BEST method TO LEARN TO SPELL if your child HATES to WRITE?????????

[drosophila]

DS hates to write and his teacher sends home 10 word with the following method:

Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check method.

DS hates to write so writing 10 words 5 times will mean he spends mpre time worrying about the writing and less time learning the word.

Any alternative methods? He is 7.

Thanks

[Reallytired]

What about using magnets. I would get a book like Ruth Miskin Superphonics spelling that actually teaches strageries for learning how to spell.

www.amazon.co.uk/Superphonics-Spelling-Ruth-Miskin/dp/0340851953/ref=sr_1_2/202-991?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 2655-8084651?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191255456&sr=8-2

There are better ways of learning to spell than just simple Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check method.

[juuule]

Write the word yourself, cut into individual letters and add a few extra. Ask your ds to arrange them into the word you want to spell.
Use alphabet flash cards? to spell words out.
Get him to type it onto a word document?

[drosophila]

Thanks guys. He has to learn them by tomorrow so will try the cutting letters one. Will look into the book you suggest.

Given that I have spoken to the teacher about his aversion to writing you would think an alternative approach might have been suggested?

[wheresthehamster]

We just do spellings verbally. I ask, dd3 spells them - no writing. I never sent back in the look,cover etc sheet when we had them. If yours doesn't get marked I wouldn't bother with them.

[cadelaide]

Could try searching old messages on this site.
I once followed a link to a fab website that enabled you to type in your own spellings and made it into a bit of a game.

[Blandmum]

do them orally. Mind you, this only works if they have a reasonable short term memory! DD hates doing it this way as she gets part way through and then forgets where she is!

[sphil]

My DS (6) hates writing too but enjoys doing his spellings on the programme Cadelade mentioned. It was a fairly recent thread in Primary Ed - I think it had 'Yr 2 homework somewhere in the thread title.

[fihi]

my DS (??dyslexic) won't write either, nor is he any good at word-building with phonetics. I make all his words to learn into flash cards, and then if they are nouns we stick them to the object in the house (yes many a table, chair, door, mat, bed, wall etc in our house has stuff stuck on)and if they can be related to anything including daft things that he thinks are funny - but give him something to associate a word to, then stick flash card to whatever... ok sounds mad, but for my DS who learns in the most unique ways, repeatedly seeing the words around the house does the trick!

[drosophila]

Did the flash card thing and told him to photograph it with his mind. It worked a dream (not tested at school yet). He would say that when asked how to spell the word the image would be a little blurry and then as he concentrated it would clear.

I read somewhere that if you are a visual learner this would work. He has no indications of being a visual learner ( I am) but I thought it worth a try. Perhaps you can develop different styles of learning.

[fihi]

woo! good to hear something working! we have thought of a new trick today, colour coded ones. . "We" meaning aforementioned DS1, age 6. he gets it (i just write them) but the gist is, newer words go on new colour of card. I use all pastel colours, still assuming dyslexia.

I reckon you can work on visual learning and get a child to enhance what they've got. I listen to what vocab they use and their 'modality' - if they describe the colours and shapes of things they're in visual mode, if they use lots of 'sound' words then in auditory etc...match this to the way that you explain things to them and they will understand it more easily. we all switch between the 6 modes but have a couple of "favourites".

oh no i'm rambling.

[fortyplus]

Go on the BBC website and fing the children's touch typing course. He'll love it!

[fortyplus]

This is it... www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

[drosophila]

Fantastic thanks guys. Fihi what you say sounds really interesting but I will have to reread it cos I'm not sure if I have got it completely.

I was suspected as being dyslexic by my brother who taught me when young (big age gap). My parents thought it was stuff and nonsense. I have lots of the traits so I worry a lot about spelling as I know how others can judge you. You see it here on MN often enough. It has been a huge inhibitor to me until spell check. You can imagine my heart sinking when people start pointing out the flaws with spell check.

I used pastel colour too but not sure why, guess I read it somewhere.

[fihi]

hehe! i've just re-read it and fail to understand it myself. ooh sorry! what i meant (try again, probably no improvement)is...

if they use words which tell you a lot about things they can see, they are in visual mode, so use words which describe the shape/colour/look of what you are trying to tell them, and use things that will appeal to this to help them remember. see that letter 's' looks like a snake etc at simple level

if they like the 'sound' words, then you do the same. emphasise vowels, make them long to help the child remember, eg "sleep" would be said sleeeeeeep to exaggerate the sound of the word. sounds mad but known to work.

it's like speaking to someone in their "own language" and makes things easier for them as it appeals to their strongest sense at the time - although this changes at different times and with different experiences.

any better??!