My son started 1st grade this year and it's been a rude awakening.
They get the spelling list every Monday with a test every Friday. They are also expected to read 10 min. every day and keep a log. DS has not done good on his spelling tests and I'm getting frustrated trying to help him. I've tried all different ways of practicing the list everyday and he aces the at home test the night before but then doesn't do good on the test at school. I'm out of ideas. Anyone have advice?
Re: Spelling test help
Mine is in second grade but we went through the same thing. It is so frustrating! I did flashcards and played the M&M game where he got an M&M when he spelled the word correctly (made it fun for his little brother too because everytime the older one got an M&M the younger one got one too). Then the words got harder and harder. It was ridiculous. I talked to the teacher and she said instead of trying to do all 10 focus on just 5. It brought the stress down and he got the 5 right and he felt much better about himself.
Be careful of too much after school stimulation. I would cut karate down to 2x per week and see how that helps.
ps. I think spelling is something that either comes naturally or it doesn't. Look for patterns in the words usually they are grouped by a pattern like -at words. Study and if it seems its not clicking. You might have your son tested. I have two dyslexic students and one that ace's every spelling test without trying. He just gets phonics.