Can someone give me some ideas to help my 10 year old son with spelling? He is a straight A student, but an awful speller. I guess they didn't really emphasize spelling so much in elementary school anymore. Thank you for your help.
2006-09-26 06:53:58 · 9 answers · asked by Jami M 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
I appreciate everyones' suggestion of having him read more. However, he does read almost every single day. He doesn't have any problem reading the words, just when it comes to spelling them.
2006-09-26 10:46:44 · update #1
READ READ READ. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT have him read aloud to you. The only way he'll learn to spell is by seeing the words and saying them out loud, learning to recognize which sounds go with which letters, and which combinations of letters are pronounced differently (for example, why "ti" makes an "sh" sound in "exclamation"). Your son's education is not the sole responsibility of his school- you have to be actively involved as well. When you find a new word in his readings that he doesn't know, have him write it down and look it up in the dictionary afterwards. Get him to write the definition as well. At the end of each week, choose some of the words for an at-home spelling test (either written or oral).
NOTE: Spelling cannot be separated from reading. Its is the actual reading OUT LOUD, TO AN ADULT that will help him make the connections between the words, letters and sounds. Leaving him alone in his room with a book at night, even if he is reading it in his head, won't work.
2006-09-26 08:00:04 · answer #1 · answered by Jetgirly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Turn off the TV...first and formost. Take him to the library and let him pick out any books he desires. Have him start reading for 1-2 hours each night. You may also want to go over some phonics skills with him each night. This will help him become a more proficient reader, as well as strengthen his ability to spell words he may not usually see in print, or words that are new to him. Also, and this is a teacher's nightmare, go over words like "your, you're," "there, their and they're," etc.... poor spellers often have such a hard time differentiating from the proper uses of these words.
2006-09-26 14:11:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a somewhat photographic memory and that's the only way I can spell coz otherwise I'd be writing things backwards or mixed up.
My brother has a different kind of memory, is a genius, and cannot spell or write worth anything.
Some people use their memories differently and are possibly not able to spell better except through memorization and practice, unless they have a gift that helps them spell. My gift is the ability to scan a page in my mind and recall it later on. My brother had to try to memorize the words. My sister also cannot spell but she is great at chemistry and math.... Help your son learn memory techniques that work for him but it could be his mind just doesn't remember or access the memories of those kinds of things very well.
2006-09-26 13:59:13 · answer #3 · answered by *babydoll* 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Find something that he likes to read and have him read every day. This will help a lot. Also proofread everything he writes and then have him correct his errors. These two things will reinforce proper spelling.
Some kids do not like to read very much. The key is to take him to your public library and help him find some type of fiction that he will find interesting. There are so many good chapter books/series for kids that age.
2006-09-26 15:13:30 · answer #4 · answered by Ragdoll 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A couple ideas based on your additional comments:
1) Have him re-write what he reads
2) Practice spelling bee at home & reward him the better he gets
3) Have a Scrabble Night at home or some other similar spelling game (I remember one that started like scrabble but you stacked letters on top of eachother)
2006-09-26 17:58:40 · answer #5 · answered by nova_queen_28 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you considered looking for a phonics or vocabulary workbook? I learned English in a non-English speaking country and we had a class called English Skills which included lessons on new vocabulary and how to apply it. Once I started learning words according to their sounds I began to pay more attention to the phonic patterns of English.
2006-09-26 18:27:17 · answer #6 · answered by jenny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Watch the movie keelah and the Bee..maybe you'll get some ideas form it..
2006-09-26 14:01:40 · answer #7 · answered by limgrn_maria 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take things that he likes his favorit toy or color and start from there
2006-09-26 14:04:22 · answer #8 · answered by Kasey G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make him read more.
2006-09-26 13:55:28 · answer #9 · answered by holden 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋