NO Stress Spelling

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Getting my little kiddos to THINK about spelling patterns in words is no easy task.  Many times they’re rushing during their writing activities to “just get through it.”  Often when writing, they refuse to take the time to use the spelling patterns and strategies I’ve taught. This makes me a bit unsettled. I know that I can’t expect students to spell correctly all the time.  However, when teaching spelling strategies, my goal is for them to learn to use those strategies I’ve taught. I want them to get in the habit of stretching out words. I want them to listen for chunks and endings on the words they want to write.  Applying these skills should be a daily, if not a minute-by-minute occurrence during any type of writing activity.

The Go To Tool…

When it comes to teaching spelling strategies, there’s ONE very important tool that I use in my classroom, every day… ALL DAY. That wonderful tool is our Word Book! This little book is a godsend! I’ve used it for the last twenty-two years that I’ve taught second grade. It’s been updated throughout those years, with new words, and, of course, cute clip art to make it appealing to my kiddos. In my classroom, our Word Book is our GO TO TOOL.  It’s on their desk during EVERY SINGLE THING WE WRITE…with the exception of their spelling tests. How many times a day do you hear, “How do you spell…?”  Those words make me twitch a little; but by the end of October, I NEVER HEAR THEM AGAIN!  Yes… you heard me correctly!

Introducing the Word Book

I introduce our Word Book during the third week of school. I like to take the first few weeks of school to authentically assess their spelling skills, so I allow invented spelling the first couple of weeks. This gives me a very clear picture into my students’ strengths and weaknesses as spellers. During the third week, I introduce our Word Book to the whole class. I explain that it’s the most important tool they will use in our class, next to their brain, of course!   I then explain in detail how to utilize the Word Book.

When my students need to know how to spell a word, they must first S-T-R-E-T-C-H out the word by listening for the sounds they hear in the beginning, middle and end.  Now that they have an idea of a few of the sounds in the word they need, they open their Word Books. They turn to the correct page and begin to move down the list, focusing on each of the letters they “hear” in the word they stretched out.

This skill definitely takes some practice; but we practice it A LOT for a couple of weeks after it is introduced.  If they cannot find the word in their Word Books (which does happen), they’ll raise their hand and hold up 2 fingers. This is the signal for  “I need a word in my Word Book.”  I’ll either call them over to my desk (if I’m working with a group), send them to my “student helper,”  or I’ll go to their desk and write the word into their Word Book.  As the year progresses and they become comfortable using their Word Books, I will begin to write the word the student needs on a post-it note; then the student must transfer the word into their book. This gives them additional practice using and writing the word.

The bottom line is, a Word Book is a fantastic tool for your students and for you! Never again will you hear those words  “HOW DO YOU SPELL…?” And you will thank me to the clouds and back!   By mid-year there will be so many words that have been added to your students’  Word Books, the need for consulting you for words will decrease as the year progresses.

This is what our Word Book looks like…..

If you’d like to take a look at the Word Book I created for my kiddos, please check it out by clicking the image below….

Hugs,

anna digilio simply skilled ins econd
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Anna D.

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I'm Anna DiGilio

Hi, I'm Anna! I was a primary teacher for over twenty-three years, wife of a firefighter, mother of twin teenage boys, obsessed with being creative and helping teachers and love my Saturday morning quiet cup of coffee!
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