Spelling: Tricks of the Trade + How to Teach Any Child to Spell, set of 2 books

Ms. Graham's book is very easy to read and does summarize a lot of what I learned in the course of my reading about spelling. There are a few minor differences like the practice of penciling--underlining syllables instead of using Phonemic Sound Boxes (Elkonin Boxes). But, the ideas are the same. It is nice because the spelling rules are all there. The spelling notebook is for students to use as they categorize the words from their own writing that they misspell. Using a notebook can be a tedious process. But, some children sincerely can benefit from it--especially when grouping words together according to rules clicks for them and helps them to spell more correctly consistently.I began writing this review and then decided I needed to think a little bit more about teaching spelling and what to say in this review. I realized that it's easy to give a child a workbook on spelling and let them learn on their own--if spelling comes easily to them. But, any spelling program aimed at teaching the rules of spelling takes time. The idea behind Ms. Graham's program is to underline the words that are misspelled in a child's writing and then find where they fit in a notebook of spelling rules. She includes a daily spelling plan. That spelling plan includes a daily phonics review. The worksheets from my previous post on Carl's Corner would be a great tool to use. I like her plan. Begin with phonics, move on to reviewing child's spelling notebook, then reading and observing spelling, and finally daily writing.I have to admit that How to Teach Any Child to Spell is quite general. It has enough guidelines to give you a framework, but then you have to fill in the content. So, here's what I'd do with this little book...1) Read it completely. Make a shortcut guide for the daily lesson plan.2) Assemble phonics worksheets from Carl's Corner website. Begin with the blends ch/sh/th/wh and other sounds that the child doesn't recognize from the consonant list included in the book. My advice is to assemble a notebook ahead of time so that you can follow from one digraph to the next. Then teach short vowels and long e. Use the Clue Sheets from Tricks of the Trade as a guide for what phonics combinations need to be taught.3) Read Aloud. Pick a book you both enjoy or a poem each day. Poems are nice because they are short and have many word patterns. Point out the rules you've been teaching them about. I like Ms. Graham's explanation of how to do this.4) Place a mini word wall page in the front of your child's planner for them to use as a shortcut spelling list when they are writing. As they use words from it, ask them about the rules that tell them how to spell those words. How do they know?5) Use the Tricks of the Trade to catalog the words with spelling errors from their writing. This is the most time consuming part. I would use an adhesive tab (or make one) for the front index of where to find the pages for each rule in the book. That's the problematic and time consuming part of this. If your child is young (3rd grade or younger), you will need to begin by helping them categorize each individual word. As the child is more independent, instruct your child to write a few words in themselves. Independence will come gradually though. First check the words after they done them one by one, then check them as a group. Ask your child to reason and explain why they put each word on the page he/she did. The child's explanation is an important assessment of whether or not he/she understood the spelling rule applied.The Tricks of the Trade clue sheets in the front are very helpful because they can be a guide to you about how to teach the phonics sounds (and how many combinations there are!).Ms. Graham also identifies a tool that I've realized is very important for my daughter--learning to break words into syllables. In order to do that, a child must be pronouncing words correctly. I ask my daughter to repeat a word to me to make sure she's hearing it in her word correctly. If she's not, I repeat it back to her and emphasize where the pronunciation needed to be corrected. Explode the Code does a wonderful job of teaching the syllable rules in Books 4 and 4 1/2. I would recommend using those two books even if you don't use the whole series. But, don't make the mistake I did at first. Don't give your child the book and let them work through the rules on their own and just plug and chug. Talk through each syllabication rule and take it slow. Review the rules as you go through the book if you can. Juggling three learners at the same time means that this can be difficult for me at times. And I know many more moms that have more learners working simultaneously than me! It's tricky. But, spelling rules are important for multiple ages. Children can be grouped for reviews and for reviewing syllabication.Is syllabication necessary? Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't help all students. But, I think part of that is because some children need a lot more practice with it than they get and instruction on how to break apart syllables. Not all children hear that natural breaks in words that syllables form. They have to learn to listen for them. And learning comes through practice, I think. I've noticed that the worksheet I made for sound boxes really helps my daughter pause and think about the sounds. Here's a link to the worksheet I made.With her spelling words, she writes the letters that make one sound in each box. So, Were takes two boxes: w and ere. Now that she's thinking more about sounds, she can chunk them together to form syllables.I am thankful to have found this book combination by Ms. Graham. It reinforced some of the conclusions I'd drawn myself about spelling this summer and fall. But, it also has renewed and challenged me to consider the time Spelling needs from me. I am going to implement the practice of daily reading and observation that Ms. Graham recommends. Most programs for children that struggle with spelling are quite expensive. These books are not. The two books together cost about $16. It isn't a complete program without phonics supplements though. You can use a website like Carl's Corner or another book of worksheets and expansive word lists along with Ms. Graham's approach to spelling.As a homeschooling parent, I've realized that the best way to become a good homeschooling teacher is to be a student of your student. This spelling program fits with that idea. It will require some preparation. But, most spelling prorams that teach the rules do. That was something I was reminded of as I thought about this program and asked myself if I have the time I need to teach spelling well to my daughter. I have to adjust my expectations of how long spelling will take and give it more room. She needs me to do this and as her teacher, I need to do just that.Please note that I received a complimentary copy of Tricks of the Trade and How to Teach Any Child to Spell from Common Sense Press for review.