How do I help a 12yo learn spellings?

[FreudianFoxSquishedByAPouffe]

Hi, my DSD is 12 and in yr8 (I know this is the primary board but I figured it's more appropriate for this issue)

She has always struggled with literacy - many tests for dyslexia, had various help like scribes in SATs etc in primary but has no extra help now.

In English they get spellings every week (am surprised by this, and it's not only the strugglers, the whole year has them) - it's words like monologue, structure etc so basically vocabulary for when they analyse texts.

She is finding it so hard, they just won't stay in her memory. Her reading is really improving but spelling isn't.

I have no idea how to help, like her twin sister I have no trouble with spelling.

Any suggestions? We want to help and give methods to use at her house but I don't want to patronise her by giving younger activities IYSWIM.

I could never spell but could remember most words through giving each letter a link word.

ie) BECAUSE could be Beatrix Eats Cake And Urrchooo, Sneezes Easily

Ahem it's
Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants!

a Q without a U will never do ( My DD liked that one )

A well-stuctured spelling programme with built-in practice, done every day, should help. Such a programme is 'Apples and Pears' from www.prometheantrust.org/.

There is a placement test on the website so you know which book to start in. The programme incorporates practice with high-frequency word spelling, plus teaching how to use a morphemic strategy. It really is very good and makes the job easy for the adult teaching.

There is no easy way to commit those words to memory that your dd is getting weekly, without the underlying skills which A & Pteaches.

I always found the best way of learning to spell words was to break them down into small phonetic words.
For words like wednesday - I learnt by saying to myself wed - nes - day.

DS has spelling problems. He was taught Big Elephants Can't Always Use Small Exits. Only problem was he thought "always" began with an "O"

Thanks. That apples and pears thing looks good if a bit pricey. I've looked at schemes like that before but the problem is DSD's mum - there is no way she will bother to participate, so we can only help when DSD is staying with us on some weekends.

My son learns spellings better if they're separate rather than in a long list - I think he's quite visual, and is learning the shape of the individual word.

So when he used to get spellings (stopped this year) I would write them out in black pen on white flashcards, each word on a separate card.

And then when I tested him after he'd learned them, he used a small A4-sized whiteboard, wrote the word I'd asked, then erased it for the next one.

That way, it kept each word separate again, and seemed to really help.

The words she can't spell - are they phonetically regular? A good phonics programme goes beyond c-a-t up to quite complex words with Greek or Latin origins, that all follow a regular pattern.

Does she read a lot for pleasure?? Casting my mind over the children who are in "Top" literacy and spellings groups in DD's yr5 and yr2 classes, to my knowledge they all seem avid readers; Coincidence? Maybe, but the children who read a lot will be encountering written words much more frequently, and, I don't know, just kind of "absorb" them somehow. Does that make sense? Steer her to a range of books and let her choose from the library and encourage her reading as much as you can.

How is her phonics?
Most words can be spelt easily if children have a good phonic knowledge and lots of experience of text. (good readers really do make good writers)
Some words it's useful to have those handy mnemonics like big elephants always understand small elephants and sally ann is dancing or saying the word how it looks so pee ople rather than people and wed nes day.

It's better to teach words by the spelling pattern (phoneme grapheme representation) than lists of random words.

I definitely agree with that - but ATM the spellings are grouped by topic so not in phoneme 'families' as they were in primary.

Her reading - well she is definitely improving. I think being in secondary has forced her to improve as they have to read more, but she doesn't enjoy it. Having observed her I'd say her phonics hasn't improved at all, it looks (to an amateur!) like she's just an expert at the educated guess, using context etc.

She does have 'for fun' books but I'm really unsure as to whether she is really reading them. It's hard to know as she lives with her mum who doesn't get involved with school stuff at all :(

If she were my DD or at least lived with us most of the time, I'd know what to do - take her right back to basics with phonics. But her mum won't help with any scheme like that.

Bless you Freudian, your DSD sounds very lucky to have you as her SM!

Would her school offer any kind of back-to-basics phonics programme do you think? Does her dad get involved in her schooling, could he enquire?

Incidentally, the Governments White paper on education states that all primary schools will have to teach a synthetic phonics programme in future.

Aw thanks lovecheese

I'm not sure exactly how DSD was taught to read - but there is definitely more to her problems than a bad start, as her twin flew ahead with the same teacher.

Anyway. DSD was 'sick' yesterday but we think it might be that she was avoiding the spelling test. She feels so bad about her low marks. had a chat with exW and she doesn't see the problem. She said DSD brings it on herself by not practising, which really pissed DH off as whenever DSD does ask her mum to test her she says no

Tbh I don't think just practising will help, as it's been suggested here it's the phonic building blocks that are lacking. She is still spelling very basic words wrong, and getting letters backwards occasionally.

The school won't provide any more help btw, her sats results were too good (because she had a scribe/reader!). the only help she got in yr7 was handwriting.

It would be really helpful if you could give us some examples of the words on her spelling lists and we might be able to reduce them to some sort of logical sequence.

If she has a basic knowledge of phonics and is able to break words into their component sounds then it is helpful to follow a 'drill' something like this:

1. Say the word

2. Break it into its 'sounds' - say each sound (if it's a multi-syllable word then break it into syllables first and do this 'drill' with each syllable)

3. count the sounds and write a 'dash' for each sound

4. Spell each sound in the order it comes in the word, on the dashes so that she knows if she has a 'dash' left she's missed out something! (obviously we're talking about 'sound spellings,or graphemes here)

5. Say each sound as you write it. This is a double check on getting the right number of sounds( into the word and also reinforces kinaesthetic memory of what the sounds 'feel' like to write and the 'feel' of the whole word.

6. Check by sounding out and blending that the word is actually what you think you've written!

By writing the word 'sound by sound' she will probably discover that she knows how to spell most of it, there may just be a tricky bit to focus on and learn.

This may sound quite complex, but it is actually fairly simple. It can be a struggle getting an older child to do the 'say the sound as you write it' bit, but it is vital. If they absolutely won't do it, you say the sound as they write it!

Once the 'drill' is becoming more automatic you could drop the 'dash for each sound' bit.

I find that this method gives a child more confidence as they don't have to remember a whole string of letters all in one go.

While this doesn't apply to spelling tests, remember that a good phonetic spelling is an excellent second best! It will convey to the reader the word which the writer intended and make their written communication understandable. Children who try to learn letter strings very often get the letter order completely muddled, with the result that the word they are trying to spell can end up being incomprehensible!

at the attitide of exW and school. And of course her SATs results were not going to paint a true picture if she had a scribe/reader!! I don't really know what to suggest, but as you said it does sound as though it is her basic phonic knowledge holding her back, poor child. I hope someone with a specialist background will come along and help on here, I will bump for you to keep it at the top of the page!

Aw, lovecheese. Don't I count?

"I hope someone with a specialist background will come along and help on here,"

think you cross posted Maized

Sorry maizieD, bruffin is right, X posted x

OMG. Shameless.

(I'm the OP)

FFS.