9yo daughter's spelling homework

[MaryBS]

One of the words she has to learn to spell is "leukemia". Am I correct in thinking this is the US spelling and the UK spelling is ALWAYS "leukaemia"?

If I am wrong, please tell me and I'll take the note to her teacher out of her homework folder .

[cattj]

It sure looks that way.

I see a lot of Americanisms creeping in as kids are exposed to American TV shows and American web sites.

[LittleWonder]

At 9 years old I would have thought that there are more useful words to learn!

[edam]

You are correct. Don't know if leukemia is US spelling or not. We are in the UK and the teacher is WRONG!

[Goblinchild]

Collins lists both, but notes that leukemia is especially US.
OH is an OUP pedant and insists that she should learn the UK spelling.
Be brave and make a stand against insidious Americanisms.

[MaryBS]

Yes, leukemia is the US spelling:

www.askoxford.com/results/?view=dict&freesearch=leukemia&branch=13842570&textsearchtype=exact

She has some VERY strange words. This week she also has "frankincense" and "solemnity" (and no its not a particularly churchy school).

Last week, it was "diaphragm", which caused great amusement because the children also have to use the word correctly in a sentence. I managed to resist suggesting "My mother uses a diaphragm for contraception".

[PortAndLemon]

On medical/scientific terminology in particular we do seem to be gradually adopting American spelling, so I can see why children might be being taught those. But I'd still teach them the British English spelling as well.

[TheFallenMadonna]

In Science textbooks now there are many examples like this: hemoglobin, fetus, sulfur. It's standard in fact.

[Goblinchild]

One of the aspects of my OH's job is to check accuracy of spelling for the US and British markets in the books he edits.
At OUP it's an uncrossable line, if you use a US spelling it has to be for a reason, eg a direct quote from a US edition.
It's standard in UK schools to have to teach British spellings.

[edam]

FallenMadonna, really? Sounds like someone has bought a job lot of US text books... sulfur, FFS!

[edam]

(Am hoping the decline of the US and growing power of China will mean we get the English language back...)

[campion]

Does she have despot as one of her words? Could be useful, I think. Importance of a wide vocabulary

Oh, and it's Leukaemia but I'm a bit as to why she needs to know that right now, especially with the wrong spelling.

Or does she get a disease a week?

[MaryBS]

A disease a week, that could be interesting...

[flamingobingo]

Annoying as it is, but American spelling is becoming accepted in the UK for medical terms.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Really edam. And no, not US textbooks. Published by Collins in 2002 and fitting the National Curriculum. Have one in front of me now.

[smartiejake]

My DD came home with plural spellings ostinatos and concertos -very useful words if you are studying for an A level in Music but not much use in Year 5!

These are actually in the Spelling bank book for the Literacy strategy so it wasn't just a mad teacher.(Rules for plurals of nouns ending in o or some such nonsense.)

And I always thought the plural of those words was ostinati and concerti [classically trained music snob emoticon!]