Spelling Lessons For Beginning Spellers (and Readers)

I love including Spelling in my lesson plans for the kids. Not just for the Spelling itself, but because it is a wonderful "multi-tasking" tool. I use spelling lessons to reinforce phonic lessons and handwriting lessons. It can be used for grammar and usage, composition, and vocabulary, too.

I compile my own spelling lists based on other things my kids are doing at the time. I mostly use their Reading and Phonics as a guide.
I base their lessons on their level of education.

For beginning readers and spellers, I keep it relatively simple.

• Monday- Pre-Test. Any words that are misspelled are re-written correctly 5 times each.
• Tuesday- Word Examination. Each word is written, then key letters are underlined. For example, if we are studying words with the long A sound, the letters that make the sound (ai, ay, a_e, etc.) will be underlined. This lesson can double as a phonics lesson.
• Wednesday-  Word Practice. (Admittedly, this one is kinda boring. Shhhh... don't tell the kids I said that!) This is especially helpful with words the the kids are having trouble with. For each word, your child should: Say the Word, Spell the Word, Write the Word, Say the Word Again. Do this three times for each word. It is helpful if your child says and spells the words aloud. This lesson can double as handwriting practice.
• Thursday- Fun Day. I like to use Thursdays to do different things. You can opt to work on ABC order, where your child simply puts the words in alphabetical order. You can generate a word search to print out for your child. You can create a word shape worksheet. You can work with vocabulary and make a crossword puzzle. You can work on sentence structure and have your child write a sentence with each word; or work on composition and have your child write a story that includes each word. Sentences and composition double up as writing, grammar, handwriting, and vocabulary lessons.
• Friday- Exam Day. Give your child a few minutes to look over their word list one more time, then give him/her a spelling test. If my children misspell any words, I make them write each misspelled word an additional 5 times each.

As your child gets older and more advanced, the lessons can get harder and more complex. You can also tailor the lessons to whatever your child needs more help with. There are so many possibilities.

I will share my beginning spelling lists with you. They are 10 lessons, 5 based on short vowel sounds and 5 based on long vowel sounds. (List is printable)