What's your Y1 child's spelling like?

[imaginaryfriend]

Dd (just turned 6) is in Y1 and is doing really well I think in most things. I saw some work from her group pinned up on the display board and was really shocked as to how well some of her peers are spelling at this stage, including words like 'could' and 'nice' which I know they haven't covered in class. Does that mean they're super-brilliant naturally or that their parents have been doing a lot of work with them at home?

Dd had to write a poem about fireworks at school today. This is her spelling word for word:

the fiwurks are sparkling
as the sky is darkning
the fighy wurks are bright
they dazl in the daylight

I love the two ways she tried to work out spelling fireworks. And I think the poem itself is fabulous. Is this about where she should be at for her year spelling-wise?

Dd was quite late in learning to spell, certainly couldn't do it at all in Yr1, but is now (Yr 7) getting top marks in literacy. I just provided books, really.

IF - I think there is a spelling gene. Some people can just do it, others find it more difficult to pick up.

The fact is, your dd's poem in the OP is easy to read - she's doing very well at getting her point across.

The other poems on the wall will have been written by children for whom spelling has already kicked in. My ds1, for example, in Y1, is a brilliant speller - but it's nothing to do with me, other than that I've always been able to spell and he has my genes. Do not panic that you should be something differently - just enjoy your dd's poems.

be doing something differently

My dd is in yr2 and I have never seen her write that much. Also she wouldn't attempt writing words without asking me the spelling of every single one of words. Her teachers have always said she is doing fine.

I think your daughter is doing really well being able and willing to write that amount.

Thanks for the replies.

I think I agree that there might be a spelling 'gene' actually. I have it but my brother doesn't. It's too early to say if dd has it or not as she's up against tough competition in her group at school - there are some extremely high achieving children in her group, some were reading freely at the beginning of Reception. I do try not to compare them with dd who is definitely doing well in her own right. I was wondering if there is a way I could help her define which words have which kind of long vowel sounds though - for instance my, high and tie which all end in an 'I' sound. How do they learn which one to use and when? Or is it just something they click with at some point?

Ds is in yr1 (equiv in Ireland) and here is a story he wrote including original spellings.

Roby the peenut by Matt.

Roby was a nise peenut. He loved childrin. he relle did. Owons Roby was so hongry he ate trees. Then he ate a balon. Then a child ast him why. He sed 'I wont to brake a world record' 'oooooh!' Then the same child ast him 'were are yor mum and dad?'
'you don't wont to know'
'I do I do I do'
'ok ok. You know the person that wrote this story'
'yes'
'well his mum ate them'

he wrote it at home and didn't ask me how to spell anything. When dd is writing stories she's constantly asking me how to spell things because she would hate to get them wrong. It was the first story he had written down, he's got me to transcribe before, and when he was finished he said, 'That's the last story I'm ever writing.'

quickdrawmcgraw - your sons comment made me laugh. At least he wrote a story freely without having to force him.

I shouldn't read threads like this as I begin thinking my dd must be thick like myself. Free reading at the beginning of reception. . My dd is in yr 2 and can't free read. I keep telling dh I think dd must be in bottom group within her class. Every time I try and find out from her teachers they just tell me she is doing fine.

Maybe if you have a child that likes to do homework then it would be ok to do extra work with them at home. Mine hates having to do homework so I have stopped trying to get her to do extra work after school.

imaginaryfriend - sorry I have no idea how to teach kids the art of spelling. Maybe ask to have a quick word with her teacher after school, and ask her advice.

My son cannot spell at all. I think the poem is lovely and the way your DD spells is fab.

Joe Orton said 'I can spell, just not accurately'

Nor can I by the way but i put that down to the fact I went to school in Harringey in the 70s

colie - the free reading at the start of Reception applies to 3 children in dd's group. Dd isn't free reading yet, nor are any of the children in the other Y1 class. I think they're unusual in dd's class this year.

quickdraw, that's a fantastic story! And there are some really tricky spellings in there like 'know' and 'wrote', dd would spell those 'no' and 'roat'!

I think your daughter's spelling is just fine perfectly normal from what I see in my daughter's school and the poem is gorgeous! It's nice that she is playing with language and sounds at the moment. My daughter is the same age and reads fine but is similarly 'fluid' with her spelling. If she has homework to do, I ask her if she wants to know the way the dictionary spells a word, or if she wants to do it herself. Sometimes she chooses one, sometimes another. Her school doesn't seem to worry at this stage and I think fluency and confidence and fun are probably more important when it comes to her writing.

fab poem

And the spelling is about the same level as my y1 DD's - ie she can spell some words but not most

I think she's doing really well, IF

dd is in year 2 and is 7 in May - I've just found a letter she's written to her cousin.

"To X, I love you and I hope you have a good day. I wold love you to come to my house and I hope you have a nise day and I love you and yor the best cousin in the world and I think you are the prettyist persn in school and I werd lice to come to yor house and I love you, Love dd."

actually, it looks better typed out than written down!!!

I wouldn't correct her spelling in this letter as she just did it spontaneously, but she does have 10 spellings a week at school and we do practise them.

I really love reading other kids' spellings when they're a bit off the wall. And I love reading dd's attempts too. It's almost a shame they have to learn to spell correctly!

Dd has 5 spellings home a week but they've all so far been regularly used tricky words like some, come, when, was, saw, etc.

I think that is a great poem. My DS is in Y1 and has his first spelling test tomorrow. His words are loss,less,off,huff,boss,tell.

DD1 is Y1 as well and her spelling is broadly similar to your DD's although she often misses out vowels. For example, she initially wrote halloween as 'hlween'. She loves writing and I always praise her, but (as a ridiculous pedant ) I have been trying to help her work out how to spell the words, if not correctly, then at least including vowels. She gets very defensive and the last thing I want is to put her off so I had a word with her teacher this morning to get some advice as to how best to help her. Her teacher said it is a very common phase in learning how to spell and I should pretty much just let her get on with it, unless she is keen to find out how to spell the words.

Your DD's poem and story are just fab btw .

Thanks, dd would be proud to get all these compliments on her poetic skills

I've been trying some gentle assistance in grouping words with similar end sounds together like my, try, cry, by.

But no sweat.

tkband, dd used to leave out vowels a lot but I think she does that a lot less now although I couldn't tell you why.

tee hee, in Year 1, dd had "can't" one week in her spelling test and you can guess how she spelt it.... yep, "c*nt"!!!!

dinny

dd once spelt bigger as bugger... trouble was she noticed her mistake and announced loudly 'I just wrote bugger!'

IF that poem is great. And the spelling is just fine. Not sure that many yr 1 children can do bright and daylight tbh.

Trying words they don't know and bravely going on with it is admirable - and much better than a year 2 child who today was hesitating for ages with me over how to spell "my" - the first word on his page.

Here is DS2 (5.5) in his diary today: A poait caim to school.

Tuesday: I went to swimin we did all the stroacs.

If you read it out loud you always know what he means!

WRT helping, I only correct DS2 now if he asks how sthg is spelled (which he doesn't often).

A year ago I was spelling most words for him so his spelling appears to have got worse but in fact he is just breaking through and doing it himself which is FAB (as is yr DD IF)

Thanks clary. I realise that poem looks quite good as her only 'I' sound is to use 'igh' in her spelling!

Current problem is differentiating when and went - which one has the 'h' after the 'w' and why.

I tell mine that who where what why when (which they sometimes learn as 5 key question words) all have the h in.