Spelling is a little different than it has been in the past. We no longer do a "weekly" Friday spelling test. We use the Orton Gillingham approach which is a mulit-sensory approach to teach spelling. Using this approach not only helps kids with spelling but also reading and writing. I went to a week long training last summer to learn all about the "OG " approach. I left the training and could not wait to get started! It opened my eyes to a whole new way of teaching reading, writing, and spelling to my students. Last year was the first year we incorporated this approach into our 1st grade daily routines and I was amazed at how quickly the kids caught on to the different spelling rules. Last year I had some of the best spellers, readers, and writers.
Each week you will receive 5 words on yellow cards. Those are what we call our "Learned Words" or "High Frequency Words." These are words that occur frequently in reading and most are words that cannot be sounded out. They are words kids need to commit to memory. Please cut these out and keep them on a ring or a ziploc bag so they can be practiced throughout the year. Have the kids spell them, write them, and look for them in their daily reading. You will also be receiving a list of "Words to Read" twice a week (usually Monday and Wednesday). These are words that go along with the spelling pattern or skill we are teaching or patterns we have already learned. They are words your kids should be able to sound out. For example, we just finished teaching the digraphs-sh, th, ch, wh. The kids should recognize words with these digraphs and know that they make one sound together. We do written spelling work twice a week to to practice what we are learning. We will send this work home about once a month so you can see the progress. Memorization of a list of words each week does not help children to become better spellers. Application in their daily work and writing is where you see true progress. Please continue to practice the words we send home each week. It just helps to reinforce what we are teaching in the classroom.
