Spelling R Us

We've been working SO hard on spelling. Still, the Elf spelled words like "dozz" for "does" on his test. It shouldn't be a surprise what's on the test because we're using the PACE system. The 40 words listed at the beginning are the 40 words on the test. It seems that no matter how much we practice, he still BOMBS the test. And throughout the booklet there is copywork, using the word in a sentence and a definition for each word with a picture.

He can read well enough, but the reasoning skills aren't quite there. He can read a story about Stella going to the store at 3 p.m., but when the questions ask what time it was 20 minutes before she left for the store, he'll have no clue! We use the Judy clock for illustration. I'm getting to the point where I don't really expect him to complete those worksheets on his own. He'll sit with me and we'll use the Judy clock together. I'm hoping that eventually it will just click in.

He does very well in his mathmatics. I can teach him a concept and away he goes. I just have to be sure there are no pesky word problems, or that we think through those word problems together. I am not sure if he is having difficulty because he is young or because he is on the autism spectrum. I'm HOPING these things will get better with practice and time and that he will be able to do the word problems on his own in the next year or so.