Yr 1 spellings - are these even APPROPRIATE?

[SmugColditz]

All in joined up writing

sandpit
helper
sandwich
what
handstand
giftbox
thundering
frowning
lunchbox

Ds 1 is not bad at reading - but he can't read half of these. He doesn't even know what the letters are because they are joined up and he can't read them.

I had a word with the teacher, who said I would be surprised.

damn right i would be surprised

i would be surprised to see him pulll a year's worth of writing ability out of his arse that he wasn't taught in reception last year.

he barely did any writing in reception, certainly not joined up 9he's not been taught this afaik0 it was all sandpits and trainsets, and now they want him to sit and spell words he can't even read.

what should I do? He can't reliably get his letters the right way round, he's only bloody 5. Apparently it's a new system, but I can't help thinking they have decided his entire writing and spelling ability on his ability to read the printed word.

Surreylady - that sounds dreadfully difficult for Y2 children. At DD's school they do do a bit of dictation - just a sentence though for the spelling test. But even then not right at the very start of the year.

Makes me wonder what soe schools are trying to achieve sometimes when I read threads like this.

My nephew has just started YR1 and some of his spellings for next week are pyramid, sphere and cylinder!!!!

I know some adults who might struggle with those!!!!

I would definitely go in and speak to the teacher again. Your poor DS will lose all confidence in his own ability otherwise.

Good luck!

I think these sound quite hard....my dd is 7 (P3 in Scotland) and her spellings are very simple, sack and buzz and similar, she can read nearly anything, always gets positive comments.

she made a menu at the weekend (playing cafe game) she wrote :
tea
apples oranges bananas
vitimin c
any sandwidges
wine
Coffee
hot foods
soup
sauseages
toast

childrens' dinners juice choklate, crisps and Everything!

I didn't point out her mistakes... maybe in England it is different with the sats? I just think, imho, my dd will get there in the end.

My DD has just started in year 1. She is good at reading (well I think so ) and her spelling so far is very good however these seem to be very hard for year 1, especially if your DS didn't do much writing, spelling etc in reception. In fact they are hard even if he did!

As regards joined up writing I actually wish all schools would teach this from day one. Rather than teaching to write from the top children write from the line and the flow of letters I think comes much more easily. My DD has just changed school and we are having to 're-do' all her letters as her new school only teaches cursive writing. She is absolutely loving it although I recognise this would vary from child to child.

As per other posters in this instance I would speak to other parents although if, as you suspect, your DS is being 'pushed' they may have different lists and this could set off a whole set of fireworks! Probably best to speak to the teacher in the first instance but be very careful what questions you ask. Good luck.

DS (Y2) has got (from memory, as the book is in the car)

whistle
while
aunt
uncle
whale
this

...I can't remember the others but there are 12 in all. Those are way too tough for Y1, IMHO

Oh and DS is expected to do joined up writing now but certainly wasn't in the first term of Y1.

DD (yr 1) is good at spelling (IMO)

Has this week:

Peg
Red
Fed
Pet
Get
Set
Leg
Pen
Hen
Jet
Wet

She can do them all. Not joined up writing.

THe whole point is to set the bar at an attainable level I would have thought. The spellings your ds has got are far too difficult, leaving aside the joined up writing thing.

My ds (now in y3) could probably have learned those spellings in year 1 (he was getting similar ones to learn), but is fairly bright. However, he would not have been expected to use joined-up writing at that stage.

shit
Dd this week
In
Was
Lung
Length
Strong
Sang
Ring
Glad
And 2 more I don't remember
Dd can just print them nicely -a very recent ability up til now they gave her verbal tests
Joined up
Light yrs away imvho for her

Dd2 is 5 (Y1) and in a mixed Y1/Y2 class. Her spellings this week include:

Play
X-ray
Crayon
Stay
Away etc.
Plus ...

the days of the week!

Oh, and dd has just started doing joined up writing too, but with no pressure for her to do it in her daily writing ...

very, very hard for year one. My ds is in yr2 and his hardest word so far has been 'because'. This week we have can't and don't, speak and wheat. And he's in the top group!

we had chicken last week - book appears to be lost now so cannot quote but his have some bizarre words

I really can't face looking for it just now, but I do still have all DS's Y1 spellings somewhere. I do seem to remember days of the week fairly early on in Y1.

mabanana - 'because'

Big
Elephants
Catch
Ants
Under
Small
Elephants

..DS's teacher had them all drawing pictures to illustrate that and he has no problem spelling it now.

Blimey, I am with that list.. we have

chop
chug
chin
such
check

and this week

chip
chill
much
rich
chicken

Also his list comes typed out in his book to look at each week.

stealthsquiggle - sorry, but I beg to differ. It should be:
Big
Elephants
Can't
Always
Use
Small
Escalators

Ahem, i think you'll find that its ...

Big
Elephants
Can
Always
Understand
Small
Elephants

LOL at the common theme of 'Big Elephants'

blimey, my yr1 ds (also a good reader - basically free reading, and also in a mixed yr1/2 class) has the following spellings for this HALF TERM
this
be
as
got
by
an
play
do
did
want
My mind boggles at your list.

[because - my mum, retired reception teacher, taught this as;
b-e-c..ause, because, because we are the best,
in a sort of sing-songy voice, saying the letter names not sounds. She has taught ds1 this and he can happily sing in and spell it.]

gosh colditz dd can't read half those words, she would never be able to spell them! I thought our school was bad, but we get the likes of cat, sat, sit etc. dd can just about manage those.
I would be into the school complaining, they seem far too hard for yr 1. and as I say dd's school is known for being pushy..
(sorry not read whole thread, realise you may have gone into school already)

don't do it. If your kid is not ready then it isn't worth it. talk to the teacher and tell them you will be working on teh words he is ready to do. Mine didn't read in reception, didn't write much until year 2 but is doing fine in year 5. Her teacher for past 2 years reckoned they should be teaching spelling, not us, we should be doing fun stuff!

My ds is in Yr1, just turned 5 and has a typed list of about 6 words each week which have included - with, lunch, chest, fish and strong and I thought these were a bit too hard for a boy who can barely read. Although I have to say he has surprised me and seems to be better at doing spellings than he is at actually reading words, when he reads he tends to put the last sound first iyswim.

I definitely think those are too hard for the start of Yr1, and joined up writing when hes not used to it is just ridiculous. Dd didn't start joined up till well into Yr2.

Could I just nominate 'i would be surprised to see him pulll a year's worth of writing ability out of his arse that he wasn't taught in reception last year.' for quote of the week. Please tell me you actually did say this to the teacher!!

Former Y1 teacher here - way too hard, more words like coalbucket and pooka. Joined up taught at Y2.

i don't really understand where the school is coming from with this. They aren't a pushy school, I deliberately chose it because they aren't pushy, but none of the other kids in his year seem to be doing these spellings, i feel a bit picked on

he did actually manages to scribble some of them down yesterday. i dunno, the teacher may have been working on these words all week or something.

I can't say i see the bloody point. But I chose the school and I will back the school to the hilt at home .... while complaining behind ds1's back