Ew, spelling.
My reaction to spelling was much like the above. "Ugh, do we really have to have a spelling test?", I would groan. "Can't I write out lines or something?". The reaction to which was always amused with a slight hint of 'I could not care less'. That was until I got to University and began to study teaching. It turns out that spelling is rather important, and does not have to be taught with a weekly spelling test. Wow, who would have thunk it?
I did not learn this at University though. I originally learnt it through my experiences in various Primary Schools, volunteering in between Uni classes to try and get more experience in the classroom. It became clear that developing student vocabulary and helping them learn to spell is big business, especially in the early years. When I began working in a middle years classroom this focus seemed to slip away a bit. Spelling just was not much of a focus. Sure, the teacher would correct a student if they had spelled a word wrong, but shouldn't the student be learning to recognise it themselves? Obviously it was not just me who was asking these questions as the school soon became a lot more focused on word work. It was this experience: working with my mentor teacher to develop different ways of teaching and learning about words, that showed me that rote learning words (through weekly spelling tests) is not the only way to go about learning to spell and developing vocabulary, particularly for the middle and upper years.
This website aims to help beginning teachers to better understand the different strategies that students can use to help them spell. You will also find some examples and resources that you can use to help you in your middle and upper years classroom. What teacher doesn't love free printables, right? But don't head there just yet! Learn a little about the different ways children can learn to spell.
The strategies have been selected with beginning teachers in mind, and have been focused on those I have found through extensive research and practical experience in a year three classroom to be the most relevant for students. So let's find out more!
I did not learn this at University though. I originally learnt it through my experiences in various Primary Schools, volunteering in between Uni classes to try and get more experience in the classroom. It became clear that developing student vocabulary and helping them learn to spell is big business, especially in the early years. When I began working in a middle years classroom this focus seemed to slip away a bit. Spelling just was not much of a focus. Sure, the teacher would correct a student if they had spelled a word wrong, but shouldn't the student be learning to recognise it themselves? Obviously it was not just me who was asking these questions as the school soon became a lot more focused on word work. It was this experience: working with my mentor teacher to develop different ways of teaching and learning about words, that showed me that rote learning words (through weekly spelling tests) is not the only way to go about learning to spell and developing vocabulary, particularly for the middle and upper years.
This website aims to help beginning teachers to better understand the different strategies that students can use to help them spell. You will also find some examples and resources that you can use to help you in your middle and upper years classroom. What teacher doesn't love free printables, right? But don't head there just yet! Learn a little about the different ways children can learn to spell.
The strategies have been selected with beginning teachers in mind, and have been focused on those I have found through extensive research and practical experience in a year three classroom to be the most relevant for students. So let's find out more!