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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

Stressing about Year 1 spelling tests

52 replies

flufflycloud · 02/10/2022 07:26

DC is in year 1, and is summer born if that has any relevance!

They have started to do spelling tests every week. They have 8 words to learn ranging from 2/3 letter words, up to 6 letters like "fright". I can see the words are linked to the sounds they are learning like "igh" and "oa"

In DC first test they got 2 out of the 8 correct which I said was great, well done etc.

We had practiced each day, but only looked at about 5 words because of the amount of time it would have took to practice and get all 8, I tried to focus on less words but with more quality.

We have a brand new 8 words this week, and again I don't see how we'll be able to practice all 8 well enough.
I am trying the little and often approach and also trying to keep it light as I don't want to make it a chore or something we both dread.

Will it just improve over time??? Am I worrying too soon?

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BattenburgDonkey · 02/10/2022 07:29

Do they tell you you have to practice at home? It’s a lot for year 1. Yes you are worrying too soon, of course it will get better with time. Personally if you are reading with him I wouldn’t even be bothering with spelling practice in year 1 unless he enjoys it.

lisavanderpumpscloset · 02/10/2022 07:31

It will improve over time. You are worrying too much.

Do what you can and put no pressure on yourself (or your little one).

It'll be fine x

Cantchooseaname · 02/10/2022 07:33

I’d check he is secure with the target sound- ‘igh’ for example, then encourage him to employ this in his spelling. Night/ fright/ light etc, so you do t have to learn each one in isolation, if you have some tricky/ anomalous words, target them for rote learning.
I would use an app, for an example spelling shed, and do 5 mins practice if he has screen time.
then just practice as you are doing things- if you walk to school, hop on each paving stone, say a letter from spellings as you do.

if handwriting is tricky, try using magnetic letters (Lidl sell lovely sets).

make him the teacher- he can read the spellings to you, then mark them- can he spot your mistakes??

ReadyForPumpkins · 02/10/2022 07:34

In DC school, they are streamed for spelling. If your DC is consistently scoring low in the spelling tests, he will be given less words to learn. It could just at the start, you are getting the higher expectation level of work?

Also 8 words is normal. They should be related and not memorised. I have a edshed subscription and the DC learn the words themselves with the app. Maybe that helps?

Cantchooseaname · 02/10/2022 07:34

Also what others said- it will come!! Low pressure/playful is def the way, but if school are adamant, some ideas above.

Mummummummumyyyyy · 02/10/2022 07:35

Unfortunately (saying this as a teacher) this is the reality of education under our Tory government. Tests, tests, tests! 8 words sounds like a lot though, my Y1 children have 4 and they’re always words with the same spelling rule. I’d say try to do little and often. 2 or 3 words a day. Google ‘multi sensory spelling ideas’ if you want to make it fun. Good luck!

fassnk · 02/10/2022 07:36

Have a look at five minute mum on instagram, she has lots of ways to practice spelling and fit it into your day eg in the bath/when you are cooking etc

WillPowerLite · 02/10/2022 07:37

Go over the vowel sound for that week with him. (Do all words contain it?) Ask him to say it for you and show you how to spell it. Does he know any other spellings that make that same sound (like ou in couch and ow in how).

Then go over the other sounds in the words. Lots of children struggle with 'blends' like the f+r in fright. So say it slowly and model how to blend it together.

Try to have some fun with it and don't push too hard. Draw the words in a tray of flour or sand, make the word out of playdough, let him draw them really pretty with crayons, cut the letters out of magazines or a neespaper and let him arrange them. Use magnetic letters on a fridge.

Just don't let either of you get stressed! It's only a y1 spelling test. :) He'll get there.

Reluctantadult · 02/10/2022 07:37

My ds is in yr1 and luckily he doesn't have any spellings yet. In my kids school they start that in yr2 and it's really ramped up for my Dd now in yr3. Personally I wouldn't worry too much, depending on your dcs feelings about getting things right / wrong in the test?

When you're practicing try to think of different ways to do it, not just writing them down. Some ideas, write them with magnet letters on the fridge, or cbeebies magazine has some alphablocks letters, put shaving foam/sand/flour in a baking tray and write, write them on a rainbow using different colours. Facebook page 'five minute mum' or her books is good for ideas, or on Instagram there are a few mummy teacher pages that I nick ideas from.

Reluctantadult · 02/10/2022 07:38

Phonics family is great Facebook and Instagram.

CantstandCoriander · 02/10/2022 07:40

Hello, I work in year 1 and this sounds like a lot! Ours do not have any spellings to take home, it seems much too soon for that. We are still working on letter formation and continuous provision. I would speak to the teacher and let them know your child is finding it too much. Surely at this age any home learning should be reading together.

Everydaywheniwakeup · 02/10/2022 07:42

How long does he have to learn them? You say you could only do 5 words because that took so long, which implies you are spending ages on them!!
Do the spellings any way, don't 'repeatedly 'teach' them, it gets boring.
Walking up the stairs. Practise in the car. You do one, he does one. Magnetic letters. Rearrange letters on post it notes. Make words out of pipe cleaners. Shaving foam on the side of the bath to write them at bath time.
Better to have a go at 8 then have no clue about 3.

Benjispruce4 · 02/10/2022 07:45

Get him practising by just copying the words out, make it more fun by using colours or seeing how many times he can write the word inside a drawn circle or other shape. He will be practising at school too.

grey12 · 02/10/2022 07:56

Their performance doesn't necessarily improve. I'm on the same boat but now in Y2.

But it is important to continue doing what you're doing. English is a difficult language to learn so they have to practice words this way......

Best of luck!!!

Btw Leap Ahead books are the best if you're looking for something 😉 we recently got their bumper workbook. It has stickers and all!! DD's hw at times wasn't the most accessible or interesting.......

Awumminnscotland · 02/10/2022 08:03

I have a child in P2 who has spelling homework.
The way they do it is, 10 spellings they copy into their books on a Monday, every day they practice them all doing the read cover write check method.
At the back of their book they have ' honeycomb' activities to do which are basically fun games to consolidate the learning. They have to do at least 2 of these a week and they do these in class too.
They also have a page of word wall words to learn which they mostly voted at school but should be practicing at home too.
As far as I can see they assess their learning continuously as she denies doing any tests.
By the Wednesday she can write and spell the words with no looking and if I ask her the words in any order.
Maybe some of these things might help. Like others have said there are loads of spelling games resources out there. I do think spelling tests at 5 would make me anxious too!

yikesanotherbooboo · 02/10/2022 08:24

I hated spellings homework. DD was good at spelling and autumn born so with just a few minutes work would get 8-10 out of 10.DS1was poor at spelling , summer born and we would spend hours at practice only for him to get 1-2 out of 10. It was so discouraging. I spoke to DS's teacher who said that she, too, hated the spelling homework and not to worry.I stepped back. DS2 was also summer born and had poor concentration, they used to write them out at school every day and I would leave it at that.I was 'over' spellings by then and really not keen to make him feel like a failure. He got there in the end.

Original poster

flufflycloud · 02/10/2022 08:27

Thanks all for the useful tips!

The 8 words are all different sounds,
If it was night/light/fright I think it'd be much easier but they're not connected.

We are just doing little snippets and in a playful way. E.g he has an easel and a whiteboard so we use that and we draw etc.

We read everyday and he manages his reading book and can recognise the new sounds.

I will try to keep it like this and not put too much pressure on it

OP posts:

Original poster

flufflycloud · 02/10/2022 08:30

Also to answer a couple of questions we get 6 nights to learn them.
I am spending about 10 mins a day on it, so that's why we only end up doing about 5 words. We looked at maybe 2/3 in each 10 minutes and then add a new one in at some point.

In addition to this he needs to do he reading book everyday, practice the new sounds, and he gets one maths task/game a week.

I also read too him everyday

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OperaStation · 02/10/2022 08:31

I think you’re over thinking this. My year one son has 10 words every week. I get him to copy them out every morning leading up to the test and then we practice spelling them out loud on the walk to school.

Writing them out is the best way to remember them.

OperaStation · 02/10/2022 08:32

flufflycloud · 02/10/2022 08:30

In addition to this he needs to do he reading book everyday, practice the new sounds, and he gets one maths task/game a week.

I also read too him everyday

What exactly are you doing in that 10 minutes that means you can only cover 5 words? Surely it would only take a couple of minutes to write each word out.

Katapolts · 02/10/2022 08:32

At 5 I'd just do reading and not bother with anything else.

They don't really 'learn' spellings like this at that age anyway.

Katapolts · 02/10/2022 08:34

OperaStation · 02/10/2022 08:32

What exactly are you doing in that 10 minutes that means you can only cover 5 words? Surely it would only take a couple of minutes to write each word out.

Show quote history

A couple of minutes per word means 5 words takes 10 minutes?

TeenDivided · 02/10/2022 08:34

We used spellings as writing practice.
Writing out the word, sounding it out.
We did this at the breakfast table.
Turns out DD was dyslexic anyway....

Original poster

flufflycloud · 02/10/2022 08:35

@OperaStation we read the words, he can't even read some of them.
He copies the word then he has a go at covering and writing the word again. And practice some of the letter formation, e.g he writes "w" upside down..
Fills 10 minutes up pretty quickly!

OP posts:

NCTDN · 02/10/2022 08:36

As a teacher I'm shocked that the first spellings in Year one don't all follow the same sounds, like a rhyming string. We still do this in year 3. Have you any idea how others in the class have found them?

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