English Page

Learning Spellings at Home

 

At Birdwell, we believe that learning to spell is important and in the new National Curriculum, which we are following, correct spelling is stated as a key objective in all subjects.  

 

As an inclusive school, we are committed to dyslexia-friendly approaches to spelling and advocate multi-sensory learning strategies.  Every child is different and will learn in his/her own unique way.  It is important that every individual learns to use a range of strategies and identify those that work for them, personally.

 

In Key Stage 1, the emphasis is on learning to read and spell sounds, then putting these together to make words. This is known as ‘blending’. Children are encouraged to have a go, sounding out words as they write and at other times making use of their sight words.

 

In Key Stage 2, we continue to encourage children to have a go and use their phonic strategies to spell as well as learning a bank of more irregular words individually. In addition, we teach spelling rules and patterns. Pupils are encouraged to use a wider range of strategies to spell words including:

 

• Breaking words down into syllabic chunks
• Using a dictionary or spellchecker 
• Independently discovering, learning and recalling rules such as ‘i before e except after c’
• Using mnemonics such as ‘Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants’ to learn the word ‘because’

 

We take a very active approach to the learning of spellings at Birdwell and encourage pupils to improve through a variety of games and activities which may be kinaesthetic and ‘get up and go’, or through the identification of rules and patterns that can be applied. The emphasis is always on ‘having a go’ and celebrating what is, rather than what is not, correct in the word. We believe that making the meanings of words integral to their acquisition alongside the practice of spelling words in context is fundamental to success.

 

Many parents have asked how they can support their children with spelling at home. These ideas have been designed to help!

 

• Using mnemonics as an aid to memorising an irregular word and (e.g. people: people eat orange peel like elephants; enough: even naughty octopi usually get haribo.)

 

• Dividing the word into syllables, say each syllable as they write the word (e.g. re-mem-ber).

 

• Finding words within words (e.g. a rat in separate); highlight these with a highlighter pen and even make up a short story linking the embedded word to the whole word meaning.

 

• Making links between the meaning of words and their spelling (e.g. sign, signal, signature).

 

 

With spelling flashcards:

 

• Pairs: Create a double set of the words your child is finding tricky. Pick up two cards at a time until they find a pair. Can they verbally spell it out to you?

 

• Multi-media: Copy/trace words from flashcards using dough, pasta shapes. Magnetic letters on your fridge with which to make words can also add variety.

 

• Finger-writing: Spell out words in sand, salt or flour using your finger.

 

 

 With pen, pencil, marker and paper:

 

• Spelling Word Race: Create two teams with one player from each team taking the pen at a time. Someone calls out the word and the two players race to write this word first.

 

• Spelling Puzzle: Make a home-made puzzle by writing the words in large on a piece of card. Get your child to cut it up and then see if they can piece it back together again?

 

• Stairs: Write the words as if they are stairs, adding one letter each time:  S, Sp, Spe, Spel, Spell

 

• Rainbow write: Build each word up with a different-coloured letter at a time.

 

• Tic-Tac-Toe: This game is a favourite of the children’s and is often best known as Os and Xs. Using the spelling words in place of an O or an X, the players must get three in a row, with the chosen word spelt correctly each time.