Teachers please help - how to improve dd's spelling

[follygirl]

I have posted this in Education but think it might be better suited here.

We've just been to dd's parents' evening. She sat some tests (which she didn't realise) and apparently her spelling is below average. She is in Year 2.

At the moment she has 10 spellings to learn each week and usually gets 9 or 10 out of 10. This week she learnt: wrist, wrestle, debt etc.

She is being given extra help with her spellings where they are asking her to write lists of words which end in 'ool', 'amp' etc.

Her reading is fairly good for her age: she's reading Faraway book series so that you can gauge her level.

I think that the issue is that she mispells 'common' words like 'once' and 'like'. She doesn't really enjoy writing so doesn't write stories at home. She sometimes forgets to use capital letters at the beginning of sentences and also full stops at the end.

How on earth can I help her with her spellings? Should I just concentrate on ensuring that she spells 'common' words? How do I find out what these are? Should I encourage her to write stories at home? I have suggested that she start writing a diary which she seemed keen to do.

Are there websites which can help? Last year she found maths difficult so we signed her up to maths whizz which has really helped her confidence.

Her teacher did say that orally she is great and has lots of ideas, she just finds it hard to write these down.

hmmm.... you could be describing my son!

It's good she's getting high scores on her tests -- it shows she's diligent in studying and preparing for a test. However, as many people have commented elsewhere on MN, good spelling test results don't necessarily translate into good spelling in ordinary writing.
I was concerend about my son's spelling for a while -- especially because there seemed to be a disconnect between his excellent reading (he's a bookworm) and his writing. Recently, though, I found a folder my parents had saved of my school work and was able to see how I wrote when I was 6/7. My spelling was awful! Having seen that, and knowing I eventually learned to spell reasonably well, I stopped worrying about my son's spelling. I care more about whether or not he comprehends what he reads and whether he can express himself well, etc. I'm sure his spelling will improve the more he writes over the next few years.
I'm sorry not to be able to offer tips on how to improve your daughter's spelling but hope my perspective might help.

DS was like this, he would get all 15 spellings correct at weekly test but would forget the spelling in a different setting.

Encourage your DD to use the words in sentences when you are practising for the test. That will help.

Also go back on the spelling every other week.