Spelling Program

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Sorry for the long winded response.

The spelling program that will be used this year in class focusses on the most commonly written words in the English language.  In total, there are 1 200 words in the program ranging from Grade 1 through to Grade 7.  Of these words, the 1 200 words that students are working towards make up 91% of all words written in the English.  Therefore, all the words that students will be working on are common everyday words.

Since students are at many different levels, students will be working each week on words specific to them. Each student has their own list of words to practice.  Every Monday, students will pick ten words to practice.   On Friday, students will be tested.  Students can only move onto new words once they have mastered the words they are practicing.  Any word that is spelled incorrectly will be added to next weeks list.  As students are working at their own level, I will be working hard to teach students how to test each other.  With 27 students, it is impossible to have 27 individual tests.  While it may be slow to start, I am confident that the students can handle this responsibility.

Students will be bringing home a master list of the words covered so far.  Please have a look at the list so you can see which words they need to practice.  While the majority students have been tested to the first 500 words, there are a few students who need further testing.  These students will keep testing until they have enough words to practice over the year. 

When looking at the list, please ensure they have spelled the word correctly.  I have explained to students that it can be difficult to practice these words as they have incorrectly memorized these words into their long term memory.  Essentially, they need to be vigilant and retrain their brain.

When practicing the words at home, please have your child has :

1. See the word
2. Say the word
3. Cover the word
4. Write the word

In addition, students have to be aware of homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently).  Many students may have words they can spell, but are unsure when to use it.  Some common examples:  (their, there, they're), (to, too), (it's, its)

Note:  The level of difficulty for each word depends on how common the word is used.  Therefore, the higher the word on the list does not necessarily make the word more difficult.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me (agenda, phone: 250-428-2051, email: mblick@sd8.bc.ca).