Strategies we use in school that you can use to consolidate spellings at home

¨ Sounding out   e.g. d-o-g / sh-ee-p / n-igh-t

             This is the most popular method for    teaching spelling. Ask the child to sound out the phonemes (sounds) they hear.

 

¨ Syllabification  e.g. re/mem/ber

                Clap out and say each of the syllables

 

¨ Mnemonics e.g. big elephants can always understand small elephants = because

This is a great strategy for tricky words they find difficult to remember.

 

¨ Words within words e.g. There is a rat in separate.

 

¨ Etymology (meaning) e.g. bi (two) + cycle (circle) = bicycle.

 

¨ Prefixes and suffixes e.g. uncontrollable laughing

 

¨ Applying rules e.g. When changing a word ending in y from singular to plural you change the y to an i and add es. Fairy + fairies

 

¨ Using a dictionary  - children from Year 3 onwards are gifted a dictionary from Lowestoft Rotary Club in the Autumn Term that they can use at home to support their understanding of  word meanings and different word classes (noun, verb, adjective, adverb)

 

How can you support your child at home?

 

How can I make sure they write spellings correctly in their writing?

It important to put the words into sentences for your child.  This puts it into context and also gets them to apply the spelling within their writing rather than a list of words.

What if they forget their spellings after a few weeks?

The spelling rules and patterns will be revisited throughout the term and school year to consolidate their learning.  The class teacher may also decide to repeat some of the  trickier spellings if the pupils have found them difficult to apply in their writing.

What are statutory spellings?

In Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 there are lists of words stated in the National Curriculum which children need to learn how to spell.  These lists are available on the school website.

 

Games to play at home to practise their spellings

 

Guess Who: Write some words on paper. Read the words with your child. Ask them to tape a word to your back. You have to ask a question e.g. does it begin with ’th’? Does it have a prefix? Now your child takes a turn to answer your questions.

 

Magnetic Letters: Say a word out loud. Ask your child to make the word using magnetic letters or

 

Silly Sentences: Ask your child to write ten silly sentences using a spelling word in each sentence. Encourage them to underline their spelling words. Example: My dog wears a blue and purple dress when he takes a bath.