How to Help Students With Spelling
Spelling is one of the required subjects in elementary school. Some children will struggle to spell, so finding ways to help them improve is important. Making spelling activities enjoyable can motivate students to practice and may also help them remember the correct spelling of words later. While your students may never participate in the National Spelling Bee, with a little work they can learn to spell basic vocabulary words.
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Instructions
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Teach basic phonics. Students need to know which letters make what sounds in order to have a basic understanding of spelling. While many words do not follow the simple phonemic pattern, phonics is a base upon which spelling is built. Teach phonics along with spelling words by choosing words that share a similar phonemic pattern, such as diphthongs: joy, boy, coil, boil.
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Teach spelling words in rhyming groups. Rhyming words help students learn a spelling pattern. One example of a group of rhyming words is cat, that, bat, hat, mat. The words have the same spelling except for one or two letters, making them easier to remember.
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Make spelling activities fun. Do it by creating games for learning how to spell. Play spelling bingo, where students match spelling words on their cards. Use blank bingo cards and print off that week's spelling words for students to match as you call them out. Give extra points for students who write the correct spelling when they do not have the word on their card. Have students come up with jokes that use the spelling words. Or have them do rainbow spelling, using several different pens or crayons to trace the letters of the spelling words. You can also give students a selection of activities to complete, giving them the choice of which they do.
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- Photo Credit crayons image by Rich Johnson from Fotolia.com
