How to Spell Words

It can be very tricky to teach the correct spelling of words or to help kids with spelling. I wanted to give you a little insider scoop on how we teach first graders to spell. They count the sounds, draw lines for the number of sounds, and put the letters that make those sounds on each of the lines. Sometimes it isn't spelled correctly but the letter they have put makes that sound. As the year goes on, they learn spelling rules so that eventually those words that are spelled incorrectly (but spelled how it sounds) will be spelled correctly because of the new spelling rules they learned. For more information, check out this video at http://youtu.be/MXOy0Nx3kB4. 

Alphabet Relay

Hello, family and friends!  

We have had Spring Fever the past few weeks, and we would love to share about all of the fun we have been having! I wanted to let you know about a fun activity we play called Alphabet Relay.  In this game, we have four groups of alphabet flash cards (color-coded) with extra vowels and frequently used consonants (like l, m, and s).  The students are separated into four groups, and the objective of the game is to be the first team to spell the word the teacher gives them.

Here are some pictures to help explain a little better...

This is a really fun activity if you would like to work on spelling words at home, and it is easy to make and cheap--just paper and pen/marker! If you want more information on it, please feel free to contact me!

~Ms. Brandt