Hello Parents!
I had a great question yesterday about spelling and wanted to share/explain in case anyone else was wondering the same thing.
“Hi, I was wondering how you chose the spelling list because the list we have seems a bit easy for my child.”
Each week, I will create two or three spelling lists based on the phonics skill of the week from our reading series as well as on needs determined in class. The lists are comprised of words with the phonetic element (this week is short u), but I also take into account the most common words with this sound as well as the most common word families and patterns.
Although we often think of English as confusing and rule-breaking, if we look at patterns and word families instead of letters in isolation, most of our language is easily decoded. In fact, if we learn just the 37 most common word families (identified by Wylie & Durrell), we have automatically learned how to read and spell over 500 words. Check them out here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/wordfamilies/
Instead of telling our children to simply “sound out” words when spelling, we should more often tell them to listen for these common patterns. For example, sounding out the word chalk would leave a child to write the word more like chok, cholk, cholc, challk, chock, etc . However, once we learn the common -alk chunk like talk, stalk, balk, etc., we are more likely to spell chalk correctly. We also learn vocabulary behind spelling patterns. Although jumped sounds like jumpt or jumt, when we learn it is the past tense of jump, we can more easily spell it. For a more advanced example, if we relate the word separate to separation, we recognize it will have an “a” instead of what sounds like an “e”: separate not seperate.
For this reason, I focus on word families during the week for spelling and word study instruction.
Although your child may receive a list of just ten words, my goal for your child is NOT just to spell those ten words correctly. I do not want your child to memorize and forget ten words; I want them to internalize the patterns and LEARN these words and related words.
When you receive your spelling lists each week, I encourage you not only to look at the words but also at the word families near the top of the page. Have your child put together, read, and write additional words from the word family list.
Here are some things we do in the classroom:
*Use small word cards to build words and then change them one letter at a time: duck, truck, trick, brick, brisk, etc. Do the same thing when writing words. Use a dry erase marker to change a letter, or make a “word ladder” by writing the words vertically on paper.
*Write as many words as you can from one word family: jump, stump, hump, lump, chump, etc. Or use cards with consonants or blends and put them together with a word family to read fluently.
*Extend words: work – worked, working, rework, homework, etc.
*Write words on cards and sort them in any way – by ending sound, by vowel sound, by word families, by how many letters are in the word, by blend, by word type (noun, verb, etc.), etc. You can tell your child how to sort the words or have them sort the words and tell you how they sorted them.
*Do a “writing sort”: write some “headers” at the top of a paper for your child ( uch, uck, ush, etc.).
Read a word your child cannot see and have your child write it under its word family.
Essentially, don't limit yourself to ten words, especially if you feel they are too easy. :)

If you need word ideas, this website is a fantastic way to find whatever kind of word you need. You can choose words with specific phonics elements and practice away! http://worksheetgenius.com/wordlists.php
Beginning next week in reading time, your child will be meeting in small groups for phonics/spelling instruction in addition to small groups for other reading skills. During these phonics groups, we will work on word sorts, word families, more complex phonetic elements, vocabulary as related to spelling, writing words in isolation and in context, and many games which involve putting words together and taking them apart.
For the lists this week, I showed Ms. LeBeau the spelling lists, and she told me which list to assign to which children as I had not yet worked with them. As I learn more about your children's spelling abilities and habits, I will create additional lists based on the needs of the groups. If I notice some children are ready for more complex sounds or patterns, or if some children need more work on a previously taught skill like blends or short e and I, for example, those skills will appear in the spelling lists and in our phonics group practice.
Our reading series is research based and includes phonics each week. Our main stories for the week usually contain elements for this phonics skill, so we not only learn how to spell these patterns but also how to read them at the same time. This week's skill of short u is typically much easier for children to hear and spell than many other phonics skills. More difficult ones are coming up, so get ready...
By winter break, we will cover:
End Blends: -nd, -sk, -mp, -st, -nt, -lp, -nt, -nd, -lf, -xt, -lt, -pt, -lk, -ft
Digraphs: sh, th, ch, -tch, wh, -ng, & ph
Soft c & Soft g (making the sounds /s/ and /j/)
A few Long Vowels with “super e”
I hope this is helpful to you as you help your child with spelling this year and in years to come!
Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information about anything here.
-Mrs. Mahlon