Traditional Spelling Question (1st grade)

[thenightbeforechristmas]

I started Traditional Spelling with my 1st grader today. This is my first time using this spelling curriculum, and I am also new to the "Phonics Flashcards" which were not available when I used the 1st grade MP core for my oldest.

Here's my question: when the Phonics Flashcards and Classical Phonics pages are referenced in the Teacher’s Manual, is the student supposed to:

A) Only read the front of the flashcard.
B) Read the front of the flashcard and all the words on the back.
C) Read the front of the flashcard and some of the words on the back.

For the Classical Phonics pages referenced, is the student supposed to read all those word lists?

I read all about preparing a lesson at the beginning of the TM, but it still wasn’t clear to me. It seemed like we were doing too much, especially since she started to get tired after the flashcards and just one page of Classical Phonics.

Thanks for the help!

[pickandgrin]

Re: Traditional Spelling Question (1st grade)

I, too, am new to Traditional Spelling even though this is my fourth child to homeschool in first grade! Here's what we have been doing in regards to your questions. I'm sure Michelle will give their specific expectations when she is next on the forum.

To me there is a difference in use between "learning" and "drilling" when you are talking about both flashcards and Classical Phonics.

When it says to do the flashcard we only make the sound/read the word on the front (drilling). If it's a new sound or the review of a particular sound ("ai" for example), we will look at the front, then flip it over and look at examples on the back (learning). When we are drilling all our flashcards we quickly make the sound on the front of the card or read the sight word. Because I'm working with one student and not a room full, I read every other card. This gives him half the load instead of 100% of it and I help set the pacing and rhythm. I like to go through all the flashcards we've learned in K and thus far in first about twice per week. This really helped him gain speed in decoding last year. He's an average first grader and reading is coming more slowly to him. This extra practice keeps flash cards a "fast" activity and not a nightmare. Same for math--twice per week of everything we've learned in K and 1. I call it a "warm-up."

When we do Classical Phonics pages I help him out a lot, too. In a full classroom many students would get turns to read aloud from the lists. In your homeschool it's usually only one child. Sometimes I will read two words and have him read one. Other times I will sound out the word in parts and have him blend it (tr-ain, then he blends "train") and we go very rapidly through long lists. Yesterday we had a page full of "ai" and "ay." I looked at the bottom of the page for any hints (-ai- is the middle of the word version and -ay- is the end of the word version), I had him look at that in the word lists, and then I chose about seven words at random for him to read from the page.

How much we do is always determined by how much time we have one on one that day as well as his level of stamina compared with other work that has been done or is waiting for us. I am really enjoying the overlap between FSR E, Traditional Spelling 1, and the phonics work from last year.

[Michelle T]

Re: Traditional Spelling Question (1st grade)

Good morning!

The flashcards can be used many different ways. Jessica gave some excellent examples of these in her response. For introduction of a sound scheduled in either TS or the literature guide. First ask if the student already knows the sound. If they do, go ahead and see if they can read the clue word. For added challenge, though not required on the introduction, you can see if they can decode any words on the back of the card. They can read those or you can point and read each word having them repeat after you. The next time they see the card, the picture clue should help them come up with the sound and hopefully the clue word. If you have time see if they can read through some of the words on the back or read through them together as before. But for the drill practice of just the sounds, you want to flip through quickly as you would a flashcard. Reviewing flashcards cumulatively and often.

The goal of Classical Phonics word lists is to give students practice decoding words with no context clues. Reading words from a list really highlights decoding deficits. Since you have just one student and not a classroom, break up the lists. Maybe you read and he points and repeat reads the majority of the list but he decodes on his own just one word per column unless the phonogram changes such in the ai, ay example you gave. In that situation have the student decode one of each phonogram.

Phonics is a critical subject in these primary years since it determines reading and spelling success. Therefore, quite a bit of the time you have devoted to school should be spent working on phonics in some way whether drilling cards, reading word lists, reading stories, completing FSR or Core Skills pages, or spelling. If you feel you are spending a lot of time on this, it is because you are. These skills are woven into almost everything, except math. The key is going to be how to break it up and arrange the pieces so you aren't doing all the very challenging parts one after another. Find your child's strengths and sprinkle those easier tasks around the challenging ones. This curriculum takes a few weeks to get into a good rhythm. We are here too, should you have any other questions or just need encouragement!


Blessings,
Michelle T

[pickandgrin]

Re: Traditional Spelling Question (1st grade)

Michelle,
This is so helpful! I'm going to forward it to a few friends.

[Beorn]

Old topic but a quick new comment.

I am now a huge fan of MP's Traditional Spelling program. I must admit I went into the program a bit blind trusting that MP would do it's thing and be awesome sauce. Translation: be wonderful and exceed expectations. I have not been disappointed one bit.

I love how all the workbooks and sheets build and work together through the week to get my First Grader to mastery. I love how it ties in and incorporates the Phonics and FSR programs and components and I look forward to see how it will continue to work itself out for the rest of the year. Well done, Mrs. Lowe, Michelle T and tanya and the rest of the crew.