Monday 2 March 2015

LEARNING QUOTE OF THE MONTH: MARCH 2015

 
SOMETIMES YOU WIN;
SOMETIMES YOU LEARN!

 
 

TEN FUN WAYS TO LEARN SPELLINGS


TEN FUN WAYS TO LEARN SPELLINGS

“My spelling is wobbly.  It’s good spelling but it wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.”  Winnie the Pooh

Your child may have spellings to learn at home and find themselves feeling like Winnie the Pooh when, despite practising the spellings, they do not do very well in the spelling “test” or generally spell the words inaccurately.  It may be possible that your child simply dislikes learning the spellings.  These alternative VAK (Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic) activitiesmay be more effective and enjoyable strategies.

1.     Use fancy writing to practise the spellings: for example, bubble writing, typing the words in different fonts, or use letter stamps to print out the words.

2.    Write the words letter by letter to form a pyramid so that the words grow or disappear.

3.    Colour code the spellings, for example: alternating letters in two colours - spell, highlight a letter string - spelling or write the vowels in red and the consonants in blue - spell.

4.    Sing, chant or rap the spellings.  Try this simple rap – “To the S, to the P to the E to the double L “or chant – “Give me an S,” etc.

5.    Spell the words out aloud with a partner, alternating turns to say the next letter.

6.    Think of words that rhyme with the spellings; discuss any homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings, for example, road, rode; write, right, etc).

7.    Build the word in building bricks, pipe cleaners or modelling clay.

8.    Use letter beads, stones with letters chalked on them, sponge letters or stickers to write the words.

9.     Place sand, salt or shaving foam in a tray for your child to write the words in.

10. Play games.  There are many games, activities and resources that can be purchased, played on the internet, or made at home, such as word searches, unscramble the letters, find the pair, or treasure hunts to find the letters to create the word, all of which can support your children in learning their spelling.