I hear your pain!

I could read the pain in the social media post as a mom lamented her daughter’s teacher sending home poor spelling tests plastered with a big red F.  It is so hard to see our children struggle!  I sent her a message with the following study plan for working that spelling list and helping her daughter own the words.  It is a big departure from the tried and true “copy your spelling list” way of studying words, but the kinesthetic and analytic elements make it work! Here is the plan, in case you want to try it for yourself. 

Get the list early

Start with a note to the teacher and request the new spelling list on Friday. The teacher will be glad you have a plan to tackle the spelling words. Both of you want the same thing – for your child to succeed.

Friday Afternoon

On Friday afternoon, have your child write each of their words large in sparkle marker or glitter glue or some other fun way on the blank side of 3×5 cards, one word per card. Help him or her scoop the syllables with a pencil under the word so s/he is thinking in syllables.(Look in a dictionary if you are unsure how to divide.) Help him or her to read the words, because it is likely s/he is struggling with that – most dyslexic students do. Look together for the common spelling patterns in the words.

Saturday

Saturday have your child “help” you discover that common spellings of groups of words. Have her sort the words into piles by common spelling rule, reading the words aloud and spelling aloud as she sorts. If s/he used glitter glue to write them out, s/he can trace them with her finger as she spells them out loud and that will help her with recall.

Sunday

On Sunday, lay out the words with the common spelling rule on its own 3×5 tent card. Have your child read and spell the words aloud, tracing the letters on the card as she says the letter names aloud.

Monday

On Monday, you can work with your child to think of a funny sentence to recall the words in each group, such as, “My neighbor got a sleigh on the freight train,” for the eigh words. Have her illustrate the sentence and write it below the illustration, touching the pictures which represent the words and then spell them aloud. Putting words with a common spelling pattern into one category will help make sense of the spellings, and the funny sentences with pictures will help with recall of what words belong in the same category.

The rest of the week

Continue working with the words each afternoon, tracing the letters and saying them aloud as she says the word. Put aside the ones she knows and concentrating on the tough ones as the week continues. These techniques will help her get very familiar with the words, and are fun as well as pencil and paper free. Spelling the words by syllable is also crucial since it helps break long words down into manageable bits.

Night Before the Test

The night before the spelling test, do a “practice test.”  Have your child number the paper, or as best you can mimic how the classroom teacher sets up her spelling test papers.  You call out the spelling words in mixed order, as the teacher will do, supporting your child by reminding him or her of the ways you have worked on this week to recall the words.  Encourage tracing the word on the table top and whispering the letters aloud if that helps.  Calibrate expectations be assuring your child that improvement is the goal, not perfection. Take a look at words your child missed to see if s/he is missing one of the spelling patterns, or leaving out a letter (meaning s/he is not hearing that sound).  Retrace the 3×5 of missed words, and reassure your child that s/he has these words in his or her brain, and can relax and let the brain carry the day tomorrow on the spelling test.  

Long term solution

The long term solution for this family and for others facing a similar situation is to get testing to see what the root of the learning struggle truly is, and get intervention targeted for that problem. There are very few one-size-fits-all solutions out there, so take time to follow the process of identifying the problem and applying the correct solution. Sooner is always better than later. Use the strategy I gave you to help while you look for the long term solution that is just right for your child’s situation.