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Original poster

Y2 spelling tests........would this annoying you?

19 replies

LadyTophamHatt · 22/10/2005 09:46

Since the start of the school year Ds1 has bought home a list of spellings every week.
He's got 100% on every test so far and we're really really pleased.
This week they had to learn all 48 spelling for one big test. We've worked hard every night and again he's been getting 48/48. I told him I'd give him £5 when he came out of school if he got them all right, I knew he'd get the right so I had the money ready to give straight to him.

He came out looking all sad and said he only had to do 20 but he'd got one wrong, I was really surprised!

He gave me his book bag and the spelling test was in his bag, I looked to see what he'd got wrong and it was "children" but they haven't had that word in all the weeks previous tests.

I mentioned it to the teacher(a supply teacher, his normal teacher was away) and she seemed really quite dismissive when I said they hadn't had that spelling, She said they must have.I know they haven't because I've been testing him every week and all this week.
I came home thinking maybe he'd missed some when he was ill so I phoned another mum to ask when they'd had this word and they haven't!
Ever!!!
She pointed out that there were actually 2 new words but Ds1 had got one of them right

I'm soooo annoyed (as you can see by me posting it here)he's tried really hard all week and was really pleased with himself.

I'm not impressed with his teacher anyway but this has really tipped it even further.

Would you bring it up with the teacher after half term?

OP posts:

HRHQoQ · 22/10/2005 09:49

I probably would mention it personally - it's not really fair on them (or you) as you'd been working really hard on them (as had other parents probably too) and for him to get one which they haven't learned this half term seems very unfair.

I hope you gave him the £5 anyhow - as it's not his fault he got a new one wrong (and he got one of the new ones right)

Original poster

LadyTophamHatt · 22/10/2005 09:52

Well, because of the teachers error he got £5...and 50p

OP posts:

Hulababy · 22/10/2005 09:57

Definitely mention it. It is not fair to test children on something they did not know was going to come up.

Nastylocketstheevil · 22/10/2005 10:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Marina · 22/10/2005 10:05

Definitely mention this. It is not on when you are dealing with such young children (first year of doing homework if your school is the same as ours). Ds is still smarting over not being given TWO stars for a terrific line drawing of a ship, because he didn't colour it in. Was colouring mentioned in the instructions? No.
However, I think this is much more concrete and upsetting for your ds and you should raise it.

Original poster

LadyTophamHatt · 22/10/2005 10:05

I suspect I won't be the only one mentioning it.

I'm one of those annoying competive mums so this is toooo much for me!

OP posts:

SueW · 22/10/2005 10:09

DD's class have frequently had an bonus word added to their spelling test.

I'm shocked that you were going to give you DS a fiver for getting his spellings right.

Nastylocketstheevil · 22/10/2005 10:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

LadyTophamHatt · 22/10/2005 10:28

Annoyed because he'd tried so hard and looked so gutted, the money hadn't even crossed his mind.
I am annoyed for him but I suppose for me too....I hate things like this

sueW, why shocked? we were told it would be all the words so far so if he'd got all 48 right then at 6 years old I thing it deserve some kind of reward. As it was they only did 20 of them but he still deserved it.

OP posts:

snailspace · 22/10/2005 10:41

Message withdrawn

HRHQoQ · 22/10/2005 16:28

"and I'd rather the size of the reward was kept to sensible levels too."

ermm and how do you know that £5 (for the tophamhats) isn't 'sensible'. For us it would be out of the question, for some good friends of ours that would be rather "mean".........

snailspace · 22/10/2005 17:09

Message withdrawn

HRHQoQ · 22/10/2005 17:33

"I personally wouldn't stress about a couple of extra words having been slipped in though - that's life "

So they get to GSCE and A level - if they're asked a question in the exam which isn't covered in the curriculm for the exam that's ok is it???

snailspace · 22/10/2005 18:27

Message withdrawn

Kittypickle · 22/10/2005 20:23

It wouldn't annoy me personally as I really don't care what marks my DD gets at this age, in fact I really wish she didn't get homework at all, but I think I'm probably not normal about this. I agree with Snailspace that it's good practice from a young age to learn to think around what you have learned and see if you can apply it and your son clearly has done this by getting one of the two unknown words correct. In your situation I would have done the same as you, given him the fiver as he got all the ones that he had learned correct.

hatstand · 22/10/2005 23:26

it's a spelling test. he's 6. he got his reward for his hard work. I do understand the feeling of injustice, but maybe teaching him that there are times in life when it isn't worth getting stressed would be a valuable lesson? the same unfairness applied to the whole class. I'd try not to worry if i were you.

Caligula · 22/10/2005 23:32

I think I'd take the opportunity to explain to him why the word children was included - because although it hadn't been on the spelling list, it followed the pattern.

So he learns something.

And also, to say, don't worry, the teacher put it on because it followed the same pattern, but she forgot that it hadn't actually been on the list.

And I'd still give him the reward, whatever it was.

And I'd ask the teacher to explain to the class the reason the word was on the list even though it hadn't been on the spelling list, so that the learning experience is re-inforced. That way, it's an opportunity not a problem.

bubble99 · 22/10/2005 23:50

As lockets has said, the children may have been learning to spell words which featured phonic groups 'oo' 'ai 'ch' etc etc. In which case the addition of two unexpected words within that group, and the children's ability to spell them, would establish whether the children had understood the concept of similar 'word sounds' or patterns, rather than learning purely by rote. Good practice IMHO.

I'm going to say this, and you're probably not going to like it. Of course it is good for both of you to have high expectations, and he certainly sounds like a diligent worker...but..if he picks up on your disappointment about this it may well affect him adversely in the future. A child who feels he has 'failed' at this age can go on to lack confidence, and that's not what you want at all, is it.

bobbybob · 23/10/2005 03:05

I frequently forget what children do and don't know. I inherited several piano students from several different teachers, all using different books. So sometime I may ask them for something their particular book hasn't covered yet.

If they look blank I ask them if they have forgotten or if they never knew. If it's a never knew then I apologise for confusing them and then say "would you like to learn it now, or wait until it comes up in the book". They always say they want to learn it immediately.

I don't have any opinion either way on a fiver, but I don't like the idea of rewarding a child for getting 100%. I had a whole childhood of "what happened to the other 2%" and I wouldn't recommend it.

Plus some subjects don't have 100%s or if they do it's more subjective and therefore harder to get. It could lead to children putting too much effort into getting 100% at one subject at the expense of others.

As for the GCSE comment - well I went into GCSE French the 2nd year it was examined and one of the questions had the sign "Douane" and asked what it was. We had not done this, but the question was framed to heavily suggest that is was Customs. So no I hadn't done this - but did my mum steam down to the school to complain or write to the exam board? - did she heck.

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