# at the risk of sounding cliche' (spelling bee)



## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

My dd (fifth grade) placed 3rd in the local spelling bee. I was really proud of her. It was the first time she competed in a bee at all. She saw the movie Akeelah and the Bee and got interested in doing it. 

Just a proud mama bragging.  
Cindyc.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Brag all you want. It's very cool.


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## akhomesteader (Jan 5, 2006)

CONGRATULATIONS ! ! ! That's Great ! ! !

Do you use a spelling program. My boys are still young, but just wondering. Some folks say that if they read and write a good amount that they'll be naturally good spellers. Others say that's a myth. So, what's your "professional" opinion?  

Jenny
Frontier Freedom


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

akhomesteader said:


> CONGRATULATIONS ! ! ! That's Great ! ! !
> 
> Do you use a spelling program. My boys are still young, but just wondering. Some folks say that if they read and write a good amount that they'll be naturally good spellers. Others say that's a myth. So, what's your "professional" opinion?
> 
> ...


I am not a professional AT ALL! My answer, though if you really want to know is that SOME kids who are read to and who write a fair amount will be naturally good spellers. At the very LEAST I think these kids need to be taught basic root words, prefixes, and suffixes, but I am sure others will disagree with me. My dd (who did well on the bee) happens to be one of those. OTHER kids will have terrible spelling and then you will just end up editing their writing a lot. SOME of those will then correct what spelling they got wrong in their own heads and never spell those particular words wrong again. (Have one of these too.) Still OTHER kids will just have you editing the SAME words over, and over again because spelling those words right has become your responsibility, not theirs, and in their own minds, they are "bad" spellers. THEN across the curriculum, into other subjects they will be bad spellers because they have decided that spelling does not matter and they cannot do it. (Also have one of these.) 
My answer, which comes from hindsight? This is what I am planning with the little ones, and actually, I am remediating the older ones in much the same way. Simple work books (Spectrum) through 6th grade (but I now plan to finish them by about 4th. They are short, and not at all hard) Then use Apples Spelling for secondary students in 5th and 6th grade. I could write something, and actually toyed with it, but it is less work to just buy the books. They cost about $10.00 each. Then I plan to BE SURE they have an understanding of word origins from Latin, Greek, and Old English etc... We integrate our language study in the following way... We have a notebook for language arts that files words by rule, or by language. We call that book the COPIA notebook. It also houses our Latin study, our grammar, and our writing (from the progymnasmata - just an older way of teaching writing  ). COPIA means "an abundant and ready supply of language. Something appropriate to say or write when ever the occasion arises. " OK that is my hair brained language program for whatever it is worth.

Edited to add: If you have a REALLY bad speller, and don't feel like doing the above, which I am doing for reasons that have something to do with spelling, but have more to do with language in general, and understanding its stuctures (which I think is a transferrable analysis skill for other languages you might study) you could just teach them to type. 
Cindyc.


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

Ernie said:


> Brag all you want. It's very cool.


Thank you, Ernie.  
Cindyc.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Why doesn't it surprise me that your child has good language skills ? 

Congratulations, Cindy -- "brag" all you like, these are the sorts of "brags" I like to hear!


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> Why doesn't it surprise me that your child has good language skills ?
> 
> Congratulations, Cindy -- "brag" all you like, these are the sorts of "brags" I like to hear!


 Are you tryin' to say I'm wordy? OK. I own that. 

No, really, thanks for the encouragement. Actually, I feel like language skills are a weakness in our school. At least it feels out of balance as compared to the maths and sciences. This particular child is just "wired" for good spelling. She has a near photographic memory, so all she really has to do is "see" the words in her head. It is a skill that baffles me because I do NOT have it. Neither do my other kids. Oh well. We feel like we have earned the right to "coast" in the maths for a while once Feb. 2nd passes (the competition day). Then we will be doing language, language, language. Maybe by next year it will be a strength. Funny, we seem to have more trouble with English than other languages. :shrug: Can't quite figure that one out.

Cindyc.


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## akhomesteader (Jan 5, 2006)

Thank you for the tips. I think that one of my 3 year olds will probably do well in language. He LOVES learning letters and is starting to spell and recognize words in books. But, my other 3 year old and my 5 year old --- they don't care at all about that sort of thing. 

Have you found Latin to be helpful? I've always thought we'd do it, but I've never actually talked to anyone who has used it in their family.

Thanks,

Jenny
*Frontier Freedom*


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Jenny -- I'll jump in here on the Latin issue. We are classical home educators, and as such, our boys studied Latin and Greek roots, followed by a more intense study of Latin as a language. Both of them have tested out above the 105th percentile for vocabulary. 

As my eldest has said when faced with a word or term he'd never heard before -- "I just knew what it meant" 

This has helped immeasurably in their science studies -- especially biology -- and even in their study of civics. They don't have to stop and figure out the nomenclature -- or mix up similar terminology. They simply know the meanings, because so MUCH of the English language has Latin at it's root.

We started with English from the Roots Up -- the study of Latin and Greek root words -- and went from there. Absolutely, if you are considering it, go for it, no matter how much they get, it will help.


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> Jenny -- I'll jump in here on the Latin issue. We are classical home educators, and as such, our boys studied Latin and Greek roots, followed by a more intense study of Latin as a language. Both of them have tested out above the 105th percentile for vocabulary.
> 
> As my eldest has said when faced with a word or term he'd never heard before -- "I just knew what it meant"
> 
> ...


I wholeheartedly agree with what Tracy said here. The study of latin has happened in much the same way as it did in Tracy's home, and produced about the same result where vocabulary is concerned, where literature is concerned, and where science and civics are concerned. My "bad speller" in english struggles with spelling in Latin at times too, but it has helped with spelling too, to a dregree. 

Cindyc.


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