Re: A better Balance for my 9 yo in Bigger
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:01 am
We don't go back and review dictation. The words seem to cycle back through eventually, and I like our ds to feel joy at completing a passage and moving on. I cannot tell you how much dictation along with copywork has done to improve his spelling. I had my doubts initially (having done Spelling Power, R & S spelling, MCP Plaid, etc.) But, it truly is a "slow burn" that makes the most difference in spelling over time. The list to be memorized is soon quickly forgotten, but working on spelling by writing in context parallels the way dc write in the day-to-day.
One interesting thing my ds has done on his own is practice writing any words he finds difficult on a scrap piece of paper or markerboard BEFORE he does the dictation for the day. I never told him to do this, nor do I ask him to now, but he told me when he writes it like this a few times he can picture it better in his mind and see if it looks right when he does the the dictation passage. He often says that same thing now when writing for his notebooking or written narrations. He'll jot the word down, see if it looks right, and if not try a different spelling. I underline words that are spelled incorrectly in his notebooking or narrating and see if he can fix them. Usually, he has a little laugh, and realizes they don't "look right" and quickly fixes them. If he doesn't see how to fix them, I'll write the word in the margin so he can see it correctly there, and then he erases the old word and replaces it with the correct spelling.
This is in keeping with Charlotte Mason's theory that dc should not be looking at words spelled incorrectly. She says you should quickly erase misspelled words so as to "quickly erase them from the mind" as well. I have found this to be very true. All I can say is give it some time, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes in the longrun. HTH!
In Christ,
Julie
One interesting thing my ds has done on his own is practice writing any words he finds difficult on a scrap piece of paper or markerboard BEFORE he does the dictation for the day. I never told him to do this, nor do I ask him to now, but he told me when he writes it like this a few times he can picture it better in his mind and see if it looks right when he does the the dictation passage. He often says that same thing now when writing for his notebooking or written narrations. He'll jot the word down, see if it looks right, and if not try a different spelling. I underline words that are spelled incorrectly in his notebooking or narrating and see if he can fix them. Usually, he has a little laugh, and realizes they don't "look right" and quickly fixes them. If he doesn't see how to fix them, I'll write the word in the margin so he can see it correctly there, and then he erases the old word and replaces it with the correct spelling.
This is in keeping with Charlotte Mason's theory that dc should not be looking at words spelled incorrectly. She says you should quickly erase misspelled words so as to "quickly erase them from the mind" as well. I have found this to be very true. All I can say is give it some time, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes in the longrun. HTH!
In Christ,
Julie
