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Original poster

Year 1 spelling tests

33 replies

ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:01

My daughter is year 1 and has been getting weekly spelling tests. I feel like the words are too difficult for a 5 year old and wanted to get an idea of other school year 1 parents experiences for spelling.

Last week in my daughter's test was words like rectangle, cylinder, pyramid, triangle.... No suprise but she is crying about having to go to school tomorrow and have to sit another spelling test!

Are these words usual for year 1?

aibu for thinking they are too hard!

OP posts:
IsThePopeCatholic · 12/12/2023 20:03

My y1 dc never has spelling tests. Those words are ridiculous for a Y1.

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 12/12/2023 20:05

No spelling tests in Y1 or Y2 so far. Those words are ridiculous and not many Y2 kids could do them (I can't compare to my child as she is awaiting testing for dyslexia), but I know other kids couldn't do them.

Edited to add they do have to learn spellings in homework but they are the common exception words and not like what your child has been given.

PaperDoIIs · 12/12/2023 20:05

ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:01

My daughter is year 1 and has been getting weekly spelling tests. I feel like the words are too difficult for a 5 year old and wanted to get an idea of other school year 1 parents experiences for spelling.

Last week in my daughter's test was words like rectangle, cylinder, pyramid, triangle.... No suprise but she is crying about having to go to school tomorrow and have to sit another spelling test!

Are these words usual for year 1?

aibu for thinking they are too hard!

What phonics scheme does her school use ? Her spellings should be linked to that (the sounds/rule she's learning that week in class) and so should her reading books.

Those look more like topic(in this case maths) vocabulary and don't follow a certain rule or pattern. While children should be exposed to them and the correct spellings, it's not best practice to make them part of her spelling test.

PTSDBarbiegirl · 12/12/2023 20:05

These words are not the common words. Unless the homework was a 3D Shape matching task that year group wouldn't be learning those words, even then they wouldn't be spelling the words. Is it a supply teacher? Spelling is differentiated so some might work on satpin, some CVC, some from the first 100 common words.

toomuchicecream · 12/12/2023 20:06

The problem with those words is that they contain phonemes she's unlikely to have covered in phonics by this stage of year 1. Silent e at the end of rectangle? C making a s sound at the start of cylinder? Y in the place of i in both cylinder and pyramid?

Different schools will have different policies on giving year 1 spellings to learn (there's not a huge amount of evidence that it's an effective use of time), but if the words mirror what the children are learning in phonics, it will reinforce their learning in school.

InTheRainOnATrain · 12/12/2023 20:08

They would be Y1 spelling at my DD’s school (private pre prep) but they would do ‘look, cover, write’ so it’s not that hard. DD generally does well in the tests but really isn’t very good at spelling when it comes to actual writing so not sure what they achieve beyond good homework habits and getting into the routine of regular testing.

Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:14

I think the spellings were linked to what they were learning. But definitely given as a spelling test. Most of the words were shapes.

OP posts:
Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:16

She doesn't go to a private school. State school that's actually recently got requires improvement! Don't know if they are trying to push the kids more to improve for Ofsted, or the reason they got requires improvement!

I was trying to think back to when my son was year 1 and I don't remember him having spelling tests. Just reading. But he went to a different school year r to 2.

OP posts:
Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:19

I'm not sure on the phonics scheme. But will be sending and email to school about this. These tests are definitely effecting her confidence.

OP posts:
Morechocmorechoc · 12/12/2023 20:23

We have spelling tests but words you expect. My yr2 does not have anything anywhere near that bad, more like themes, e.g. kn words like knock, knife or ph vs f words. Those words are too hard.

Rtc12 · 12/12/2023 20:24

Oh wow they're really hard! My son's in Yr 1 and has weekly tests but this wks words are tooth, boom, cool etc. Each wk they're simar types of word, so oo words or ea or ee etc

PaperDoIIs · 12/12/2023 20:25

ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:14

I think the spellings were linked to what they were learning. But definitely given as a spelling test. Most of the words were shapes.

Spellings shouldn't be linked to general learning but to what they are learning in phonics that week. That way they learn and practice them at school and at home.

If you send an email, I'd ask what phonics scheme they use and what is their policy in regard to spellings sent home /tests. If it doesn't match what your daughter has been getting,then I'd let someone higher up know. If it does or there's no specific scheme they are following (which they should) I would ask for more clarification on that and also inform them your daughter is struggling and getting upset over it.

Gloriousgardener11 · 12/12/2023 20:28

Y1s have been doing ‘shape’ in maths these last couple of weeks so that’s probably where these spellings have come from.
Our school doesn’t bother with spelling tests in Y1 as long as they read regularly that’s enough.

Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:29

PaperDoIIs · 12/12/2023 20:25

Spellings shouldn't be linked to general learning but to what they are learning in phonics that week. That way they learn and practice them at school and at home.

If you send an email, I'd ask what phonics scheme they use and what is their policy in regard to spellings sent home /tests. If it doesn't match what your daughter has been getting,then I'd let someone higher up know. If it does or there's no specific scheme they are following (which they should) I would ask for more clarification on that and also inform them your daughter is struggling and getting upset over it.

Show quote history

Ok I will. Thanks. I think I'll speak to her teacher about it.

I don't believe it's her teacher planning any of the spellings etc. She admitted at parents evening it was too much and she doesn't expect all homework to be done. (There is a lot more they give than just spelling! ) I suspect this is a school drive to improve or something.

OP posts:
tulippa · 12/12/2023 20:31

The teacher is probably trying to get the class to spell the maths vocab they are currently using in maths lessons. Year 1 is too young for spelling tests (they're not good practice at any age tbh) though. Has the teacher actually taught the children how to spell these words or are they just expecting your DD to memorise them? Spelling should be taught using phonics patterns and morphology that is already known which may not be the case for some (most? - sorry it's a while since I taught this year) children in Year 1 with these words.

Hankunamatata · 12/12/2023 20:31

Nope bizarre spellings. Linking them to learnng about shapes is weird. It should be linked to spelling rules like magic e etc

Airdustmoon · 12/12/2023 20:32

My Y3 had pyramid on his spelling test this week! The theme was words where y makes an i sound. Spellings are always a theme, around a particular sound.
Like a pp said I’m unconvinced about their utility, DS usually gets full marks or 9/10 because he’s good at remembering words in the short term but a week later and most of the words would be spelt incorrectly in his written work.

Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:44

tulippa · 12/12/2023 20:31

The teacher is probably trying to get the class to spell the maths vocab they are currently using in maths lessons. Year 1 is too young for spelling tests (they're not good practice at any age tbh) though. Has the teacher actually taught the children how to spell these words or are they just expecting your DD to memorise them? Spelling should be taught using phonics patterns and morphology that is already known which may not be the case for some (most? - sorry it's a while since I taught this year) children in Year 1 with these words.

Edited

They were taught shapes and there was homework around drawing and spelling the shapes the week before. Then the spelling test words included them. They were given the look, cover, spell worksheet to practice them.

OP posts:
Elvis1956 · 12/12/2023 20:45

When you say Year 1 do you mean she's 6 or so? Or the first year at senior school as I am confused that a 6 year old is expected to be able to spell those words

Gymmum82 · 12/12/2023 20:47

Mine have had spellings since y1. Some weeks are harder than others. They are set by the phonics scheme they follow and seem standardised at least in this area. Our spellings are the same each week in all the local schools

Mazuslongtoenail · 12/12/2023 20:49

My Y1 would have words like knife, shampoo, sandwich, chick, dolphin, friend, pure, appear, shell.

RainbowRabbit33 · 12/12/2023 20:54

My DD would have had similar - I'm wondering if she goes to the same pre-prep as a poster above!!

But... I think they would have been in the extension words. They used to have a short list (maybe six or eight??) of standard words on a phonics theme if the week. How hard/long the words were depended on which set they were in. Then, for top set at least, there were a few extension words that were either off theme or more difficult again. This was real stretch stuff for the ones who liked spellings or 'got' phonics though - we were told that some of them were being given Yr 3/4 words if they were happy with that level of challenge. And it was all 'read, cover, write.'

I'm not sure if that's any use OP though as it's essentially a "might be, here's a load of info about a totally irrelevant school several years ago" 😂

Original poster
ObsidianGrape · 12/12/2023 20:56

Elvis1956 · 12/12/2023 20:45

When you say Year 1 do you mean she's 6 or so? Or the first year at senior school as I am confused that a 6 year old is expected to be able to spell those words

She's 5. Will be 6 in March.

OP posts:
InTheRainOnATrain · 12/12/2023 21:39

But... I think they would have been in the extension words. They used to have a short list (maybe six or eight??) of standard words on a phonics theme if the week.
Yes that’s it- phonics words + some extras, may follow a theme related to other learning or time of year (last one was christmas, reindeer, present, sleigh etc). Would be funny if it was the same school but no sets for spelling in y1 or y2 so maybe not!

Bertiesmum3 · 12/12/2023 21:45

One of my grandchildren would have been able to spell the words in year 1, his brain was like a sponge!
The other one wouldn’t have been able to spell them, one was a maths genius and other was an English genius