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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

DD's spellings- I think I'm going to sob

42 replies

bubblesinthesky · 11/04/2013 19:23

I've just dug out DD's holiday spellings. i know I should have looked earlier but she's not going back until next Wednesday.

They include handkerchief, dictionary, beautiful, accident, encyclopedia, character and intelligent. There are 30 all together. Some of them are easier thankfully but lots are not.

She's 7 (year 2) and HATES spelling. We're in for some fun aren't we? Oh dear. Is it possible she's picked up the wrong list by accident or is that just wishful thinking on my part?

Any hints on how I can help her with these will be gratefully appreciated (and I think appreciate is on the list too)

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SwishSwoshSwoosh · 11/04/2013 19:36

I never made mine learn spellings this way. Maybe you could just burn the list?

30 at once is ridiculous. Not to mention utterly tedious!

mrz · 11/04/2013 19:39

They seem pretty pointless spellings get her to break them down into syllables then think of the sounds in each syllable she can then identify which bits she finds difficult - probably the /ee/ sound in chief the /sh/ sound in dictionary /ee/ sound in beautiful representing the /s/ sound in accident the /k/ sound in character
encyclopaedia has /s/ sound /ie/ sound and /ee/ sound

amidaiwish · 11/04/2013 19:42

Well firstly I'd give her a test, see which ones she knows. Cross them off.
Then pick the next 10 which she has nearly right and work on those. wThen the next 5, if you get to them.....

SwishSwoshSwoosh · 11/04/2013 19:43

Seriously, I wouldn't bother. Just write to the teacher you were too busy having a HOLIDAY.

For some reason, your dd's spellings have made me quite angry.

Still18atheart · 11/04/2013 19:46

For goodness sake i'm 21 and don't know how to spell half those words let alone a 7 year old

I would write a note to teacher and give them a good ignoring

Grammaticus · 11/04/2013 19:48

I would get them learnt how amaidawish suggested. She needs to learn to spell, after all.

amidaiwish · 11/04/2013 19:48

But how will your dd feel going back to a test she hasn't prepared for. It would stress my yr2 DD out a lot.
Just take it easy and see if she can learn a few over the next week. No need to get all stressed out about it.

dingit · 11/04/2013 19:50

What used to wind me up is they gave them spellings, but not what the words meant, so how were they supposed to use them?

Dylanlovesbaez · 11/04/2013 19:50

Year 2?! Some of those spellings are ridiculous. It's the holidays, don't do them. I wouldn't make my class take home spellings over the holidays.

MimsyBorogroves · 11/04/2013 19:53

I've all of this to look forward to, haven't I?

Reception DS gets 5 or so a week, including, last week, "their". He had "there" the week before, so was obviously confused. I asked his teacher for what sort of explanation I should give at this stage, and she said "none, don't bring it up at all" I told him the ways in which each is used, and he writes them correctly, but I'm still not sure what I was "really" meant to do.

SwishSwoshSwoosh · 11/04/2013 19:54

Undoubtedly she needs to learn to spell, but 'learning' these words like this won't achieve that. Better to play a few games of scrabble or do some crosswords or read a book.

freetrait · 11/04/2013 20:07

accident and intelligent I would go for and don't worry about the rest .

mrz · 11/04/2013 20:27

in -tell - i -gent is pretty straightforward

freetrait · 11/04/2013 20:37

So, if you do want to do them. 30 over 5 days, 6 a day. I would ask her to have a go at the word, then if it was wrong I would say it and write it out for her, breaking it up into the sounds as you go as mrz says.

in-tell-i - gent
ac-ci (c makes s sound)-dent
cha (silent h)-rac-ter
ch-ie (ee)-f
beautiful has a good way of remembering it "Mr b, mr e, mr a-u-t, mr i, mr f-u-l" (said in rhythm) -or there is another rhyme/saying that my son's teacher taught him but he's gone to bed (sorry!)

handkerchief is ok - hand-ker-chief (as before)
dic-tion-ary

you get the idea .

haveapear · 11/04/2013 20:54

Wow that's a lot to learn, poor thing. Dd year 3 hates spelling too but has just moved up a group when I discovered the app squeebles as recommended here. She only ever gets 8 at a time though.

everlong · 11/04/2013 20:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Periwinkle007 · 11/04/2013 21:01

I wonder if she has had 3 weeks holiday if they have given her 10 a week. I would get her to try them all but if they are too hard then get her to look them up in a dictionary with you and write them into sentences, at least then she has practiced using them.

simpson · 11/04/2013 23:01

DD (reception) gets quite tough spellings ie frightened, lightening, kite, petrified, horrified etc but they all have a common sound and she copes fine with them.

However DS (yr3) who is pretty good at spelling would struggle with the spellings you have mentioned.

Would definately agree with seeing which ones she knows already then maybe take a certain amount each day...

Bessiebuss · 12/04/2013 07:19

Some children find learning spellings so very difficult and are put off school. What is sad about this kind of rote learning is that it is not very effective. I agree with all those helpful comments about breaking up words into syllables.
Can you make it fun? Yes! Children love coloured pens and sticky note lets. I get children to write each syllable on a note let. Eg. For handkerchief I would stick 3 note lets on the desk and then ask a child to write 'hand' on the first note let, 'ker' on the second one and 'chief' on the third one. I ask the child to say the syllables as he writes them. We then stick them on the fridge! Choosing colour of pens and shape/colour of note lets adds a little fun!

RosemaryandThyme · 12/04/2013 09:42

e-mail the school and ask what day and time the test is.

then take her to the dentist at this time.

SwishSwoshSwoosh · 12/04/2013 10:08

Rosemary

pointythings · 12/04/2013 17:47

I'm a non-believer in spelling tests and don't make my children learn spellings - the only thing that matters is whether they can use the words correctly (in terms of spelling and of meaning) in their own writing, and spelling drill does not help that. Reading does.

Gales · 12/04/2013 17:54

DS2 gets 10/10 every week in spelling tests, with TBH very little practice at home.

His spelling in his written work is atrocious, doesn't even get really simple words right e.g. littel (yr5)

I really don't think spelling tests are helpful, but as I wouldn't want her to do really badly, in your position I would pick some of the ones she has a realistic chance of getting and practice those.

Sparklymommy · 13/04/2013 08:06

Gales: my Dd is the same! 10/10 without barely looking at them at home but the spelling in her written work- horrendous at times! Does make you wonder what the point is sometimes!

Original poster

bubblesinthesky · 14/04/2013 13:41

Thank you for all the help. Well I've tested her on ten a day and it appears she knows 26 of them. I'm mystified but relieved. Amazingly she knew encyclopedia but I am still wondering if she copied if of a book on the book shelf

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