Free Parenting Tips To Prepare For A Spelling Test

In this article, Deanna Mascle offers up some tips for preparing your child for a spelling test over the course of a week.

Learning to spell words correctly is an important skill that will help students throughout their life. It helps with both reading and writing which are essential skills for success in today’s world. This is why the weekly spelling test is such a staple at schools throughout the United States. Knowing it is important is no consolation to those many students who struggle to learn spelling words each week or worse fail those spelling tests. What can parents do to help their children better prepare for those spelling tests? There are three simple strategies to helping children master their weekly spelling words — read, say, and write.

Most children receive their spelling words on Monday so the work should begin Monday afternoon or evening. Today you will set the foundation for the week’s work. Have the child read the list through and study each word. Then have the child say each word and spell it for you from the written list. Finally, have the child write each word three times. Now put the list away for the day.

When children struggle with spelling it often helps for you to show the child the patterns that can be found in the word list and carefully go over the words that break that pattern. Show the child how to sound out a word and give them clues that will help them remember. Demonstrate how acrobat can be broken into ac-ro-bat, for example.

On Tuesday you will likely want to repeat the same activities unless you feel the child is comfortable with the words and then you can skip ahead to the next day’s activities. The intent of these first two days is simply to familiarize the child with the words without placing any pressure on her.

Wednesday it is time to see how well the child knows the words. Give the child a written spelling test and then check the words. Have the child write each word that is missed three times. Then give the child an oral spelling test on the words that were missed. If the child stumbles on any of the words then spell the word with the child. Now put the list away for the day.

Thursday can be easy or challenging depending on the words that week and the child’s success with them. If the child is still struggling with several words then simply repeat the Wednesday activities. Try to do so as early as possible to give you time to work with the child on a couple words throughout the evening. Remember to emphasize the patterns and clues that you discussed earlier in the week.

Friday is the big day and the moment of truth to see if all your child’s hard work has paid off. Try to allow extra time before school to go over the words again. If the child’s confidence is low then do not test, simply spell the words out loud with the child. If you drive your child to school this is a great activity for the car.

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