What is the best way to teach an 8-year-old how to spell?

Question

I just have a list of words and an 8 year old girl who is learning to spell.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, many English words do not follow a "pattern."

To learn how to spell, a child must repeat, repeat and repeat writing the word and using the word in a sentence.

Repitition will cause her to remember.

Answer 2

If you are only dealing with one girl the best thing to do is this. Pay attention to what she writes. When she misspells a word or asks how to spell a word, put that word on a list and give her a weekly spelling quiz with about ten to twenty words on it from your list. Between quizes have her practice the words the same way you would for any spelling test, define the word, use it in a sentence and write the word out ten times.

Answer 3

There are all kinds of strategies that help, but the most important strategy of all is actually practicing the words. I have found that many of my students weren't getting the attention they needed by their parents to help them study their words, and these were the very students who struggled the most. I've recently changed my instructional time a bit to incorporate small group instruction with more individualized spelling lists. By spending 20 minutes a day working with these students, the change in their spelling tests was overwhelmingly dramatic.

Some fun ways to keep your daughter interested in her spelling while still learning the spelling/patterns include:

*tree spelling- ex.- if the word is "boy," you write
b
bo
boy

*rainbow spelling- Write each word in a different color of the rainbow. To make it even funner, have your daughter write the words in an actual picture of a rainbow. Each bow gets a different word.

*Sparkle/zap/any other funny-sounding word- This one requires playing with her. Take turns spelling one letter each of a word (She says b, you say o, she says y). When the word is done being spelled, the next person says, "Sparkle" (or "Zap" or whatever). Pass a small ball or stuffed animal back and forth as you play to trigger her tactile sense as well.

*Spread shaving cream on a desk/table or pour sand into a cake pan. Let her spell the words with her fingers over and over.

*For something cleaner, buy her a small white board and dry erase marker to practice her words OR buy a set of magnetic alphabet letters and let her arrange the letters on a cake pan.

*Draw a picture to illustrate the word.

*Spell the word using pipe cleaners.

Answer 4

I would use mnemonic devices to help me with spelling. Mnemonic devices are like making up a song, chant, or using acronyms to remember different things. The little chant we all use "i before e, except after c" is a great example. Another option is to draw something using the words. Example: bed.... the e is a person and the b and the d make up the bed's headboard and foot board. You could also get sand paper and have your child trace letters on the sand paper, or use a small sandbox and have them write the letters in the sandbox. Another option would be to make the words out of play dough.

I used these constantly when growing up. They worked great.

Answer 5

At the school I work at we use something called
Words Their Way,
it is a great program that teaches some spelling patterns in the English language. I bet you can search Words Their Way on amazon and get the books. It is a fun program, my fourth graders love it. Let me know if you want anymore information!

Answer 6

Help her create word cards and use a highlighter to mark the vowels in each word. Not only will she start to recognize patterns, she'll realize that not all words are phonetic. (These are great to use in the car on the way to school, grocery store, etc.)

A couple of suggestions:
1. Go to http://www.createdbyteachers.com/sightfreemain.html
and work on Dolch sight words. (These are commonly used words that don't necessarily follow the "regular" rules of spelling.)
2. Play games! Anything from "Hangman" to crossword puzzles and word searches are great. You can even do a type of "Concentration" by creating a set of cards with each word's meaning as well.

Hope this helps,
Mon :-)

Answer 7

Memorization is the only way for some words, phoenically sounding words out is the usual way. Finding spellable chunks within words works too. ( auto mob ile ) Some times cute spelling clues ( the principal is a prince I would like as a pal.

Answer 8

Teach the basic spelling rules one at a time.

Answer 9

first she has to know the sounds of each letter in the alphabet! Then you give her like List of words like every week with at least 6 words. Then you quiz her on how to spell them!

-good luck

Answer 10

Read with her, get the letter magnets you can put on the fridge for her to spell words with, most of all, just be patient with her. You don't want her just to learn to read, but also to learn to love to read. Get books about stuff she really likes (Fairies, unicorns, power puff girls, whatever), read through them with her, and as she gets used to it pick out certain words with your finger and have her say them, more and more as you go along.

Just a few ideas, you can figure out more in the same basic thesis, I'm sure.