KS2 Parents’ Information Session November 2015 Welcome! Agenda: Spelling Reading

Spelling

Accurate spelling helps children become fluent and effective writers. Competent spellers can spend less time and energy thinking about spelling, which enables them to channel their time and energy into the skills of composition, sentence structure and precise word choice.

Spelling The English language is a rich and complex language (phonics/ invasion of foreign words etc) ; but despite its complexity 85% of the English spelling system is predictable. Your child will learn the rules and conventions of the system and the spelling strategies needed to become a confident speller.

Spelling Most of us, even if we consider ourselves to be good spellers, make spelling mistakes at some point. What is important is that we know what to do when we get stuck and we know how to correct our mistakes.

Spelling tests Difficult to apply spellings learnt for tests to other words. Good spellers can spell! They don’t need tests… Poor spellers will find tests difficult, may learn the words for the test and then forget them.

What are we doing instead of spelling tests? 2-3 short lessons a week (based on Support for Spelling): Key principle is that the children are learning about words rather than given words to learn. Various learning strategies including: discovering rules, learning about different memory strategies, learning about pre-fixes and suffixes and looking at the history of words. Assessed through: Dictations Marking At times tests for specific words (topic/tricky words) after deciding on personal strategies

Spelling-what can I do if I get stuck? Try: Sounding words out: breaking the word down into phonemes, for example, c-a-t and sh-e-ll. Many words cannot be sounded out, so you will need to use other strategies. Dividing the word into syllables, and saying each syllable while writing the word. For example, re-mem-ber. Making links between the meaning of words and their spelling. For example, sign, signal, and signature. This strategy is used at a later stage than other strategies. Working out spelling rules for yourself. This strategy is used at a later stage than other strategies. Using a dictionary. Ask!!! And try to remember!

Knowledge of the Spelling System Root words and prefixes and suffixes Prefixes: added to the beginning of a word and rarely change the spelling of the root word Suffixes: added to the end of a word – can sometimes change the spelling of the root word Play Try

Spelling – Memory Strategies Phonemes Exaggerate c-a-t and sh-e Wed - nes – day re-mem-ber Image Look for words in words cupboard cup/ board

Spelling – Memory Strategies Mnemonics sally ann is dancing Look, say, cover, write, check Say the sounds in the word s/ai/d s/c/ issors Practise writing the word and colour the tricky bit in a different colour or larger sCissors

How else can I help my child? Encourage them to write on every possible occasion, praising their efforts and, importantly, letting them see you writing whenever possible. Play word games with them, for example, I spy, and Find the Word puzzles. Point to interesting or new words as you read to your child (without interrupting the flow of the story).

Strategies: over-learning Practice makes perfect

Thank you Questions