I recently was asked about our homeschool spelling and I thought I'd write a post on it so I can be more detailed. I've mentioned my take on it before here. Today's post will go into more detail about how I implement spelling lessons in our homeschool. If you purchase through one of my Amazon links I will make a small commission, at no cost to you.
First, what do I use? I started with the McGuffey's Spelling Book from the Eclectic Education Series that was included with the Robinson Curriculum (RC) to compile spelling lists. Then I created spelling packets with a week's worth of study pages, spelling patterns, and a weekly spelling test page. You can find them here:
Alternatively, if you already have word lists you like but want something fresh each week to work them there is the Any List Spelling Packet.
The packets could be used alone but I also picked up two books: How to Teach English Spelling and The ABC's and All Their Tricks. I keep these, with our dictionary, within arms reach always. You may have a spelling reference book you already love.
Second, how do I use the spelling packet? At the end of each week I print off the spelling packet for the upcoming week and make spelling flashcards (2 of each word). You could print out a bunch of weekly packets and keep them in a folder for your student to grab them out themselves, alternatively. They could also make their own flashcards. Have your student work a page of the packet each day. Give a spelling test the last day of your learning week.
It's simple, but let's get more detailed. Let's go through a packet from my first grader's work this week. My fifth grader can do his on his own without my help at this point. I just check he did them. Some of his activities are slightly altered.
They each have a spelling folder. In it they keep the first part of the spelling packet that contains the spelling lists and some spelling patterns, their flashcards and the current weeks spelling packet.
Day 1: Read through list together. Student copies each word three times. I introduce what pattern I see. In this case, long vowel sounds. We often play memory using our flashcards after the written component.
Day 2: Word pyramids.
Day 3: We talk about what sentences we can make with the word. This gives me the chance to point out different parts of speech words sometimes have or multiple meanings. In this case the word rank has two possible meanings. We discussed both but only made a sentence for one. Then he copied them on his packet page.
Day 4: Rainbow writing or stamping. He can use whatever he wants to make it colorful. This week he wanted to use a new set or highlighters I bought.
Day 5: This day we dive deeper into the spelling patterns. I consult the list of spelling patterns I included in the packet to see if any apply. If I don't see anything helpful there I consult one of my spelling books if I need to. In this case I wrote out the patterns I saw on this week's list and had my student sort the spelling list into the pattern groups. Then we talked through some other words that were not on the list but that fit the pattern. You can do your own variation on this theme. Sometimes I give him some words that sound like the pattern but do not fit the pattern; like head looks like it has the ea vowel team we saw this week in heat but it's a short e instead of a long e.
Day 6: I dictate the spelling words for a spelling test. If you do a five day learning week you could always combine one of the shorter activities with a long activity or just drop one.
Here are a few short clips of us working through spelling lessons. I hope this helps you not to be intimidated by spelling. Just get in there and show them how to study so they can do it on their own when they're ready. This is the way I'm approaching that goal.
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