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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!
Lynn
says:Well, this looks fabulous! I am looking for ways to reinforce spelling rules in a variety of different ways. I think this will work for all of my students. They range from grades 1-6.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this will be helpful for your students, Lynn!
Dee
says:We have tried sand and salt writing and those were a success. I’ve never heard of writing on feely fabrics—great idea. I’ll have to try that idea.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceDee,
Thank you for letting us know sand and salt writing were a success!
Brittany
says:I look forward to trying this with my oldest next year!
Nichole Fischl
says:So helpful, thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad this is helpful, Nichole! You’re welcome.
Susan
says:This multisensory approach will be very effective for my young readers. Thanks for considering different learning styles and offering tips on how to meet a variety of needs.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSusan,
Yes! Multisensory is so important for effective learning!
Suzanne C
says:I love all the spelling tips!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Suzanne!
Laura
says:My kids enjoy the idea of rule breaker or “rascal” words that don’t do at they are told
Robin
says: Customer ServiceLaura,
I love the term “rascal” for these words!
Liz Wooten
says:My son loves all the extra activities to go along with the concepts he is learning! Thank you guys!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Liz!
Karin W.
says:Thank you for the resources!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Karin!
Carol
says:I tried teaching my students to use the syllables of a word and sounding out the grapheme needed to spell a long word. Sometimes it makes sense but there’s always exception to the rule.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceCarol,
Yes, unfortunately, there are always exceptions. Hopefully, this approach to rule breakers will be helpful.
Corey
says:Outstanding approach and really gets the kids thinking more deeply about the perplexity of the English language.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Corey!
Rachel F
says:Great ideas! The word said seems to be the challenge this week. :)
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRachel,
Yes, said is such a trickster! I hope you find these ideas helpful. If not, let me know. I’m happy to come up with more suggestion to help your child master this word.
Anna Schmidt
says:All About Spelling gave my son the confidence he needed to start writing on his own.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful to hear, Anna! Thank you.
Liz
says:having weathered teaching one troubled speller, and now facing another older struggling learner, these kinds of ideas are so useful to break out of the boring drilling.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Liz!
Janette
says:I am so grateful for the fun ways we can practice these rule-breakers! Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re so welcome, Janette!
Emy
says:Thank you for this, my little one really struggles with spelling!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceEmy,
You’re welcome! I’m glad this is helpful.
Svetlana
says:What a great resource, my little one really struggles with spelling.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Svetlana. I hope this is helpful, but I’m happy to help if you have specific concerns or questions.
Kristina
says:Thank you for providing all the rules as well as teaching the rule breakers along the way! My son is in level 3 and the color version has had some really fun activities.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Kristina! Glad it’s been enjoyable for you and your son!
Candice
says:This looks so great, for my struggling speller.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceCandice,
Let me know if you have questions or need help with any specific struggle. I’m happy to help!
Justine
says:My daughter is progressing so nicely while I homeschool 2 of my other kiddos and work part time. AAR has been great 😊
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJustine,
Wonderful to hear that your daughter is progressing nicely with All About Reading! Thank you!
Ronit Pitrone
says:I’m looking to start all about spelling with all my kids. My oldest is dyslexic and we’ve done all about reading level 1 and are half way through level 2. I need to incorporate the spelling aspect now.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRonit,
Yes, we would recommend starting All About Spelling soon. It supports reading, especially with students who have learning disabilities.
Laura
says:I find it helpful with some students to explain that English borrows from a bunch of other languages. When it does that words will often follow the rules of the other language or, over time, have become a mix of both languages. That’s why some words don’t follow the rules.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceLaura,
That’s a great explanation for some words. For others, they are native English words but the pronunciation of the word shifted after the spelling was fixed. The word one is an example of this.
Lety Bailey
says:My son loves All About Spelling! He likes to know the why behind words and this has been such a great solution to his questions!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceLety,
The why behind spelling is a fascinating topic! I love digging into the etymology of words.
Lynne
says:AAS and AAR always have fun and engaging activities, tips, and recommendations to help my kiddos nail down tricky concepts. I need to make sure I implement the tactile learning method more often. Thanks for the reminders!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Lynne! It’s great to hear that the tips and recommendations are helpful for your kids!
Becky Brown
says:Really helpful! These tips along with not overthinking things will get me through!
Brooke
says:The Feed the Puppy activity looks like it would be a fun way to remember those rule breakers! Great idea!
Julie Chacon
says:I love this program. My dyslexic child is reading and spelling! Just got level 4 of AAR and AAS in today!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJulie,
Congratulations on staring Level 4! As you know, Level 4 is the last level of All About Reading, so our What Happens after All About Reading? blog post may be of interest to you.
Cynthia
says:There used to be a page where I could click on AU and it would provide other words that emit that sound, such as Auther, Caught and Taught. Could you link it for me?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceCynthia,
That sounds like an interesting page! However, it wasn’t ours, and I don’t know where such a thing would be found. Sorry.
The closest we would have is our Phonogram Sounds app, but all it does is say the sounds of phonograms.
Christina
says:My kiddo loves the jail for rule breakers!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceChristina,
My kids loved it too!
Amber
says:Great ideas. Thank you
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Amber!