Spelling Curriculum Review: How to Teach Any Child to Spell
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The other day a friend asked me for some advice on spelling curriculum. She mentioned that her daughter was great at memorizing spelling lists, but struggled when it came to applying the rules she learned in general, day-to-day writing.
I could definitely relate! My daughter has a great memory, and can memorize how to spell individual words to ace a test no problem. But I noticed when she was writing stories, letters, or anything else for that matter, it was clear something was missing.
(Plus, let’s be honest, she didn’t really enjoy having to memorize all of those spelling lists in the first place.)
I’m happy to have come across a spelling program from Common Sense Press that has opened my eyes a bit more to understand teaching spelling isn’t always as cut-and-dry as working on spelling list after spelling list each week.
And if you have kids that struggle with spelling like my daughter, this might be a good resource for you to check out as well.
** This is a sponsored post. I received this product or compensation for review purposes only and was compensated for my time. I was neither asked nor required to share a positive review; all opinions are my own. READ HERE for more information.About Common Sense Press
You may or may not have heard about Common Sense Press, but they have been around since 1989 creating materials that are easy to use and affordable for homeschooling families.
They sell complete curriculum created by experienced homeschool authors, who know what works well for busy homeschooling parents. This means their materials don’t require much planning (just open and go!), don’t break the bank, and don’t just keep the kids busy, but help them grow into independent learners.
They offer materials for 1st through 12th grade in Language Arts, Science, Math, and Enrichment. You’ll find a variety of one-of-a-kind homeschooling resources on their website, such as a Literary Journal for teens, an essay assessment service, and free book studies.
Spelling Curriculum Review
The Common Sense Press spelling program includes two resources. A book for parents, How to Teach Any Child to Spell (by Gayle Graham, M.Ed.) and an individualized spelling notebook, Tricks of the Trade, for students.
Why This Spelling Curriculum Works
Gayle Graham faced similar struggles with her daughter during spelling lessons, and she tried multiple means of remedying the problem. No matter how many spelling worksheets she did or flashcards she had her daughter memorize, her spelling was awful during any written work.
In learning about different methods to teach spelling, Gayle came across the “Individualized Method” in which parents focus on words their kids have trouble with in their own writing. She took this idea and ran with it, thus creating an individualized spelling notebook for her daughter.
After using a specific process for about a year, Gayle was able to identify specific spelling mistakes her daughter consistently made, and therefore could create more targeted practice. She saw her daughter’s spelling scores improve, along with her ability to recognize spelling errors in her own writing.
Since then, Gayle has taken this concept and the method she used to create a program that will help other parents who are struggling to teach their kids how to spell. A big reason for the success of this spelling curriculum is the recognition that our language is predictable; if we can help our kids understand this, and help them learn just a few patterns, they can spell with about 90% accuracy most of the time.
How to Teach Any Child to Spell Companion Book
Parents will read How to Teach Any Child to Spell first, to learn the logic behind the method used in this program. You’ll understand exactly how kids learn to spell, and how this method will help them. It’s a very quick, easy read, with a lot of tips and encouragement.
The material is broken down into five informative chapters:
Chapter 1: Spelling Myths
In this chapter, you’re going to learn and dispel some myths about teaching spelling (and probably why you’ve been doing everything all wrong!). A lot of these were eye-openers for me and have changed what I think about my spelling lessons moving forward in our homeschool.
Chapter 2: Stages & Strategies
You’ll learn the different stages we go through when learning how to spell, plus practical spelling strategies to help your kids navigate through them. I realized the one thing that really counts when it comes to teaching spelling after reading this chapter!
Chapter 3: How Do We Actually Teach Spelling?
This chapter takes a look at how to move away from spelling word lists and begin to focus on your kids’ personal spelling problems (in the context of their own writing). You’ll learn many practical tips to encourage your kids in their writing process, and then begin the process of training them to think about their spelling, notice their mistakes, and teach them how to make progress in their spelling.
I loved the detail in this chapter – the approach is truly unique to what we typically think a spelling curriculum should look like!
Chapter 4: The Building Blocks
In knowing the building blocks words are made from, the author encourages you that your child can spell just about anything! You’ll learn what these building blocks are in this chapter and be better equipped to identify the spelling patterns that cause your kids trouble.
Chapter 5: The Daily Spelling Lesson
Gayle outlines a 4-step process for daily spelling lessons in this chapter. She encourages a multi-sensory learning experience which is great for various types of learners so they can really let the information sink in.
Individualized Spelling Notebook
Tricks of the Trade Individualized Spelling Notebook is the actual notebook your students will use during your lessons (you’ll need one for each student you are using the program with).
There are a few pages at the beginning that outline the “puzzle pieces” of spelling and give students encouragement and helpful tips. Gayle treats learning to spell as though it’s “breaking the code” and relates the process to “detective work”, which is a great way to think about it. I think it makes it a bit more fun for kids when they can think of their spelling notebook as an “investigator’s casebook” rather than a plain old workbook!
As students learn to identify specific spelling mistakes they make in their own writing, they’ll categorize each word they misspell in their “investigator’s casebook” according to the syllable that had the problem.
So basically, this workbook is broken into different syllable patterns, with spots to record words under each one. The “Clue Sheets” help you find the specific pattern you need quickly.
There are a lot – but the beauty is, you don’t have to work through each and every one…just the ones that your student has trouble with!
Our Experience with the Spelling Curriculum
This spelling curriculum definitely took me out of my comfort zone as I began to put everything into practice. Instead of the typical workbook and spelling list practice, we began our first spelling lesson with a writing assignment (my daughter chose to write a brief story).
After she finished writing, we reviewed her work together. I realized at the beginning of this process that I would have to do more of the “editing” and helping her categorize her mistakes, but over time the hope is that she would learn and improve this process. So we looked over the story and I had her try to notice words that “looked funny”, and we worked to categorize them in her individualized spelling notebook.
On our first run-through, it was challenging to figure out where to categorize some of her mistakes, but we did the best we could, knowing that this would get easier as well!
After a few days of this, we would begin lessons with a short phonics review from one of the sections that had collected a few words, and we would also practice spelling words just from that category (words she missed, and similar words I could think of). There are short word lists included in the back of the book that helped me with this, but I also pulled some rule-specific lists from online to reference.
We would finish a lesson with practicing any other words she had in her notebook, from any section, emphasizing understanding the rules and following the multi-sensory learning suggestions given in the book.
My Takeaway
As I really began to focus on individualized mistakes my daughter was making in her own writing, I was surprised to see there were groups of commonly misspelled words that began to stand out. It was great to have something to focus on, and know how to help my daughter conquer the specific things that were tripping her up.
I picked up many great tidbits of information from How to Teach Any Child to Spell that I will continue to use no matter which homeschool spelling curriculum we end up with throughout the years.
Who Is This Spelling Curriculum For?
The author notes that not all kids will need this approach. In fact, if they are naturally picking up spelling in the context of reading and writing, they probably don’t need any spelling curriculum at all!
I loved this genuine attitude. It’s clear that Gayle wants to help kids who are struggling to spell, empowering them to be better able to communicate their thoughts to the world.
If you prefer a truly open and go curriculum, I think this wouldn’t be too far out of your comfort zone; but you will want to keep in mind that there isn’t a day-to-day set schedule. You do need to be a bit strategic in coming up with what your child should write and going through their errors with them. However, the general steps for each lesson are given and pretty easy to adhere to.
Overall, reviewing this curriculum reminded me that our lessons can and should reflect our kids’ individual needs, and it opened my eyes to some truths about how I need to approach teaching spelling. If you are looking for something completely different for your struggling spellers, definitely check out this program!
Common Sense Press Exclusive Discount
I mentioned earlier that Common Sense Press strives to create affordable options for homeschool curriculum.
And they mean it! The Common Sense Press spelling program contains two books, which can be purchased together for only $20.
The two books you’ll need for this spelling program can be picked up for only $20. And, you can also use the coupon code Summer2022 to take 15% off your purchase until August 31, 2022 (can’t be used with other coupon codes).
Click here to check out all that Common Sense Press has to offer!
And while you’re on their website, you can pick up a free Short Story Reading Guide featuring three stories by Hans Christian Andersen. Use the coupon code freehansreading when you claim the e-book here (also can’t be used with other coupon codes).
Win a Language Arts Bundle
Enter below for a chance to win a Language Arts set from Common Sense Press (up to $100 value!). Giveaway is open through 6/27/2022 to US residents.
The winner will have their choice between:
- 1 Teacher/Student set from Learning Language Arts Through Literature
- 1 Wordsmith textbook
- 1 Teacher/Student set of How to Teach Any Child to Spell
Good luck!
I’d love to hear from you in the comments: do you have a struggling speller? What tips can you share with other homeschool parents that worked for you and your kids? Drop a line below!
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