Learning how to spell words that don’t follow the rules can be … well boring. And we can’t have that!
In All About Spelling, we’ve labeled unruly words like said, who, and been as “Rule Breakers,” and we’ve created several motivating ways to make learning to spell these words a bit easier … and a lot more fun!
When your student encounters a Rule Breaker in All About Spelling (or the real world!), just reach for one of these activities and let the fun begin!
When you encounter a word that breaks the rules, this adorable puppy is ready to help you deal with the misbehaving word! Download our Feed the Puppy activity.
A short time out just might help control those Rule Breakers. Download our Jail for Rule Breakers activity.
Have an older student? Older kids like these treatments of unruly words just as much as younger ones do, so pick your favorite and see how those tricky words stick in their minds!
Look at the Word Card and then look at an empty spot on the table.
Picture the word on the table and spell the word aloud three times.
Using a finger, “write” the word on the table three times in VERY BIG LETTERS.
Spell the word on paper three times.
In the space of a minute or two, your student will have practiced the word nine times.
In this exercise, your student “writes” the Rule Breaker on a tactile surface, using his pointer finger instead of a pencil. Some surfaces to consider include:
Sand in a shoe box lid
“Feely” fabrics such as burlap, velvet, or corduroy
Plush carpet square
We treat Rule Breakers differently from other words to help kids learn them soon after they are introduced. Two effective ways to burn something into memory are frequency (repeated review) and intensity (different and surprising treatment), so keep these ideas in mind as you handle the Rule Breakers. Doing whatever it takes to enable your student to spell these words correctly right from the start will prevent problems later.
Thankfully, the vast majority of spelling words do follow consistent patterns. And when kids first start out, we are careful to work only with words that follow the rules. This helps kids internalize the fact that there are reliable rules and that they can make sense of spelling. They discover that they don’t need to resort to guessing or memorizing strings of letters.
So before introducing the first Rule Breakers, make sure your student can spell hundreds of “law-abiding” words. Then—and only then—begin teaching the unruly ones.
Which spelling words cause your student the most difficulty? Let me know in the comments, and then download my free e-book called “Six Ways We Make Spelling Easy” below!
Jessica
says:Yes, I’ve always told my kids that the rule breakers belong in jail. Haha! I love your direction of establishing the rule before the rule-breaker!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Jessica! And great point about learning the rule before the rule-breakers.
Nicole
says:Thanks for these activities. My son is always requesting a game for his reading or speeling lesons!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Nicole! I’m glad we have resources to help your son have his games!
Christina
says:I forgot how much tactile spelling can help! Time to pull out the sandpaper and carpet squares again for these rule breaker and new rule words we keep missing.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was a good reminder for you, Christina! Working with tactile materials is a great way to solidify learning.
Amber
says:Thanks for the tips
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Amber.
Tracy Buechler
says:Thanks for the helpful info.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Tracy. I’m glad it’s helpful.
Dana M.
says:Thanks for the helpful tips!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Dana!
Whitney Parkinson
says:This is so helpful- I definitely see why teaching the rule following words first would be important!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful, Whitney!
Andrea
says:I’m not sure I ever learned spelling g rules as a kid, and have no confidence in my own spelling most times. I’m very excited to teach this to my children.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceAndrea,
I hope you find All About Spelling increases your own confidence with spelling as you teach your children! I know it did for me!
Sarah
says:I am so excited to start doing AAS with my kids! I personally have a hard time with spelling and any word that doesn’t follow the rules. I’m so relieved to find a program that teaches my children how to master spelling but in a fun and exciting way. I’m also excited to get to learn right along side my kids to improve my spelling as well!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSarah,
I think you will be very pleased with All About Spelling. It uses explicit instruction, not leaving students to guess or figure it out on their own. It’s a wonderful approach for spelling mastery!
Ashley
says:Thank you for the great curriculum and helpful activities your company creates!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Ashley!
Elba J
says:All About Spelling has been a game changer for my little one and to be honest even for myself. I came to the States when u was 19 years old. I went to college to learn English and most of my vocabulary was pure memorization. Teaching my daughter using this curriculum as well as All about Reading has helped me so much to understand the language better. So thankful for great resources like this.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceElba,
Thank you for sharing your story about learning English and how All About Spelling and All About Reading are helping you and your daughter! Wonderful!
Sara
says:My kids love this dog! Cute activity!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Sara!
Gerry Pedersen
says:Kids enjoyed level 1 looking forward to level 2.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful to hear, Gerry! Thank you.
Jackie W
says:This make sit so fun and easier to remember.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad this is helpful, Jackie.
Thảo
says:I am trying to know about all rules English spelling. Can you send me all rules English spelling, please?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThảo,
We don’t have a single list of all the spelling rules outside of our All About Spelling program. However, here is a list of beginning rules to get you started.
Ashley Gilley
says:I love these free resources! It’s helped so much.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceAshley,
Thank you for letting us know these resources are helpful! Great to hear!
Duane
says:What a great way to teach spelling!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Duane!
Nyomi
says:Really looking forward to starting this spelling program. My child really likes to understand the why of things.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful to hear, Nyomi! Let me know if you have questions about placement or anything else. I’m happy to help.
Alison
says:This looks like it will help my struggling reader. Thanks!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceAlison,
I’m glad this will help your reader! However, if you have questions or need more, please let me know. I’m happy to help!
Katie
says:My son really appreciates learning the rules behind the rules!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceKatie,
I think many of us enjoy learning about the whys behind the rules!
Mikayla
says:I have been struggling to teach this to my kids in an effective way these look like just what i have been looking for and i cant wait!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this will be helpful, Mikayla!
Jessica
says:I’ve always struggled to help teach the why this happens, thank you for making it so simple
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jessica. I’m glad this was helpful.
Megan
says:Sounds like my learner would love this
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear, Megan!
Edna Williams
says:With my kids, I greatly appreciate this!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad it’s appreciated, Edna!
Mea
says:With AAR and AAS my children are actually excited for their reading and spelling lessons each day.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceOh, so wonderful, Mea! I love that your children are excited for learning!
Emily
says:I cannot wait to try this with my kids! They will have so much fun putting rule breakers in jail and time out!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful, Emily!
Samantha
says:My kids like throwing words in jail
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMy kids did too, Samantha! Sometimes we even threw a word that was not a rule-breaker in jail if it was a tricky word for my child. We said it was in jail for disturbing the peace! The word helmet spent a LOT of time in jail for one of my kids.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Christine!
Gena Brown
says:Thanks for the ideas!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Gena!
Dailo
says:Thank you so much.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Dailo.