beyond

[Mom2Monkeys]

My 2nd grade dd is in Beyond (and LOVES it!). She is rather "advanced" and well beyond the Level 2 Spelling lists. We've only done the 1st 3 units but she has yet to miss any words. What should I do in this situation? Continue it anyway, try to come up with my own words for her (not my top pick ) , start dication???

[mamas4bugs]

I think I would start dictation, although I'm not entirely certain where you would get the dictation passages. I'm sure others will have more detailed ideas.

[lmercon]

My ds is doing Beyond and loving it as well. He seems to handle the list 2 words pretty well too. You could start with some simple dictation. Another idea would be to use the list as is and add in some extra "fun challenge" words. That way you are still covering the spelling patterns taught through the list each week, but also meeting her need for more exciting words that push her a bit. When I taught 4th grade at ps, I would do something that the kids loved! For the bonus word of the week, I would choose a student to tell me when to stop flipping through a dictionary. When the child called, "Stop," I would ask if he/she wanted the left or right page. Then I'd ask for a number. I would count down the entry words until I got to the word that matched the number the child gave me. That would be our bonus word for the week. I would read the word and give the definition. It was a great way to expand their vocabularies, and the kids had a blast waiting to see what the bonus would be. Obviously, I held the secret right to skip a word that was not acceptable for young children.
Anyway, just an idea.
hth,
Laura

[Mom2Monkeys]

Yes, I'm especially curious about where to get the dications
Although, late last night I had a thought...I still have my Spelling Power book. It was a bust, BUT I could gather words from her list level she placed in that match the rule for each week.

I just don't know which one to do. I thought about making dictation WITH the words that follow that rule. For example, find the words in Spelling Power that follow the rule and come up with 3-4 sentences using all the words. Now, I get that part, but then what? Do I follow the same guidelines for dict. as I would the spelling lists? Have her study the card with the sentence on it then flip it and write...check for errors. Next day, I would....??

BTW, I love the idea about the bonus word! I think she'd go crazy over that! I'll have to give it a try.

[Vicki]

We are using this for dictation. It is Dictation Day by Day by Kate van Wagenen. It is free online at Google books. The one we use is the Second Year book. I am using this for the second half of Beyond, and it is going well. There is also a Third and Fourth Year book you find there as well. The dictations get progressively harder in each book and from the start of each book through that book. Hope that helps.

[inHistiming]

You could use portions of the poetry or the memory verses your learning for her dictation. You also have the option to just go ahead and buy the Bigger.... manual and use the appropriate level dictation from it. It would cost $44.95 plus shipping. I know the latter may not be feasible if you've already used your curriculum budget for the year. Those are just my thoughts.

[Mom2Monkeys]

I searched for the dication Day by Day second year and only found 4th thru 6th. Could you link me to it?

I did dictation today with sentences with words from Spelling power. It went okay...I think she likes doing the word by word better and might just use 10 words per list from SP. We'll see...

[Carrie]

Tamara,

You've gotten so many good suggestions that I'll just pop-in to agree that any of these suggestions would work well! The reason we switch to dictation after List 2 in our HOD guides is that once kiddos have the basic body of words down (including the Dolch word list which is mainly included in our lists 1 and 2), the kiddos are ready to move on to learning to write words correctly within sentences.

You are right that if you did dictation with her, you would need to write down or type the dictation sentence, so she can study it, and then hand it to you to dictate to her (one phrase at a time). Then, she'd check it herself against the correctly written model, mark anthing she missed on the model, and fix it within her own writing immediately. If it wasn't done perfectly, it would be repeated the next day, and so on, until it's perfect. The child only gets one chance each day at it (just make sure she studies it before you dictate).

At this level one short sentence is enough.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Mom2Monkeys]

I think I'll use dictation for units that contain spelling words that my dd has mastered already. If we get to a unit that has a spelling rule she might need more practice on or just a review, we'll just use the spelling list. Thanks for the input everyone!

[Carrie]

Tamara,

I don't know how I missed it in your first post, but I didn't realize that your little sweetie had only gone through the first 3 units in Beyond's spelling. The first 9 units of spelling in Beyond are quite easy (rule-wise and word-wise). When my 2nd grader was doing Beyond, he aced almost all of his spelling words all year, yet he really gained as a speller throughout the year through copywork too. So, instead of jumping to dictation so quickly, I'd keep going with the spelling lists as is.

That way you'll never wonder whether your little one is ready to move on to dictation, and it will be a more seamless transition when she does.

Blessings,
Carrie