Hi Melody! I like your approach to learning spelling, but how do you apply it to the Daily 5
block?
Aug 10, 2010 Rating
spelling by: Anonymous
Thank you so much, Melody! This is awesome and helps me out a lot!!!
Lindsay :)
Aug 09, 2010 Rating
How to Teach Spelling by: Melody
I teach spelling different each day.
On Monday, we do a pre-test. They receive their spelling words in their Friday folder for the next week so they can study if they choose. This is only a pre-test! If they make 100, then they get 5 challenge words to study for the spelling test on Friday and all are counted as extra credit.
On Tuesday, we go over the the words by reading them aloud. We talk about the sounds (any silent sounds or blends,etc.). Then we chant them out loud. We do the basketball chant and others where they pretend they are dribbling a ball on the spelling of the letters and then they pretend to shoot the ball when the word is said.
On Wednesday, we do the game, guess the covered word. This is where you make up sentences from the spelling words and they have to guess what spelling word fits in the blank. We also do guess the missing spelling word. This is where a couple of letters are missing or out of order and they have to figure out what the spelling word is. I also do word searches. I rotate in what I do on Wednesdays. This is a whole group activity on the overhead except for the word search.
On Thursday, we do white board review. This is where the students each get their own white board and they divide their board into four parts and number 1-4. I give them a practice test of the spelling words. We continue this until all words have been done. I call on a student to come up to the big white board to spell the word. I pick any student even if I know they don't know how to spell the word. This gives us a chance to talk about why it is wrong. The challenge word students, I usually pick a responsible student to give the words to the students or an assistant. After they are finished, they read quietly at their seat.
Friday is the big day, spelling test! If they make a 100, they get to go to the office to get a prize out of the prize box. The ones who made a 100 on the pretest on Monday, they go to the prize box as well.
I taught 2nd graders and my spelling grades were always good. I usually would do the chants everyday just for extra practice. This method has really worked for me and my students were excited to do spelling each day!
