Chance - He has nearly completed J. B. Lippincott Basic Spelling G for Grade 8.  Some of the rules covered include: twin letters spell one sound, some letters spell none, spelling sounds added to words, different letters and letter teams spell the same sounds, make syllables by dividing words, and different letters spell the same sounds.  He's also just begun using "Apples Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students."  With Apples, the lessons are quicker, just one page a day, and very clear-cut and thorough.  We've decided to discontine with the G book and focus on Apples.  His spelling skills have greatly improved this year, he rarely gets words misspelled in his work now.  Usually when he does, it just due to him trying to rush through, but he still has to correct any errors before continuing.

Spencer and Lindsey - They started the year using spelling lists I found online for grade 2, sort of inbetween each of their grades, and they did very well during the tests.  However, they did not gain the confidence to attempt to spell words in their personal writing journals.  They would always ask me for the correct spelling and refused to guess or work it out on their own.  They have gotten better with their skill in spelling since they started using the computer program "Dr. Aardsma's Spelling Drill - Spelling Practice Software for Grades 1 and 2."  They are required to complete one lesson per day and tell me the percentage they got correct.  Many days they will go through 8 to 10 lessons getting at least 80% right.  Their confidence shows in their journal writing now and they only rarely ask me to spell things for them and will attempt to sound it out on their own.