Help with spelling in homework?

[umbrellasinthesun]

DS1 is 5 and in year 1. Never had writing homework before but has now got to answer a few questions with answers of a few words. He asked me how to spell things but I had heard somewhere (I think mumsnet) that it was best for them to sound it out themselves. What is the best/ right thing to do? Help with spelling if he asks of get him to do it himself?

I've always asked them to tell me any sounds I think they could get and helped them along. ie I will say "what sound does it start with?" etc and got them to think about it but helped them too. I have not corrected them if they've had a go but not got it right. Now that DS3 is year two and really enjoys writing I tend to correct words he should know how to spell and leave others. I'll say something like "I know you know how to spell with, can you see where you got a bit confused" if he writes whith for example.

Hi umbrellasinthesun:

I think I fall into Fuzzymum1's camp.

when DD2 came home with spellings (DD1 didn't have anything like this until Y2) - it was usually working some form of phonetic pattern.

so maybe she'd have a - e words like

snake
make
bake

came
same
blame
shame

care
share
dare

where 'e' after the consonant meant 'a' was a long sound.

So job one for me was to work out if there was more than one sound group in the spelling (because the words usually were mixed together & no 'hints' sent home for us Mums.)

Then I would have DD2 copy the words and sound out each letter as she wrote the word. Then I'd have her try and join those sounds:

SSSSS NNNNN [long] A KKKKK magic e (so no sound)

SNNAAKK

Snake

BINGO! We got there.

Then I'd have her write it out 2 more times whilst sounding it out.

Now the school asked for words to be written 3 times anyway in the homework log - so we did it there.

However for practice in the week, we would also use this website to help with penmanship: www.writingwizard.longcountdown.com/multi-word_handwriting_worksheet_maker.html - you can chose print or various cursive writing styles - and it just gives them a bit of handwriting practise (which was all the rage in my day, but then dinosaurs roamed the earth then!).

HTH