How To Teach Spelling-The Order of Letters!

As a child I remember getting lists of words that I had to learn to spell in a very short space of time. These words grew to be more of a challenge as I grew older, and the list got longer and longer with my climb through the class levels. Somehow I would always master the art of spelling, yet I cannot remember actually studying these words at school. To me it was simply a case of mastering-the-art-of-letter-sequence-recall!

As a teacher I think fun is the name of the game. I give a list of words, yes, but I teach the words and use them in our class vocabulary for an entire week. By the next Monday, I use Fill-in-the-blanks and word searches to get my students to spell those words correctly.

Today I present some other ideas from around the net that can spruce up your spelling lessons by infusing fun and enjoyment to a seemingly boring exercise!

These ideas are great for kindergarten to Grade 6 (First Year to Standard Five)

Puzzles



Spelling Speedway

Make a race track with posterboard or cardboard. Game pieces include a toy car for each player and a die. Everyone throws the die and the person with the greatest value starts the game. Using the list of spelling words the first player is given a spelling word. If he gets it correct he can roll the die and move that number of spaces. However, if he gets it wrong he must lose a turn. The game continues in this manner for all players.


Scrabble Spelling

from Ashley Pennell

Spelling Journals






















Students can also keep a list of words in a spelling journal. In the journal they can draw pictures and write ideas to help to remember the spelling of the words.




Spelling Tic Tac Toe 

from Sailing Through 1st Grade

This tic tac toe consists of 9 squares of activities. Students will choose 3 in a line in any direction just like the traditional tic tac toe game. Using their spelling list students are to perform these activities as an aid in remembering how to spell their words. The activities can be created by you.

Break The Code

from Education.com

In this activity each letter of the alphabet is assigned a number or picture. All you do is simply write a string of numbers or pictures to represent the spelling words and have students break the code by  matching the numbers to the letters. This is lots of fun! 

Here is a CODE using pictures that you can download from Mrs Gilchrist's class

 


Spelling Bingo

This is a game that you can make. Simply fold a piece of paper into halves until you get 16 squares. Have students copy their spelling words into each square leaving one for the FREE space. Using some sort of markers (e.g. coins, beans or bottle caps) call each word and have students cover them with their markers. The child who has B I N G O must spell all his words correctly before he can claim the prize.


'Get To 30' Spelling Activity (Grade 3-6)

This is a great spelling activity for the older students. Created by Lorraine Vasquez over at Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies  students get points when a column of spelling activities are completed. Every activity allows them to explore creative ways of engaging with their spelling words.