Theoretically, yesterday was our last
day of school. Of course, practically, with everything that has
happened here in the last month and a half, it isn't happening but we
almost made it. We have one chapter of Math to finish and a few weeks of Grammar.
I have decided to make it my custom to finish my year by reviewing the
curriculum that we used. (I have decided that since this is a
homeschool blogsite. hehe) The first one I will review this month
is Spell to Write and Read.
I don't know if I can bestow enough platitudes on this program.
When I went looking for a phonics curriculum for my son over three
years ago I could not find a complete one. I ended up using the
best scientific thinking I could muster and...I chose the one with the
train on the front. Not great, I know, but my son liked it.
I, on the other hand, was incredibly frustrated.
I could not figure out how kids were supposed to learn anything using
the books we had chosen. One of the main problems was there was
not enough "stuff" for reviews. The workbooks were consumable and
we didn't have a copier or a scanner at the time so when they were
consumed, we would have to buy brand new ones.
Stanley learned far too slowly for this method. There was nothing
written in there for people teaching children who didn't just "get it"
right off the bat. So we fought with this thing, and each other,
for nearly two years.
Then, in January of this year when we
started back to school Stanley did something amazing...he read. I
was so excited. I thought our troubles were through.
Ha! They had only just begun.
We were using Shurley
Grammar 1 for our Grammar and it required some writing. I noticed
right away that his spelling was atrocious so off I went on a hunt for
a spelling "program." I was going to use the ones suggested in
the Veritas Press catalogue but I decided to ask at the VP group for a
recommendation and a review of them. I got a recommendation and
review alright, but it wasn't the one I was expecting.
I was told in no uncertain terms that I should run, not walk or even
hesitate, to my nearest homeschool supplier and buy the books and cards
for Spell to Write and Read. I had never heard of this before so
I went down to Monrovia and picked up the book so I could read it over.
As I read I was amazed. This seemed to be so well thought out and
put together. In my nearly three years of homeschooling I had
never seen a program this well explained. But what truly amazed
me was when I read their critique of other psuedo-phonics programs,
they had one for the program we used and every problem the author said
would occur for children using this program was a problem Stanley had.
Of course I went out and bought the rest of the books and cards for
it. We have used it for about 6 mos now and Stanley is slowly but
surely coming along. He's had to unlearn everything he learned
before and now he is starting to grasp it. Last week he was
spelling "baby." At first he spelled it with an "i" at the end
instead of a "y," but then he corrected himself and said, "It can't be
an "i" because English words can't end in "i."" (Spelling rule
#6--in case you are wondering about spaghetti, et. al., an "i" at the
end of a word indicates a foreign spelling.)
The program seems
pricey up front but as soon as you realize that this will last you for
most of their schooling AND can be used for ALL your children without
ever having to replace anything but a $4.00 notebook each year
the cost is much smaller than anything else out there. Of course,
having kids who can read AND spell great is worth any cost, imo.
Ooooo, thanks for the review! I love personal reviews-- it makes things sooo much easier for me and keeps me from having to just pick the one with the pic of a train on the box. LOL
I'll have to keep that in mind with my ds2 since I am planning on starting him on the reading road in January. We had great results with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with ds1 but each kid is different so we'll see! BTW, we did 100EL minus the writing part and he already knew letter sounds before we started.
Funny, I did NOT know spelling rule #6 but it makes sense! Spelling has never been a problem for me since reading has always come easy and spelling has always just "made sense" in my head... I would love it if grammar just made sense in my son's head, but I'm thinking that is just me dreaming... ;-)
Thanks for this review. I will probably look into this program now. My six year old is reading fine, but it might be useful for reinforcement. Plus, I can always re-use it in a few years with the younger sister. I can really identify with your homeschool catalogue day-dreams. I am the same way. I also sometimes forget when I've placed orders on amazon because I use free shipping and so much time has elapsed that the memory has evaporated from my mind.
I love your SWR review! You nailed it right on the head! I especially liked your icons, number one being the one with the brick wall! That is how we felt too, before finding SWR!
I didn't find it until my oldest son was 14. After only 6 months with SWR he jumped up by 4 grade levels! Yeah!
Like you, I try to tell everyone about SWR because it has rescued me and my children from failure! Thanks Wanda! I feel so much more confident as a homeschool teacher now and it is so fun to start my younger set out the right way with SWR. They really take off with reading and spelling and there are not the sad struggles we had before SWR.
Thanks for your blog! First one I have ever written on!
Truly,
Britta
Mom to 7, 5 boys and 2 girls
www.morningstarlearning.com
We have one chapter of Math to finish and a few weeks of Grammar.
I could not figure out how kids were supposed to learn anything using
the books we had chosen. One of the main problems was there was
not enough "stuff" for reviews. The workbooks were consumable and
we didn't have a copier or a scanner at the time so when they were
consumed, we would have to buy brand new ones.
the cost is much smaller than anything else out there. Of course,
having kids who can read AND spell great is worth any cost, imo.
Posted by 
Posted by Anonymous
I'll have to keep that in mind with my ds2 since I am planning on starting him on the reading road in January. We had great results with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with ds1 but each kid is different so we'll see! BTW, we did 100EL minus the writing part and he already knew letter sounds before we started.
Funny, I did NOT know spelling rule #6 but it makes sense! Spelling has never been a problem for me since reading has always come easy and spelling has always just "made sense" in my head... I would love it if grammar just made sense in my son's head, but I'm thinking that is just me dreaming... ;-)
Have a great weekend!
Marsha