Home Spelling Practice

1. Provide extra practice for words that are difficult to learn. Use a variety of materials and leave some time between practice sessions. Suggested materials: write words on a chalk board or easel, use a dry erase board or index cards. Have your child write the word in a sentence while leaving out a key word for you to guess!

2. Develop a personal word list to keep at home. Encourage your child to practice typing these words on the computer several times in a row. Have your child type up sentences using these words then draw pictures to make associations with these spelling words.

3. Buy or make individual letters of the alphabet. Scramble the letters contained in a spelling word and have your child reconstruct the word by moving the letters back into position.

4. Divide multi syllable spelling words into parts by clapping. Write each word on a card and then cut it into its clapped parts. Reconstruct. Find smaller words within the larger spelling word and write them on a card.

5. Print or type several words to practice but leave a blank space for one or two letters in each word. ( b_ _ d) Take turns filling in the missing letters and creating new challenges.

6. Encourage your children to proofread assignments by themselves. If they overlook a misspelling, tell your children what line it is on and let them find it themselves. This is a visual skill building activity and encourages independence and responsibility.

7. Use an at-home dictionary together.

8. Practice the five-step Independent Word-Study Procedure with your child. (Read, spell,cover, write, check)

9. Encourage writing at home. Decorate the cover of a diary or journal in which to write, compose new words to songs or riddles, create stories. Be enthusiastic about spelling and word study. Your enthusiasm will be contagious!

Last update: 03-29-00/mgl