How much parent interaction is required in Spelling You See? Can my student work independently in Spelling You See?

It is possible to allow students some measure of independence while using Spelling You See. The amount of time the parent needs to spend at the student’s side will depend on the level of Spelling You See and the maturity of the student. No matter how mature the student, you should always be ready to give all the help that is needed for success.

Listen and Write must be completed side-by-side with the student as the instructor monitors the formation of letters and dictates the words to be written. If your child consistently uses a correct pencil grip and forms letters correctly, you may be able to let them trace and write letters on their own. However, it is essential that you participate in the letter-box dictation, as this is the activity that incorporates the most meaningful language learning. 

Jack and Jill is a transitional level. In Book 1, students will need help with reading the passage and finding the elements to be marked. Reading the passage TO and WITH your student daily allows them to build the skill of fluency and continue their emergence as a reader. Also, in Book 1, there are words for the instructor to dictate each day. 

Once children reach the Skill Development stage (the second half of Jack and Jill, through Ancient Achievements), they may be able to work more independently. 

In these levels, the instructor should read the passage aloud TO and WITH the student daily. No matter how comfortably your student can read the passage, it is important not to skip this step. Listening and reading are important parts of language acquisition and have positive impacts beyond spelling skills. Because of our tendency to self-edit, reading the passage with your student daily will help them see the passage exactly as it is written.

Once a student becomes familiar with the chunking activity and has experience marking all the different chunks, you may not need to be present while they are chunking the passage. You will need to monitor student work on the first lesson of each week to ensure that no chunks are missed. 

Similarly, you will want to guide the first few copywork sessions until you gauge how well your student can complete them without copious errors. It is important to erase and correct errors as soon as they are noticed. Your student may need help in identifying when they have made an error until they learn to focus on the details of each word.

Students generally can complete No Rule Day activities by themselves. 

Each level includes a dictation passage that the instructor needs to read to the student. Depending on the level, the passage will be dictated once or twice a week, and an instructor needs to be present to read the passage word by word, monitor the student’s work, and provide immediate feedback for errors.  

Modern Milestones, the Spelling You See level for the Word Extension stage, is designed for more independent work. This level continues to incorporate dictation, so parental involvement is still required for that activity.