Spelling Tips!

School continues to go well! We are working hard in all of our subjects and I am very proud of all of the kids.

One thing we do in first grade is spelling tests. Spelling tests are new for many children and some struggle with them at first. Here are some things you can do to help your child be successful on spelling tests and with spelling in general.

• Make flash cards that have the spelling words on them. Have your child read the words to you. Mix the words up so that they are not memorizing the order.
• Give your child mock spelling tests. Have them practice writing the words down on paper as you read the word to the student. Again mix up the words so they don't just memorize them.
• While driving in the car to and from school, or running errands, name off the words and have your child spell them for you.
• When reading a book or when you see a word written somewhere ask them to point it out or show it to them and ask them to read to you. We want the student to be able to recognize the word in actual writing, not just for spelling tests.
• Write the word on the paper with a few misspellings of the word. See if your child can identify which word is spelled correctly.
• Ask your child to use the word in a sentence. If they cannot use it correctly help them come up with one.
• Review words from past weeks. We want to be sure the students don't forget the words just because the test is over!
  

The most important thing about spelling tests is for the children to remember the words and be able to read and write them even after the spelling test is over. Having them go over the word in a variety of ways will help with this!

Many students still adjusting to the first grade and their new classmates and new teacher. If you have any questions about anything happening in class or are wondering about your child's progress please let me know! I can be most easily reached at jcochran@lpatucson.org. I check my e-mail several times a day and will get back to you as soon as possible.