Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

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mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by mystery »

I need to help my DD1 (year 2) move from phonically plausible spellings to real spellings. She needs some regular interesting work on spellings but that repeats things again and again so that the alternatives get stamped out from her mind and the real spelling is the one that pops up immediately to mind.

For example, when she writes fly she needs fly to spring to mind, and not the possible fligh, or flie. She can learn spellings quite easily for a test e.g. environment, difficult, necessary, laughed etc etc ------ but they might not come out like that again in her real writing. She would be just as likely to write something phonically plausible as the actual spelling.

As a consequence they seem at school to have sent her back down the spelling groups again so she's back with such simple spelling lists that she is not really learning anything from them - e.g this week's list is just the ending ck ....... with no consideration of why and when you would use just a k at the end of a word. She got 90% right in a test on the first night without even reading the list - it's been like this for over a year now.

What would you suggest that is fun, that doesn't require much thought or preparation from me, that is systematic, and that would genuinely improve her spelling over the next year or so without taking up much of her time?

Please don't suggest discussing it with school - they just say her spelling needs to improve but I don't get anywhere trying to work out with them exactly what is wrong and possible solutions. I've got to put this one right at home myself. The blessing is that the school spellings take no time at all so it's going to be easier for me to do it my own way at home.

Thanks
Belinda
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Belinda
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by mystery »

Hi Belinda
I so much agree with what you say; those are exactly my instincts too. Keep for now the creative side of writing separate from worrying about spellings.

I feel in a bit of hole though as I feel that if I don't progress her spellings (independently of the creative side) she will fall into the trap of sp everywhere on her writing at school and it will inhibit her.

It's a shame as I don't think her spelling is bad, but with the school approach (lists that are inappropriate for her and no successful resolution of this between me and school) I'm concerned it will get worse. They have just put together the spelling groups at school for this term, and I could see when she came home with her spelling book yesterday she was not chuffed with the list or the group that she has been placed in. The previous two weeks when I don't think they were grouped or she got the top group spellings, and got them all right in the test, she was chuffed and interested. She's pleased and proud when she gets some spellings she thinks are complicated to learn and gets them right, but in the group she keeps on being put back in I think makes her feel she is no good at spelling.

She reads I think a reasonable age amount at the moment - two chapters of Enid Blyton (but largish print) most evenings - one chapter to me and one in her head.

I do stress the point to her that she couldn't get bogged down in the spellings when she is writing an interesting story - the story matters more than the spelling. So I want to keep spelling as a very separate exercise at home, but for it to be fun too.
Belinda
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
um
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Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by um »

My ds1 was a perfectionist who was always worrying about whether his spelling, punctuation etc was correct. As a consequence, his creative writing/flair was very stunted. With ds2, he had the confidence to just write, without worrying about the spellings (which were, in his younger years, pretty bad). Now he is sorting out his spelling skills and still has the advantage of being able to write well. So personally for a Year 2 child, I would correct spellings where needed, but not worry too much, as, with maturity (and MS Word spellcheck :lol: ), it should all come together.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by mystery »

So do you think I should just (metaphorically) put my fingers in my ears when the school tells me she isn't great at spelling and just ignore it? The pitfall I see is that because she is in a low spelling group getting rubbish lists that are in fact way too easy for her, it might mean that it doesn't just sort itself out by itself?
um
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Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by um »

I would definitely continue to give her your own lists, and maybe have a whiteboard somewhere with spellings on that she needs to revise.
JaneEyre
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Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by JaneEyre »

I don't feel to ignore it completely would be right. If she's in the bottom group, that means that she could improve and try to catch up with the higher groups. But I know, you feel at a loss with the spelling lists she gets...
I think that what Um and Belinda were trying to say is that a bad speller can go far in life 8) , so don't worry too much :D . It is just important to keep some practise fun and that your DD doesn't get inhibited because of her poor spelling when she has to write a story. :D So just keep always a very positive attitude, without showing any worry on your part :wink:
mystery wrote: What would you suggest that is fun, that doesn't require much thought or preparation from me, that is systematic, and that would genuinely improve her spelling over the next year or so without taking up much of her time?
I can't say that would be particularly 'fun' :roll: , but she could regularly do a page or two of the Key Spellings Book 4 by Anne Forster (Author), Paul Martin (Author) published by Schofield & Sims Ltd... if you feel that could help her.
This publisher has another serie called New Spellaway by Lynn Goss (Author), Helen Donaldson (Author), which you might find useful.

In order to get some spelling lists more difficult than the one your DD gets at school, look at the lists of the different schools on this adress:
http://www.spellanywhere.co.uk/spellings.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Your daughter can practise her spelling by typing the words after hearing them. There might be some other interesting activities on this website too... I have never had the time to investigate this matter closely...

Good luck! And enjoy all the reading you do with your DD! :D
Belinda
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Moving spelling from phonically plausible to correct

Post by Belinda »

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Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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