How to teach spelling to 4yr old??

[workathomemother]

Hello, I'm posting this on behalf of a friend whose son is 4 and expected to learn to spell and write 2-3 new words each week and then gets tested on 10 a week (some from previous weeks)

This is causing some problems as he is just isn't interested and his mum cannot get him to learn these words, even after sitting and writing them out time after time he still doesn't pick it up.

So, this is stressing her out (personally I think 4 is WAY too young to be learning spellings but thats the way his school approaches things).

There are 2 issues 1) she is worried because her son just doesn't 'get it'...he cannot learn the words. And 2) how to try get him to want to learn them, she says he just laughs at her.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Would this work? If she prints the words out in big letters and sticks them about the house? He will see them loads then, and might just learn them by seeing them everywhere, rather than sitting down and learning them?

Or maybe make up a funny rhyme

B is for bum
I is for Itch
R is for rubbish
D is for ditch

or something like that?

Make it into a game, keep sessions short and simple i.e., no more than 5mins at a time, have rewards (depends on how you view rewards though), break the words down into their phonemes (i.e., sounds) and have a good time!

Hi, told friend about the printing out around house idea but she says they are given the new words on a Friday and tested on them on Monday...not a great deal of time, especially when she works etc

Dont want to sound moany lol

without wishing to get into a debate about the kind of school your friend's child is going to (WAY too young for this pressure) could your friend these words on the list in the boy's favourite books and then ask him to identify them in terms of letters formoing the word and phoneomes?

I do wish to get into a debate about the sort of school your friend's son is going to! What the hell is going on here?

If he is not interested, my advice would be to leave it for now. If the school have problems with this, they really don't know what they are doing. Pushing a child into this sort of formal learning at this age is ridiculous and harmful.

Oh lord and I promised myself I was not going to get het up about anything today

LOl well, I totally agree with you - I am always amazed at the 'homework' that he gets - learning to write these new words and then put them into a sentence?!?!?! He is 4!!!

My daughter is also 4 and her school is totally the opposite, play, play, play - they ARE kids!!

The little boy gets upset because he doesn't get good marks in his tests - he got 1/10 last week and the other children manage to get more (but he is the youngest in the class). I can't see how this can be constructive for him.

It sounds like a disaster for him. How sad :(

Does this school expect all 4 yr olds to be able to read or is this just learning spellings parrot fashion? What a load of XXXX. If this were my child, I would be in the school asking what the hell was going on. I assume it's a private school?

just what I was going to ask, is this a private school

Actually it's making me feel rather as the mother of a 4 year old boy myself. The poor little chap must feel so confused and I think it's very mean spirited to mark his attempts at learning in this way, a sure fire method of putting him off and stopping him being interested in learning. harrumph

No, this is not a private school!! It IS known locally for its strictness.

In total they have 45 words to learn - that is, to learn to spell AND be able to write them.

The mum has been to school on a number of times, and it seems to be a constant frustration for her. Sounds like a nightmare place to me, and glad mine don't go there as Im sure it wouldn't be a very amicable teacher/parent relationship lol

And yes, tested at 4. At xmas their test words included Donkey and Jesus! Surely at this age they are just learning to 'write' properly nevermind spell and put things into sentences!

Anyway, I'm getting on my soapbox. I suppose the school have good reasons for believing this is the right way to go but I for one think its just starting kids off on the wrong foot - this little boy already thinks he can't do anything :(

I assume they aren't using synthetic phonics for spelling then .. but more its spelling by rote

direct her to govt. guidelines about use of phonics

I personally would be appalled at my 4 year old being put under this kind of pressure and would take him out of the school .. think its horrific

young children should learn the joy of learning not be tested on spellings

dd does 3 new words a week but afaik isn't actually tested on them. They use a Look, Cover, Write system - read/look at the word, cover it over then attempt it from memory. Making up a song or rhyme might help, using rhyming words so he can sense the "family" groups of words but personally I wouldn't force it at this age.

I think the whole thing is made worse because the other kids seem to be able to do it, but as I remind her he IS the youngest in the class.

She has been sat here in tears, "what's wrong with him" etc.

\link{http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2766-2103400,00.html\read this article from Sunday Times today}

I would be furious about this and if the school did not see reason, I'd be looking for a place elsewhere before the child's confidence in himself is irreparably damaged.

I agree with twigg and others, this is unreasonable and it really makes me angry, as the mother of a boy - it's a sure fire way to put boys off eduction for life! I say boys only because I've certainly found in rl, and read on here, that's it's so often the boys who have no interest in writing etc at this stage, and who are also slightly behind the girls in fine motor development, etc.

I definitely think the mother should approach the school and take issue with their way of doing things - he should be learning really largely through play at this age.

What are we DOING in this country, doing this to FOUR year olds?????

I know this isn't what you're asking but I would change schools TBH...seems extreme but I'd hate that for my Ds's

I'm so impressed by ds' school's approach to spelling - they've really cracked on with the reading/writing, but in a way that ds absolutely loves - he's loving the stories he brings home to read and is totally motivated to learn more key words. They also do Jolly Phonics.

Writing, they use thinking lines, so if you don't know how to spell a word you put a 'thinking line', then think of what the first letter might be - so for CAT you would write _ then think Cat, Cat Cat - it's a C. Then think about the last letter - caT caT caT - it's a T. Then think about the middle sound cAt cAt cAt - it's an A. So there's no pressure if you can't work out the whole word. They think it is better than parrot fashion spelling because it teaches independent writing, and they can have a go at writing anything, rather than either copying from the blackboard, or being limited to the words they know. Ds writes the whole time, and is always finding reasons to write notes, stories etc.

Think testing at 4 is totally counterproductive - they all work at such different rates, and lots of kids at 4 haven't started school at all.

Please tell your friend there is nothing "wrong" with her little boy.

I have taught reception and what this school is doing is wholly inappropriate, never mind the fact the poor lad is the youngest in the class.

Would also agree giving spellings to a 4 year old is inappropriate and wrong. I would refuse to do them with him! Tell her not to worry and to stop doing it with him.

At another school in another year.. to answer the thread title.

The foundation stage should not be this formal. It sounds like she has picked a school on the basis of ~SATS scores on the doors. This is how they get good results, but is this a style she feels comfortable with?
There's something wrong with the teacher not the child.