Suggestions-for-teaching-spelling-step-3

Many tutors have identified that their learners need additional help to progress with their spelling skills. The suggestions here follow the steps in the spelling progression. Some have been adapted from material available at http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/sflcurriculum.

Learners at the 3rd step

Learners need to be confidently using strategies for spelling most everyday words as well as common three- and (some) four-syllable words.

Suggested activities

• Learners routinely record new key spellings in their own dictionaries and learn to spell them.
• Teach learners to use a spelling dictionary to confirm spellings.
• learners to use a spelling dictionary to confirm spellings.
• Learners work in pairs or groups to write a list of words related to work, leisure or special interests (they can use dictionaries). Identify and discuss any common spelling patterns in related terms (for example, automatic, automatically; engine, engineer, engineering).
• Learners can work in pairs to identify comparative and superlative forms for adjectives requiring suffixes. Ask them to look at the correct spelling and work out some rules (for example, pale, paler, palest; sad, sadder, saddest).
• Learners listen to the pronunciation of some words they cannot spell automatically and discuss how these words might be spelt, drawing on existing knowledge (for example, playground, frightened–fright, listening–listen).