Spelling words should be compatible with the student's reading level. Many are able to succeed with minimal modifications.
Choose one of the spelling activities in this chapter and use it with a student. Again, share your experience in a post of one or two paragraphs.
Respond to 2 people.
Testing 1 2 3
ReplyDeleteI chose to give a spelling test to one of our students who tested at between a third and fourth grade reading level. I used "fifth grade level" words because I feel that he is able to read at a higher level. I gave him thirteen words and he spelled eleven out of thirteen correctly. The words he misspelled were because he reversed two letters on one word and left a letter out of the other one.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to spell words is obviously crucial to good reading skills. I think more emphasis should be placed on spelling for students who struggle to reach grade level. Spelling also helps with proper pronunciation of words which will help increase a students reading rate.
I agree with you John, I think that if you know how to spell then it is easer for you to read. It sounds like your students do good in spelling.It is also a good idea that you pick words from a higher grade so they can learn the bigger words. Then they will be ready for the next grade.
DeleteI agree also with giving the students words that makes them learn a more broader range of them. But, also to keep the words they still need practice on within the list.
DeleteI agree in moving the child up a level so they keep motivated to read and understand more.
DeleteI agree too if you know how to spell then you will be a good reader.
DeleteYes John I agree with you! If the student is exposed to learning a higher level she/he extend their vocabulary.
DeleteDrill and Practice Activities: We have a program on our computers and the teachers use it to. It is called Quia, you can make activities like hangman, and word finds. We use their spelling words and when the student plays the games on the computer they injoy it. It gives them a different way to learn the words. It also helps them with using the computer.
ReplyDeleteWhen the student uses the computer for the games. We sit next to them and when they get stuck on a word we help them. But usally they do very good on them. We let them work on the spelling words for the week. Then on Friday we take spelling tests.
I wish we had this program here at the school I work at. Anything to make learning fun is one step ahead of the kids.
DeleteI like the idea of using the "Quia" program Pam. We do Hangman sometimes on the white board with our reading intervention class and they enjoy it a lot! But using a computer for the individual student is a great idea! Spelling was difficult for me in elem. grades. But in the 9th grade we had an English teacher who took the time to work with us on phonetics and it revolutionized my spelling ability. Now i love games like hangman and I love to do crossword puzzles and word searches. I play several word games on the computer as well.
DeleteOur teachers use Quia.com as well. They do review activities, review games, as well as the tests on this program. It has been very beneficial to the students who prefer to do their work on the computer rather than handwrite everything.
DeleteI have heard of Quia, and plan to look it up for future reference. I have always had my nose in the game books as a kid. I include the games like hangman in my kids activities, and the students at school. It is a great way to get them to do spelling words and to ge the brain to think'in.
DeleteWe use super phonics and it seems to help the kids do very well with their spelling and they enjoy it as well. We also have reading eggs and many other programs and the students seem to enjoy them and have come a long way from where they were when they entered into the classroom at the beginning of the year.
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ReplyDeleteI like your idea John. But we don't have that program and would like to do it with our students.
DeleteI am so sorry Erica, but the comment that I posted here was meant to be a "reply" to Pam Chalmers' post so I needed to move it.
DeleteWe have done the drill-and-practice actibity many times by grouping words with common prefixes and suffixes together. We first needed to teach the meaning of the suffix or prefex and so the student would catch on pretty quickly. To help students visually discriminate between the various parts of the word we used different colors of highlighters for the different syllables in the word.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great way to help the students with using the correct prefix or suffix in a word. I like the idea of using the different colored high lighters for the various parts of the words. The more the students can learn about how to spell words correctly the better their reading skills will be.
DeleteThat is a good idea to have them learn the prefix and suffix of the words. It does help them with the meaning of the word. I also like how you use different colors of highlighters to help them learn the differnt syllables in the words.
DeleteI really like that idea. One of the teachers i help made tree trunks and wrote the prefix then the branches were the words .
Deleteusing a tree trunk as the prefix or another tree trunk for the suffix and the branches as the root word would be a great idea. So many kids have trouble with those words. anything to help.
DeleteI like the idea of using different colors. I think I will apply this to some of my students.
DeleteDeb i like that idea with the prefix, suffix, root on the tree, yes anything to help them picture it!
DeleteThis is my new favorite idea that I have learned while doing this blog. Using different colors to show different parts of the word is great. You could do so much with this, plus the kids would get a kick out of it. This could be applied in several subjects, not just spelling.
DeleteI like to teaching the kids prefixes and suffixes, so they can see that the meaning of the word is easy to understand .
DeleteI chose Drill and practice but i really don't help kids with spelling. But i really like how the teachers split the prefix and write the meaning of each one and give examples. The kids really enjoy doing it to.
ReplyDeleteI have done this activity also. I had three columns on a paper. One was to write the prefix and trace it. 2nd column was to write the meaning of it. 3rd column was to draw a picture illustrating the use of the word in life.
DeleteI have used a program called "Reading Eggs." The students that I have had do the program love it. It not only works on letter sounds alone, but word blends, ends, and beginning sounds. There is a whole bunch of activities for the students to do and complete lessons. They get to earn "eggs" as "money" and create an avatar of their own and buy stuff for their avatar's home. We also practice on spelling words they are working on in the classroom with flashcards. We keep a day by day record of words missed and words said correctly. Once the whole list is said correctly, they move on to a next set of words.
ReplyDeleteHPEC teachers have access to this program. I have heard nothing but good things from teachers and paras. Glad your teacher is using it. If anyone's teacher is not but would like to have them contact Shelly for a login.
DeleteI like the reward part of "Reading Eggs" where the students earn something for their work. Seems to be a good incentive to achieve more & do better. I will check into this program.
DeleteI think programs like "Reading Eggs" is great for kids these days. It looks and acts like video games but they are actually learning while they play.
DeleteOur kids love this program!! They get to learn, but also play fun games and so it makes it very entertaining for them!
DeleteWe do the reading eggs and I love it ,it has lessons games, and you get to decorate a room for yourself and a person what you want them to look like you get points collect eggs and keep going on our computers we have a lot on that and it has helped all of them with sounds and spelling if you can get it it works
DeleteWe have decks of cards for the stair words we have one that like to use them we say the same letter he has trouble with and gets better and better every time I like those too.
DeleteI use the stair words for spelling. So they see how each letter makes the word
ReplyDeleteExample) P
Pr
Pre
Pret
Prete
Pretes
Pretest
this way works. Another way can be is writing the word 5 times in this way.
I like this idea and look forward to applying it to the students at school and my kiddos at home!
DeleteOne of my favorite spelling activities is #227 outlining spelling words and using configuration clues. I also like #275 tracing letters in spelling words with several different colors. One year I subbed for middle school special ed. and we had a student who had weekly spelling tests over 10 words on the 2nd grade level. On Mondays, he just wrote each word three times, Tuesdays he did the color tracing, Wednesdays he did the outlining and configuration clues and on Thursdays we used a tactile/kinesthetic activity by tossing a ball and spelling each word out loud. My point is to mix it up and use many different ways to learn and study spelling words.
ReplyDeleteWow! What great ways to learn how to spell words. All fun ways to learn too. Doing it every day of the week in different ways keeps it in the forefront of the students mind so when they take the test they know the words. Way to mix it up. Thanks.
DeleteThe student I work with communicates with sign language. Our team spelled words with signing letters & our student could tell us what the word was with the sign for the word. We have made great progress in communication skills in this activity & helped lower frustration levels for all who work with this student. It is very rewarding to see her be able to tell others what she wants to say.
ReplyDeleteThis has been really effective with this student. I like being able to ask her what she wants and her being able to tell me what that is. I have enjoyed working with this student and learning sign language.
Delete**Denise,
DeleteThis is great the more the student knows the more confidence they have. This is a great idea, and good practice.
I have students who are very low in their reading ability. We modify their vocabulary each week to encompass words with similar meaning of the regular vocabulary words but words that are on their level of understanding. They are still responsible for the work that goes into each vocbulary (context, structure, definitio, and sentence using the word). They do get a modified test with their words used, but it still has the same structure as the regular test. This has really helped our students 2who are lower to still succeed and learn new words that they understand.
ReplyDeleteAttention Bloggers: Lucky you! We just noticed that chapters 13, 14 and 15 did not load onto the blog. Because they are not posted you are not required to blog about them. However they are good chapters that cover math, assessments and behavior. I would like you all to have access to a blog about these chapters if you so choose. So, below are my posts to them. You do not have to respond, post or even read them. They are just for your information. Thanks for being a part of this blog:)
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 Math:
As special education teachers many times we are called upon to create a parallel curriculum for math. The text gives us some really good ideas for doing this. Number 306 talks about providing parallel activities in the same content areas as those used by the rest of the class. This is where your paras can really be of help as they are most likely the ones in the classroom and and know what the teachers are doing with the other students.
The ideas #321-331 are also valid ideas for modifying math assignments. My personal experience is with #331 Touch Math, which is a program I used with 2nd and 3rd grade students as a tool for adding and subtracting. It is important that Touch Math only be used as a tool and not as the initial teaching of addition and subtraction as students need to understand the logistics of adding and taking away. Another resource is http://www.kansasmtss.org/2011symposiummaterials.html and download the materials for Dr. Paul Riccomini and Dr. Brad Wetzel's presentation on Number Sense. I think that you will find it very beneficial and give your more ideas for manipulatives and math tools.
Chapter 14 Assessment:
When assessing student achievement it is important to test only the student's knowledge of a curriculum area, not penalize the student for the disability. It is important to remember that accommodations do not reduce learning expectations; they provide access. I believe for some students testing orally instead of requiring the student to write the answer is a good way to check understanding. If you are testing reading then of course you cannot read it to the student. The most important thing to do is ask yourself, "What am I trying to find out from this child?"
Chapter 15 Behavior Management:
For most students behaviors are learned and learned behaviors can be changed with patience, persistence, and positive reinforcement.
The tally activity is very insightful. It does change one's perspective on what is really happening with a student. My experience has been that what I perceive is not always the reality. The sample behavior change plan, form 48, points out the importance of what happened before the incident of misbehavior. It is so important to find out what the antecedent is to the misbehavior. Sometimes if is recurring all one has to do is change up the schedule or eliminate the antecedent for the behavior to disappear.
On this chapter i went with drill and practice activites. 271 we use with vocab words. Both hangman and bingo they really enjoy and it helps them with the meaning and the spelling. 257 they also like it we let them pick color pencils or markers for their vocab words or the words that we are working in speech. 277 I think is really good because it gives a clue with the outline of the letter. We used that on with the vocab words. Knowing how to spell helps you become a better reader.
ReplyDelete**Melissa,
DeleteYes, my son loves hangman and he can play it a long time. It can be used at different levels too.
Earlier this year I was given the opportunity to give a selling test. I noticed the spelling list was "list B" as opposed to "list A", and then the words were typed out so that you would pronounce them as they sound. When I gave the spelling test, I pronounced the words just as I saw them spelled out, and the words were grouped in the same word families. All of these accommodations were set up for this student to be a successful speller. Has it worked? Yes, the student is best at learning when he hears the word pronounced to him(#279 - auditory learners).
ReplyDeleteI chose #262 since I work with speech kids. This activity allows them to say and hear the sounds while at the same time writing the words. The students are able to use as many colors as possible to correctly spell the words. I also like the idea of bingo and hangman. They are having fun and still learning the words and they didn't even know it.
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom we practice spelling with magnets and since it is the Holidays we have the beaded garland the students can spell out their spelling words with. The kids really enjoy this and have really improved on their tests!
ReplyDeleteWe also let them teach the words to other students and so they get to be the leader and this really shows if they understand the spelling words or not. We also have the super phonics and reading eggs programs that the students seem to enjoy and it helps them with their vowel sounds and constanants. It is amazing how many games are out there from when I was a child.
**A good tool to use for spelling is #253, if the student masters his spelling words list that is modified three consecutive tests, increase the words until he/she has met her/his goal. It gives the student a since of accomplishment. Make sure to change the student goal as he achieves his goals. A good thing to do for a teacher or para is to have the student in the class to take the test with the rest of the class, if he doesn’t need a quite room. The student writes only the words he has on his modified list. He can take the test by the teacher’s desk. This works and the teacher have control of the student.
ReplyDeleteAnother good thing to use is #256 scrabble squares. Write family word pattern on an index card and use cards for initial consonant sounds. The child can change initial consonant sounds to make words.
My supervisor always modifies the sped kid's that have spelling words every week. Out of 15 words they will do 10 words that she thinks they should be able to spell. They do their spelling packet, which on the first page it says to write the words twice. Everyday up until Friday, I will have them write their words at least 5 times. Come Thursday, a day before their spelling test, I will give them a pretest to see how they do. If they spell words incorrectly, I will have them write the word or words 10 times. I will also have them study the words before the test.
ReplyDeleteIn "Drill and Practice" the student is learning while having fun. This activity works great with my students, it's one of their favorite. This activity is helpful and works well when using sight words, vocabulary words, math facts and many more. Every time she/he misses a letter of the alphabet i always encourage them to put more effort next game.
ReplyDelete