20 teaching ideas for spelling

Last updated: 15/11/2023
Contributor: HelenM
20 teaching ideas for spelling
Main Subject
Key stage
Category
English: Language
Resource type
Teaching ideas

Here are twenty engaging ideas, tips and spelling strategies to support and inspire KS3-4 students with their spelling skills, written by an experienced English teacher.

Example tips from the resource: 

Easy peasy. Point out that the most ‘difficult’ subject-specific words are often the easiest to learn. Students can be put off by the length of some words and quickly gain confidence when they see them broken down, e.g. con-tin-ent, trans-port-ation.  Give students words cut up to put back together.

Happy families. Show how learning to spell one word can help you to spell lots more because words are linked and patterns are repeated, e.g. pack, packet, package; effect, effective, efficacy.

Fun and games. Make learning different spelling strategies more fun by using games, quizzes and challenges as quick lesson starters and endings.  Try a variation on pass the parcel with hidden spelling questions, or make origami fortune tellers with tricky spellings inside.

Word race. Start each lesson with a one minute word race.  Create 15 word cards and 15 definition cards (or whatever number is appropriate to your class size).  Give out cards to your class, and ask them find their matching pair.  For added challenge, use synonyms instead of definitions.

Dynamic displays. Encourage students to contribute to word walls, make their own spelling bunting or create poster dangles (with key words, tricky spellings, or homophones etc.) as part of a whole class literacy strategy. 

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01/09/2020

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01/09/2018

I will use it with my tutor group.Thanks.

04/12/2013

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01/09/2020

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01/09/2018

I will use it with my tutor group.Thanks.

04/12/2013

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