Year 1 spelling

[DizzyMum]

My Year 1 dd has just started bringing home five words to learn to spell each week. This week's words were

transparent
fabric
metal
material
plastic

I think these are way too hard. She still writes "my" instead of "me"! I think it would be better to learn a few easier words each day instead of five difficult words once a week.

How much spelling do your Year 1 children get and how difficult? I am thinking of doing my own spelling tests of four easy words each day instead of relying on the school spelling words.

Yesterday dd brought home

he
we
in
she
the
on
me
to
can

wtf???

my hamster could spell those

Dizzymum, FWIW I think that's a ridiculous list for a Y1!

They should be focusing on common words that they use regularly - for example, their, there, they're.

In fact any common homophones are good to work on as these are the ones consistently spelt incorrectly.

I suspect your DD is being given her topic words to learn but I think is pointless when she still probably hasn't mastered the basics.

Just my opinion though, as a frustrated ex-Y6 teacher who was still having to teach all these basic words to children about to go to secondary school!

that is pointless !

Those are ridiculous words to give Year 1. They need to be building a core vocabulary of words that they will need regularly in their writing!

DS's word list this week included words like drip, dress, crack, dream and so on.

They sound like the vocabulary for a science topic, don't they? Probably useful and can be spelt phonetically if she tries to break down the syllables. My Yr1 comes home with what they call "tricky" words that you can't sound out and have to just know ..., you, come, some, was, what etc as well as homophones. He gets 3 - 5 words a week and has to put them in sentences.

It sounds like topic learning. Have they been studying a little bit of science which ties in with it?
Fwiw dd yr 1
Has
Did
Cut
Whale
Whisper
Wheel
What
When
Whatever
White
Twin

She manages these fine...

I agree that it's to do with their topic.

Dd's getting a lot of words with ai or ay sounds at the moment. Last time she had:

day
way
pay
Monday
Tuesday
rain
pain
train

etc. etc.

Previously it was ee / ea words:

sweet
neat
eat
each
meet
meat

etc. etc.

We do the same as imaginary friend has posted in my class, take a sound and focus all the spelling homework words on this. However, in saying this, I have four spelling groups in my class, one for the higher Y2's, lower Y2s and really high ones, high ones and low ones. Either of the two middle groups may get words as you have posted *likely the second group though), but definately not a child who is mixing up me and my!

dd's spelling this week are:

make
take
shake
bake
make
lake
rake
snake

Nice and easy!

She did a lot of those 'tricky' words at the start of the year - have, some, come, when, what etc. etc.