Top Tips in the Book

Although the primary way of learning spellings is through using phonics, there are tricky words that need a little more help. The tips in the book provide a range of ideas - mnemonics, silly stories, spotting the tricky part, trying physical ways to repeat each word...

The tips for words in this book include: 

Segment words to help.  

‘ra-di-ant’  

‘glis-ten-ing’  

If it’s helpful, make up a story of ten glistening and radiant ants!

You’ll still need to use your phonics. For example, ‘er’ and ‘ur’ make the same sound, even though they are different digraphs.

‘perch’   ‘lurch’ 

‘Edward the parrot perches!’ is a useful sentence because it links to the meaning of ‘perch’. These connections help enormously.

Remember that these words are only useful if you use them in your speech and writing. Can you find opportunities to use them? Choose carefully to impact the reader.

Make sure that you learn the definitions of these exquisite spellings! They shouldn’t be bewildering, otherwise, they won’t be useful!

Check that you are saying the words correctly. ‘Slithering’ is something a snake can do.

A ‘sliver’ of cake, is a small, thin piece.

Knowing the difference also helps with spellings too.

Play a game. If you can spell the word correctly, then give yourself a point. If you are able to say a sentence with the word used in the right way, then double your points! Did we mention how important it is to be able to use these juicy words?

Remember that ‘echo’ is like ‘potato’ and ‘hero’. Can you remember why the plural is ‘echoes’?

It’s vital to learn these words out of order. Otherwise, you can start remembering tricky parts by the order they are written in. Make yourself some cards and ask someone at home to shuffle them before a check-up.

Can you make a list of the most useful, but trickiest words in this book and use them in a paragraph? Check it carefully and then show your teacher for extra team points.

Need more help?

There are further ways to help you with your spellings. For more ideas for children who are building the phonetic code, click here. Alternatively, try out a variety of activities, alongside the phonics mats to increase repetition over time and long-term retention. Please do not hesitate to discuss your child's progress with their teacher or our SENDCo.