TROUBLE WITH SPELLING

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-24-2005
TROUBLE WITH SPELLING
3
Fri, 05-27-2005 - 6:34pm
GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, I HAVE AN ONCURRING ISSUES WITH MY 7 YEAR OLD SON, HE'S BEEN REALLY FRUSTRATED AND CANT QUITE FOCUS ON HIS SPELLING WORDS. I PRACTICE WITH HIM EVERY NIGHT FOR AN HOUR AND 1/2, SO HE CAN BRING AN 100% ON HIS TEST ON FRIDAY. INFORUNATELY HE BEEN BRING HALF RIGHT. I HAVE WRIITEN TO HIS TEACHER ASKING HOW SHE CONDUCTS HER TEST, BECAUSE AT HOME HE GET 9 OUT OF 12 RIGHT. ONE THING I NOTICE ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE GET EASILY DISTRACTED WITH THINGS AND MAKES UP EXCUSES TO AVOID STUDYING OR DOING HIS HOMEWORK. I TRY TO MOTIVATE HIM IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, I MAKE UP GAMES WITH HIS HOMEWORK OR I EVEN STUDY WITH HIM SO HE DOESNT FEEL ALONE...I GET REALLY FRUSTRATED MYSELF CAUSE I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. PLEASE HELP WITH SOME ADVICE, AM I DOING SOME THING WRONG WITH HIM?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-04-2005
Fri, 05-27-2005 - 8:39pm

Hi Michelle,

Sorry to hear your son is having trouble. It sounds like these hour and a half spelling sessions are turning torturous for the both of you.

Maybe I can give you some advice if I know a little more information. Is your son in second grade or first? How is he doing with reading and in other areas? How is his speech? Does it sound normal? Can he tell a story? Does he get frustrated with talking? Did he have any trouble learning to talk when he was younger?

In the meantime, you might want to ask your son's teacher if there is a reading specialist or some such person in your son's school. If the problem seems to be about more than spelling and your son has trouble with language, then you might want to ask about a referral to the school speech pathologist. Push for help because you are entitled to it even though the schools don't always like for parents to know that. Shaky language skills affect all areas of a child's education. It makes it hard to read, write, and communicate. You are smart to try to help now while he is so young. The demands placed on him at school will only get harder and harder so if he needs to strengthen his language- or even just spelling- skills, then now is the time.

One piece of concrete advice I can give is to practice sound first, letters second. Do some practice where you take away the paper- don't even let him pick up a pencil. Take the writing pressure off and just have him listen to you say the words. Take just a few words and say each of the sounds. To have good spelling skills, you need to be able to have the sound system of the language down first. For example, if you have the word "cat" , say it slowly so each of the sounds can be heard seperately. C...a...t. Ask him to identify how many sounds he hears. It should be 3. If he doesn't hear 3 sounds then you need to point it out and teach him. Point out that the "t" sound is at the end. Ask him if the "c" sound is at the beginning or the middle. Say a similar word like "bat" and point out how the different sound at the beginning makes the meaning of the word totally different.

Spelling is hard, especially because words aren't always spelled how they sound. But one thing that a child has to get before they can understand spelling is that words are formed by different combinations of sound. This might sound simple but it isn't. Ppl will often hear words as one sound. You need to break things up into the smallest parts so that your son can understand that sounds can be moved around to change the meaning of words. Don't even break it up into syllables. Break it up into individual sounds. When the sound system skills are strong, then you can "sound it out". But make sure you have him try to sound out and spell only one sound at a time. This is much easier. (PS this isn't phonics. Phonics starts with the letters and then pairs them with the sound. )

I hope this isn't overwhelming. I know you must be very frustrated. Don't worry too much. Don't worry about him getting 100%. I'm sure he performs 100% in other areas.

Good luck,

Amy

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2005
Fri, 05-27-2005 - 10:08pm

That is absolutely wonderful advice, Amy!! Boy are we so lucky to have such talent here on our board!!

Hugs to Michellecip - and welcome to our board. I hope you enjoy the advice you get here - these ladies are awesome.

Post with us some more!!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 05-28-2005 - 1:29pm
What does your pediatrician say? Have you had him tested for ADHD...is that something that the teacher has brought up with you? I'm thinking along those lines because you're describing my special ed students/students with 504 plans. You need to talk to the teacher and insist on some testing for him. A reading specialist WILL be beneficial. I can't help thinking that no matter how 'fun' you make the study sessions, 90 minutes is WAY too long for a child that age to be studying. He's got to be dreading those sessions. Have you heard of the multiple intelligences? Some kids are auditory some are linguistic, etc. Are you testing him verbally? You should be testing him written because his tests are written...my daughter had to do rainbow words...write out the word three times (on top of each other) in three different colors. This was always assigned Wed (Friday testing like your school).
Good luck.