Tips for Practicing Weekly Words at Home
Research shows what we have known all along: the more a student writes and reads a word, the
more likely it is that s/he will spell it correctly. The trick is finding interesting ways for children to
practice them. Since studying the weekly spelling list is an expectation for third graders, here is a list
of suggestions to help you and your child develop a “homework routine”.
1. Write the words and sentences using a fancy pen or marker.
2. Write the spelling words, making each letter a different color.
3. Cut out list words from magazines and newspapers and paste them onto another sheet of
paper.
4. Type the words on the computer. Experiment with different fonts.
5. Put shaving cream on a cookie sheet and “write” the words with your finger.
6. Form the words using clay, play-doh, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, or Wikki-Stix.
7. Draw a picture and hide the words in the picture.
8. Create a comic strip, poem, song, or story using the spelling words.
9. Make flash cards.
10. Use the flash cards to play memory.
10.Make a picture dictionary using the spelling words.
11. Write words as if they are stairs, adding one letter each time.
s
sp
spe
spel
spell
12. “Write” the letters with glue, then add glitter or jello powder.
13. Use Scrabble tiles to find the most valuable word.
14. Use magnetic letters to form words on a cookie sheet.
15. Translate spelling words to a series of numbers using a telephone keypad. Write the word
first, then the numbers.
Reading Comprehension Strategies
Third grade begins a transition for students who are learning to read to reading to learn. The
focus will now shift heavily to comprehension and thinking skills. There are strategies students
can use that will help them develop into independent readers, and therefore independent
learners. When your child is reading aloud, encourage and guide him/her through the following
strategies:
Before reading:
1. Do a picture walk.
2. Make predictions
3. Ask questions
4. Think about what you know.
During Reading:
1. Make connections (to self, to other text, to world)
2. Visualize*
3. Make inferences**
4. Check predictions
5. Make up foreign words as best you can and move on
6. Be a word detective (see below)
7. Answer questions and ask more questions
8. Think
After Reading:
1. Reread any confusing parts.
2. Retell or organize what you’ve read
3. Decide what is important**
4. Evaluate**
*Will begin this strategy in late fall
**Strategies taught in the spring
Being a word detective simply refers to being able to figure out a word that a student is stuck
on. They are taught to use any or all of the strategies listed below to help themselves before
they ask for help.
Look at the pictures.
Ask yourself, what word would make sense?
Find parts of the word that you already know.
Reread the sentence or the paragraph.
Read the next sentence or paragraph.
If nothing works, ask someone for help.
Some additional thoughts: Avoid suggesting that your child “sound out” words. Generally, at this
level, many words simply are not “sound out-able.”
When your child is using the word detective strategies, ask them which strategy they will use. If
it is obvious they will not be successful, ask what else they could do. Allowing them to “struggle”
with a difficult word for about a minute to a minute and half is acceptable, but not much longer
than that. The less that you say, the better.