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avatarAlicia
# of Thumbs Up Received (2)

My son is having difficulty with spelling

My son is 8 years old, in third grade, reads at an early 2nd grade level and is having difficulty with spelling. I have found that if I use sign language to spell the word out for him, he seems to catch on a bit quicker, but I'm wondering if I'm missing out on a larger issue or another method of helping him. The bonus is that he not only learns to spell, but he's also learning to sign.

Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated.

Question applies to ages: 8

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avatarBridgette
# of Thumbs Up Received (41)
Top 5 in: Discipline, Families and Relationships, Growth and Development, Learning Styles, Manners and Values, Parenting Support, Parents and SchoolsTop 5 in 7 Topics		 The signing is a fantastic idea--it incorporates additional learning styles (visual and kinesthetic).

Reading and spelling are often linked. Do you still have read-aloud time together? If you do (and if you don't, I recommend it), try using your finger to follow along the words so that he can see the words while hearing them.

As for a larger issue, you may want to talk to his teachers or a learning specialist who could speak more directly to his needs. Sometimes kids just work at different paces on different skills.
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avatarlouise
# of Thumbs Up Received (1)		 I used to teach high-school English and became a believer that true "good spellers" are born, not necessarily taught! What you can teach, however, are some of the rules - 'i' after 'c' except after 'e' and when sounded as 'a' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh' and so on.
Also, the more a student learns how to spell specific words (the dreaded vocabulary-spelling list!), the more likely he is to be able to transfer the spelling of those words to others with the same root word.
For a child who learns best by seeing information, make sure he writes the word several times as part of learning how to spell it. Saying the word, then spelling it aloud and writing it will help reinforce the correct spelling for that word, and for how that word sounds.
Your use of sign language is ingenious! What a great idea and as you say, he's also learning to sign. That's terrific.

References:
Former English teacher
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