I am looking for some advice from more experienced teachers please. I am currently teaching from the Jolly Phonics handbook 2 - p4 level.  I give my children a list of spelling words to learn each week - how can I make this fun for them to learn. I give them a different task each week to do at home but how can I make it more fun to introduce the words in class?   Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I just want to mix it up rather than showing them the words on the board and then thinking of a sentence to go with each. I want them to look forward to spelling.

Hi there, yes its still the Jolly Phonics handbook two I use but I have added words to each of the rules. We look at tricky words and sounds. I also send differnt activities each week and after my initial input the children go back to their desks and test each other but I like the idea of the three stations and I will definitely begin this in term 3.  Thank you very much :)

I do spelling work in my mid-primary class every day for about 15 minutes with the whole class, with a spelling test on Fridays. I don't give written spelling work to do at home. 

On Mondays I introduce the 10 words/spelling patterns, plus a couple of challenge words, for the week, each printed on a card which I then blue-tack to the board at the front of the class. Each day there is a quick activity with the spelling pattern featured that week (not necessarily the exact spelling words). The word cards are usually visible for the activities, but never for the test.

Some favourite activities:

---putting the spelling words in ABC order, or backwards ABC order....

---picking three spelling words at random and putting them all into a silly sentence, or writing a silly story with all the words

---making a word search with their spelling words. Yes, MAKING a word search. Children love to do this! Show them how to construct the puzzle on squared paper. They then give their word search to a partner to solve. Very addictive---they love to make word searches for dad and mum to solve!

--spelling derby, in teams: pick a word from a hat, spell it correctly, and get a chance to toss a beanbag at a target for one point. Team with most points wins--stickers, computer time, etc.

---the QUIZ: given clues orally, children have to find the word on the board and copy it.

---word jumble: jumble the spelling words and have them write the words properly (I do this with the cards in sight to ensure that the words get spelled correctly)

---secret codes: show them how to make a simple code (number the letters of the alphabet), then put their spelling words into code for others to solve

All these quick activities require children to look at the words and write them out, thus practising their spellings without even realising it. The idea is simply to give them as many chances as possible to see and write the words correctly during the week. Every few weeks, review the patterns already covered, to jog memories and build competence.

braeburn:

IT behind 'astounding' gains in spelling age -

Impressive results for sure. I did wonder about this, though:

There was a blip, however, in the 2008-09 P6 class, where the average rise in spelling age was only 9.3 months. This, she suggested, “can be explained by the absence of a pupil-support assistant one day a week”.

This suggests that perhaps the impressive results are not due to the IT program itself, but rather to a combination of the IT method plus a lower adult-to-pupil ratio.

I'd be interested to see a controlled experiment that allows comparison of results with and without the pupil support assistant, who appears from this "blip" to be a key factor in pupil success.