Please tell me how schools teach spelling to children in yr 1

[plumtart]

Please could you explain the process for me? Naturally I would imagine in most cases the child is able to read sounds before they can use them to spell words correctly.

Are sounds for spelling taught in groups or individually? Eg oi and oy taught together?

What kind of activities would children do, for how long, with how much repetition? How long might it be before the correct choice of spelling for the same sound is embedded intheir memory (using same example, eg spelling boil not boyl).

Do we know the actual mechanism by whcih children learn to spell or is it anther area where specialists disagree?

How "good" or accurate might the average child's spelling be at the end of year 1?

thanks

(ps on rereading though i should mention that I am a Mum not a researcher!!)

Well, speaking from personal experience, spelling, and how quickly kids "Get" it can vary hugely from one child to another. My DD2 has a knack for remembering spelling patterns after a very short practice whereas DD1 needs more reminders.

I know spellings are usually taught in "Phases", with phase 1 being taught in reception up to phase six in year 2 - try googling this and see what you get.

As for the process of actually learning them? Who knows! But I would advocate different methods of practising ie. look at them together, say them, notice the pattern, write them out, challenge your child to think of different words that follow the same rules. HTH.