Spelling Words

•  participate in daily phonemic awareness skill building activities 
•  learn a new letter, letter cluster, or spelling concept every day
•  participate in daily reviews or previously taught concepts to ensure sufficient exposure to, and mastery of, each concept
•  begin blending sounds to read and unblending sounds to spell after learning two letters
•  learn to spell by applying spelling rules rather than by relying on memorization
•  learn common suffixes and selected prefixes
•  practice decoding by reading controlled text (decodable readers)
•  receive explicit handwriting instruction (print)
•  be assessed regularly to monitor progress in phonics and spelling
•  participate in activities that motivate, reinforce, and remediate

Suggestions for Practicing Spelling Words at home:

Because we are all different types of learners the list below contains ideas for verbal, auditory, and tactile learners. Select the methods that are best for your child.

_____Take an oral practice test.

_____Take a written practice test.

_____Write sentences using the words.

_____Make flash cards and practice with a friend.

_____Use clay or play dough to make letters to spell your words.

_____Smooth out shaving cream, sand, or flour and spell your words.

_____Write your words using rainbow spelling.

_____Put spelling words in alphabetical order.

_____Put spelling words in ZYX order!

_____Make a list of words that rhyme with your spelling words (some can be make

believe words).

_____Dribble a ball or jump rope while spelling your words.

_____In a dark room use a flashlight to spell your words on the wall.

_____Write each spelling word five times each.

_____Tape record yourself spelling your words. Then listen to yourself!

_____Fingerspell your words to an adult.

_____Write your spelling words on someone’s back with your finger.

_____Write your words in the air with your finger.

_____Write your words on a chalkboard or with sidewalk chalk

_____Make a crossword puzzle or word search puzzle with your words.

_____Cut out letters from magazines or newspapers to spell your words.

_____Use magnet letters to spell your words.

_____Use pipe cleaners to make the letters you need to spell your words.

_____Use a typewriter or computer to type your spelling words.

_____Use alphabet cereal to spell each spelling word.

_____Write a story.  Try to use all of this week’s spelling words.

_____Use pieces of yarn to form each of the letters in your spelling words.

_____ Write your words forwards, then write your words backwards.

_____ Write 10 silly sentences using all of your spelling words.

_____ Draw a picture of ____ spelling words and write the spelling word under

  the picture that you drew.

_____ Write your words leaving out the vowels – draw a line where a vowel should be.

_____ Write your words leaving out the consonants – draw a line where a

   consonants should be.

_____ Write each spelling word one time and then write the words scrambled.

_____ Write your words on graph paper (one letter per box) and outline in colors.

_____ Pyramid words – write your words subtracting one letter each time. The

  result will be a pyramid shaped words.

_____ Crisscross words – write your words so two or more words crisscross (share

  a letter)

_____ If you are right-handed, write your spelling words with your left hand, or

   vice versa.

_____ Write the entire spelling word list end to end as one long word (no spaces

  between words)  change ink colors for each word.

_____ Translate your words into telephone numbers – use the telephone keypad.

_____ Make your spelling words with Popsicle sticks or toothpicks.

_____ Number the alphabet from 1 – 26 then convert your spelling words into a

  number code.

_____For a real challenge, use the letters of the spelling words to make

 sentences. For example: "storm" Susan tasted only red marshmallows.

_____Cut a picture from a newspaper or a magazine and use spelling words to

 write a story about a picture.

_____Color Words: Write the spelling words using one color for vowels and

 another word for consonants.

_____ Cloud words: Write your words using letters that look like clouds (puffy

  letters).

_____Write your spelling words and circle all of the vowels.

_____ Write your spelling words and put a box around all of the consonants.

_____ Write your spelling words and circle of the silent letters.

_____ Write a synonym for ___ spelling words.

_____  Write an antonym for ___ spelling words.

_____ Classify words according to parts of speech.

_____ Write each word figure out how many syllables.  Write the number of

syllables beside each word.

_____ Write each word breaking the word into syllables.

_____ Write each spelling word find it in a dictionary.  Write the part of speech

and the page number where you found the word.

*If you have any ideas to make my list even better, please send them to me. J