Some kids are just naturally “good spellers.” And then there are those who need all the help they can get.
If spelling doesn’t come easily to your child—or if you want to get your child started on the right foot—this post is for you! Read along to learn about four powerful spelling strategies to help your student, including free resources to get you started.
Phonics is the perfect place to start. When done correctly, phonics teaches a child how to listen for each sound in a word and then how to represent each sound with a letter or combination of letters.
The ability to hear the individual sounds in words is called segmenting. You can see how we teach segmenting in the video below, or find out more in our Segmenting blog post.
Would you like to give it a try with your student? Download this free segmenting activity.
After learning how to segment, your student will represent each sound in a word with a letter or letter combination, also known as phonograms. Phonograms include the letters of the alphabet A to Z, as well as combinations such as CK (for the sound of /k/), SH (for the sound of /sh/), and OW (for the sound of /ow/).
If you are new to phonograms, be sure to check out our comprehensive article on How to Teach the Phonograms, including free printable activities and a free app.
Though hundreds of words can be spelled phonetically, there are often several possible spellings for the same sound—the sound of /j/ can be spelled J, G, or DGE, for example—and that’s when knowing some rules comes in handy.
The Kids’ Club Rule™ is a great example of a reliable spelling rule.
This rule helps you determine whether to use C or K for the sound of /k/ at the beginning of words such as kitchen and camp. You can download the rule poster here.
Spelling rules are easy to demonstrate with the Letter Tiles app or the physical tiles. Here are some more ideas for incorporating spelling rules into your teaching:
Sometimes phonics and spelling rules aren’t enough. This is where visual spelling strategies come in. Does the word look right? Good spellers often try spelling a word several ways to see which way looks correct.
This is why we use word banks in the All About Spelling program. Each word bank focuses on one concept, such as the sound of /er/ spelled UR, and helps build the student’s visual memory of words related to that particular concept.
After becoming familiar with UR words, the word nurse spelled nerse will look wrong, prompting your child to correct her own work. Visual memory is important when it comes to correctly using homophones, too, like pray and prey or tale and tail.
Extensive reading and word games are a huge help in building visual memory. Be sure to check out some of these resources:
Rev up your review with Drag Race, a fun reading and spelling review activity. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!
Your young swashbucklers can turn up the fun on spelling review with our Pirate Ship file folder game. Ahoy there, matey!
Reviewing spelling words can be easy and delicious when you have a Popcorn Party! Don’t forget the butter and salt!
When two words get “smashed up” to form a new one, you get a portmanteau! Make a few of your own with Bingo Smash-Up!
Find even more fun with words here!
Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning. Morphemes include roots and base words, prefixes, and suffixes, as in the word invisible.
An understanding of morphology helps kids spell words like knowledge and action even though the base words know and act change pronunciation. That’s why All About Spelling teaches words with Greek and Latin roots, how to add prefixes and suffixes to base words, and how to form compound words and abbreviations.
For a taste of how understanding morphemes can help your student, check out this 30-second Word Tree demo and download your free Word Tree printables.
So there you have it: the top spelling strategies that good spellers use. If your child is a struggling speller—or if you want to help your child reach the next level—be sure to incorporate these strategies in your lessons. That’s exactly what we’ve done in the All About Spelling program!
Where does your child fall in the continuum from natural speller to struggling speller?
Be sure to download our free spelling rules posters for extra reinforcement!
Leah Weiss
says:I cant open the popcorn rule.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry you are having difficulties with the Popcorn Party! review game, Leah. Please try again. If you are still having trouble, please let me know.
Mercy AZURE
says:Please which year did you come out with your spelling strategies?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAre you asking when this blog post was published, Mercy? It was Nov 25, 2019.
Or is there something else you would like to know?
Goitsemang Maine
says:Can you please sent me all your video on email
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSure! Here is the link to our YouTube All About Learning Press page. You will find all of our videos there! We have many.
Joy
says:Awesome, how I wish I saw this earlier. Is there a possibility I get this teachings on video? Even me as a parent is more informed. Thank you
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJoy,
We have a lot of videos on our All About Learning Press YouTube page, but we do not have videos to teach students. Our method is multisensory and involves sight, sound, and touch. A teacher needs to oversee students to ensure that they are pronouncing the phonograms correctly, segmenting correctly, and pulling down the corresponding tiles. The method works because the child gets immediate individualized feedback and customized review. All this cannot be provided with video instruction.
Joy
says:Good work.
Fakos
says:This is very helpful!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad you found this helpful, Fakos!
Cornelius
says:Good
Laila
says:Perfect ideas my son will get Aplus in his spelling test tomorrow after this
Anne
says:I love how you have segmented the different the four basic steps. The spelling rules are easy for both parents and students. The printable pages are great.
J.R. Ovuchi
says:Thumbs up!
shini
says:very informative. Thank
Sharon Smith
says:I like it very informative nice tip
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Sharon!
Sharon Smith
says:Your are welcome thanks
I do enjoy
Thulisile khoza
says:Thanks this has helped me and my child a lot.it has made things easier for me. I was struggling a lot I didn’t Know where to start helping her.
N. Plaatjies
says:Thank you so much, these strategies have assisted a lot with my assignment
MIchelle Hillier
says:Is this an American based spelling program? I’m a teacher in Australia and I’ve noticed the American way of spelling can be different from the UK spelling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMichelle,
Yes, All About Spelling is an American curriculum that uses American spelling. However, there are fewer differences between the two English spelling systems than there seems to be and we have a lot of families and even schools using our materials all over the world, including in Australia. We even have an Australian distributor for our products, Educational Warehouse.
We have a document that details the changes you will make to the earlier levels of All About Spelling to adapt it for British spelling. You can email us at support@allaboutlearningpress.com if you are interested or would like more information.
We have a blog post that you may find helpful too, 12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling.
Bella
says:I’m a grade 6 English teacher and some of my learners are struggling with spelling
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceBella,
Yes, spelling is difficult for many students. You may find our 12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling blog post helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information.
Willinton
says:I learnt so many thanks for this class
Eugene
says:Thanks a lot , very helpful
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Eugene!
Caroline
says:Thank you so much. The information I got here will help my kids improve slot.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Caroline.
Olivia Donovan
says:Can you download and print the word banks?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceOlivia,
The word banks are included in the Student Packets of our All About Spelling program levels 2 through 7. We don’t have them available as printables generally, but let me know if you are missing one from a specific level.
Brittney meynard
says:How do I purchase packets?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceBrittney,
Our Student Packets are available for each level through our website. Let me know if you need more information or are looking for a specific level.
Ashokkumar Bora
says:It’s helpful material for remembering spelling for kids as well as elders . It needs regular practise .
Susan
says:Dear Ashokkumar
It’s a crazy language, English but I think you mean p r a c t i C e :)
Carole Gallp
says:I love all of the tips you give!
Nancy Parkinson
says:Thanks for providing materials that are so appealing to kids while following the explicit instruction, scope and sequence of O-G programs. I love interweaving your materials with my Wilson program in tutoring my K-3 kids. In many cases your materials are more motivating than those included in the designated program.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Nancy! I’m pleased to hear these resources are helpful for your tutoring.
Mohamed Samunn
says:This is simply wonderful!
Kathleen Lanfear
says:Hi,
The website is using a digital board that moves letters around. Do you sell it? Thanks,
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKathleen,
What you saw was a tablet and our Letter Tiles for Learning App. The app is available for most iPad, Android, and Kindle tablets.
Beatwell Munankopa
says:I love what I am reading
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThat’s great to hear, Beatwell! Let me know if you have any questions or need more information.
Beatwell Munankopa
says:I have learnt a lot
Karyn Ashley-Smith
says:So many amazing resources! My daughter struggles with spelling, so we are looking for a way to loop around and take another trip through phonics, hoping that the second trip will plug some holes.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKaryn,
Yes, we have lots and lots of resources and printables on our blog. If you need anything specific, just ask!
Sarah
says:I love this post. The best help (comprehensive and content based) I have gotten so far.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m so pleased to hear this was so helpful for you, Sarah! If you have questions or ever need anything, just let me know.
Teresa Bogle
says:Very helpful. Was able to better help my grandchildren. Thanks