Spelling.

I'm having my first experience teaching spelling now that I've been homeschooling. The English language is so strange. Today I've been working with my daughter on words like paid, laid, said and braid and also played, brayed, prayed. I cannot explain why the words are spelled differently and yet rhyme, or why said is spelled the same, but does not rhyme. It's a crazy thing. My daughter came out of public school with poor spelling ability, so we are using the AVKO spelling program from the Spelling and Dyslexia Research Foundation. It has really made a difference in her spelling and we've only been using it since July. I think it is interesting that a person could read very well and yet, not spell well.