1. Spelling Strategies
Here we will look at what you can do to keep on top of spelling.
Do you know
how to improve?
What sort of speller
are you?
Do you keep a
record of your errors?
Do you know what
your spelling
problems are?

2. Keep a sharp eye out for errors in your spelling.
Spotting mistakes
Keep a sharp eye out for errors in your spelling.
Then try to identify what kind of mistakes you usually make.
Then you can start to do something about them.
Typical errors include:
problems with homophones
missing silent letters
confusing words which sound similar
confusion over
double letters
endings
not knowing rules

3. Spotting mistakes

4. Spotting mistakes

5. Personal spelling notebook
Keep a personal spelling notebook.
Here are some of the things you might include in it.
Spelling strategies
Personal errors
Rules and conventions
Types of errors
Targets
Subject key words

6. Study, cover, write, check
Strategies
If you have problems with a word, you might try one of the strategies suggested here. Jot the strategies down in your spelling notebook.
Study, cover, write, check
study the words carefully
cover it
write it down from memory
check it
repeat until you are happy you know it

7. Study the rules/conventions
Strategies
Study the rules/conventions
There are a lot of rules, patterns and conventions in these presentations and elsewhere.
Find the ones which will help you.
Sounding it out
Sometimes it is helpful to sound out the syllables of a word, e.g. re-mem-ber. Some words, particularly those with unstressed or silent letters, can be sounded out very deliberately: e.g. Wed-nes-day, def-i-nite
Find five other words suitable for sounding out.

8. Look for letter patterns E.g. guard is often misspelled (as gaurd).
Strategies
Look for letter patterns
It’s difficult to remember the pattern of letters in some words.
So try to find the same pattern in other words that you do know.
This may help you to associate the words and remember the pattern.
E.g. guard is often misspelled (as gaurd).
gu is the problem area
So look for other words with gu, like ‘gun’, ‘gust’, ‘league’. You can even invent a phrase to help you remember:
‘The guard with the gun.’
Find letter patterns for 3 other difficult words, e.g. calendar

9. rhythm - rhythm helps your two hips move
Strategies
Mnemonics
These are rhymes or phrases that help you to remember the letters in a word.
In your notebooks, write down any mnemonics you know.
Create a new mnemonic for a tricky word.
E.g.
rhythm - rhythm helps your two hips move
because - big elephants can always upset small elephants

10. Strategies
Words within words
Lots of words contain other words. Use this knowledge to help you spell the more difficult words.
E.g.
There is a lie in the middle of believe.
Conscience is another tricky word, but it has a school subject in it: con + science.
See how many other examples you can find of words within words.

11. Plenary
There are lots
of ways to
improve your
spelling.
Be aware of
the types of
error you make.
Investigate
how spellings
and words work.
Keep a spelling
notebook.