This is my cat Ziggy and his favorite thing to do on the weekends is help his mommy read through our classes writing assignments. :)
Many people have asked me many questions about Spelling Tests, so here are the most frequently asked questions and answers:
Q: When are the Spelling Tests?
A: Every Friday afternoon. (Unless otherwise noted.)
Q: Where did the spelling words come from?
A: Each student has an individualized list of words for their spelling test. As I read through each student's writing, I pull the most frequently misspelled words that I find. If I find very few errors, I use words that we have been learning about in other subject areas, such as Math, Reading, Vocabulary or Science.
Q: How do I study?
A: There are many great strategies students can use depending on the length and difficulty of the word. Some of these include;
Example:
teacher: "My TEA-cher likes to drink TEA"
universal: "My friend SAL- wants to see the UN-I-VERse
principal: "My principal is my PAL"
Sometimes, it's a stretch of the imagination, but I found this to be the BEST way for my slow learning brain to memorize anything. Get creative. The sillier the better.
Q: What happens if I get a word wrong?
A: Don't worry, you'll just see it again next week. Remember the ultimate goal is that you know how to spell the word FOREVER, not just on Fridays.
I hope these strategies help. Do what works best for you. Just be sure you practice, practice, practice but don't stress it because;
"Practice makes PROGRESS, not perfect."
Q: When are the Spelling Tests?
A: Every Friday afternoon. (Unless otherwise noted.)
Q: Where did the spelling words come from?
A: Each student has an individualized list of words for their spelling test. As I read through each student's writing, I pull the most frequently misspelled words that I find. If I find very few errors, I use words that we have been learning about in other subject areas, such as Math, Reading, Vocabulary or Science.
Q: How do I study?
A: There are many great strategies students can use depending on the length and difficulty of the word. Some of these include;
- Chant the word- read it, write it, chant it with your eyes closed. (works best for short words that don't make phonetic sense (l-a-u-g-h)
- Stretch the word out- words that are spelled phonetically, and sound the same as they are spelled work best. (con-gru-ent)
- Chunk the word- break the word into smaller segments and memorize each chunk, part by part. (This works best for larger words) (ill-u-min-ate)
- Look for clues- some words have words hidden inside of them that you already know how to spell. Once you know you can spell a part of it, all you have to memorize is the left overs. (weird - WE - think "we are weird")
- Make Silly Sense- (This one is my favorite) Some words just don't make any sense, and I still to this day would like to find the person who invented the written English language. Sometimes you just need to make up a silly story to go along with a word that will help you remember it.
Example:
teacher: "My TEA-cher likes to drink TEA"
universal: "My friend SAL- wants to see the UN-I-VERse
principal: "My principal is my PAL"
Sometimes, it's a stretch of the imagination, but I found this to be the BEST way for my slow learning brain to memorize anything. Get creative. The sillier the better.
Q: What happens if I get a word wrong?
A: Don't worry, you'll just see it again next week. Remember the ultimate goal is that you know how to spell the word FOREVER, not just on Fridays.
I hope these strategies help. Do what works best for you. Just be sure you practice, practice, practice but don't stress it because;
"Practice makes PROGRESS, not perfect."