Spellng test year 2....why is my DC struggling with these words

[ValentinCrimble]

DC usually gets 10 out of 10 or 5 out of 5 depending on how many hve been set. If they have a lot of other work thenteacher only sets 5....this week the words are

air
pair
care
hare
Clare

D keeps getting them wrong...I am not doing anything different than normal....I get DC to look, copy and then DC does the same thing without looking and gets them right....but this time keeps mixing them all up....

What can I do to help?

Not in a bad mood or tired....

Anyone?

just an off week, leave him be for a bit, try them again. does he do the same with words that have similar sounds eg: they all sound the same but are spelt diffrently?

I would teach air and pair first and when your child is happy with those teach care, hare and Clare

I did teach the air and pair first mrz...made no dif and he found those difficult anyway.

Carocaro I'm not sure....but I don't think so

He was a BIT better just now...think I'd better leave it though as I tend to be a bit pushy competative crackers over-keen at the best of times!

It sounds as if he hasn't been taught the sound /air/ or the different ways it can be written just given some random words

Does it? Hmmm...it's a new teacher ....but this is a tiny independant school..surely she would know what they have done before?

Perhaps make a little rhyme up with air and pair (A pair of shoes in the air) then another with the other set ( Clare doesn't care about the hare)to somehow link them together.

I have to admit it seems a really funny set of spellings. I could think of some much more useful words with these patterns

If I were teaching those spellings it would follow work on the phoneme /air/ and the alternative spellings

"air" "are" "ere" (where) "eir" (their)

Thanks BrigitBigKnickers (love your name!)

I think I will try that...glad it's not just me thinks they're odd! Last week it was cow, down, crown and out...which DC found easy...we've done all the Ch and Th sounds..not a prob....it's these ai and a ones that wont sit in!

mrz I have no idea how to approach phonics none at all.

They just seem to have bunged these at the kids...though DC does forget some stuff as they all do...it's just that he is responding so dfferently to normal with these that I was a bit

I missed "ear" (bear)

I would focus on teaching words with each spelling pattern

air - fair - hair - lair - pair - stair

at least a day on each set

bare- care - dare - fare - glare - hare- rare - spare

Ok, mrz, this is (one of many things) I don't get about teaching phonics.

are, hare, glare, dare, and rare might well be words a 6 year old doesn't know yet. So how does it make sense to teach them just for the sake of learning the 'are' pattern?

they are taught in context with a discussion on the meaning to develop the child's vocabulary. I would dictate a sentence for each word and we would read the sentences

The homework I gave my class when we did this phoneme was to write a sentence using each word

where
wear
there
their

My DC definately has a large vocabulary...and would be comfortable with those words within a spoken sentence...but just seems to have no idea of the sound.

IndigoBell I wouldn't include "are" with care etc for obvious reasons

Sorry mrz, 'are' was a typo - I meant 'fare'.

All of last year we had totally inappropriate spelling words based on a phonics pattern (like the 'are' list you presented).

I assumed this was part of the Read, Write, Inc scheme the school were using...

It probably was
personally I don't send spellings home or do tests in the conventional sense as I don't find them effective for long term retention. I like to use the words in sentences for daily dictation until they are well and truly fixed in the child's memory

To remember the "air" grapheme:
Get a balloon, blow it up and seal end temporarily with a kitchen bag clip.
Get DC to write "air" in large letters on balloon using dry wipe pen/permanent pen.
Take off kitchen bag clip an allow DC to let go of balloon saying "air" as s/he does so and giggle as balloon makes varied rude noises whilst it whizzes round the room.
Repeat for as long as you can stand it!(supervising DC if they blow up balloon themselves so they don't choke! - obviously!!)

Perhaps you could do this with a pair of balloons and make up silly sentences about the air in the pair of balloons?

Do care hare and Clare on a different day (without balloons!)

Sounds good sarahfreck but test tomorrow...! Seems to have got it now though...but through our own weird phonics.

Bit late spotting this thread... hope the test went well. If your DD needs more help with AI / AR then try these videos from www.MrThorneDoesPhonics.com

But, nannynick, those aren't the 'sounds' she was having the problems with...