Greetings my friends!
I hope you had a restful weekend! I spent my weekend in Oklahoma watching the Baylor Bears demolish the Sooners! I apologize to my Crimson followers, but Sic’ Em! 😉
I wanted to share with you a very creative way that my school does spelling lists.
Learning to spell is vital considering it is a way for kids to cement the connection between letters and their sounds. Some kids move at a faster rate than others, should those kids be subject to easier words just because we don’t know any different?
I sure didn’t and here is how it works at my school.
1. The first week of school, the kids take an EXTENSIVE spelling test (Page 1-2).
It is about 50 words. We teachers then grade it and highlight the words they got RIGHT on pages 1-2.
2. Each week, our class focuses on a spelling pattern. It could be changing the y to i, soft c/hard c, etc.
As a class, we create an anchor chart and discuss the spelling rule. We brainstorm various words that fit the specific pattern. From this anchor chart, the kids pick TEN words to place on their SPELLING SHEET
3. The bottom TEN words (High Frequency Words) are generated from the WORDS TO LEARN PAGE.
This is what the Words to Learn page looks like. I keep the W2L pages in a file folder and pass them out on Mondays. You can choose do it this way or keep them in a specific folder.
As the kids are adding a word to their spelling list for the week, the place a DOT next to it.
Student takes the test on Friday.
I grade them over the weekend.
On Monday, they get their graded spelling test back. They look at the Words to Learn words they got correct and then HIGHLIGHT it on their Words to Learn page.
If a student gets the words INCORRECT, they do NOT highlight it.
They are then re-tested over the word for the following week.
The list already has a dot next to it, so they just count it as their 10.
When the student FINISHES their paper, I have other High Frequency pages that they begin.
I used Fry’s 3-10 list. They are printed from to back.
This way, the kids that move at a faster rate can be challenged.
This is what the spelling list sheet looks like when they record on it.
They record their words TWICE so they can take one side home to study.
I have them keep one side at school so when they are at Word Work during Daily 5, they kids have to pull out their list.
This was a challenge the first 2 weeks that we did it, but my kids really picked up on this system. They know every Monday they get their Spelling test from the week before and need to create their High Frequency List. We create the anchor chart, and they know they need to pick 10 words. Then cut the list and they’re done!
How do I give 22 spelling tests?!
That’s the beauty of it…I DON’T!
Students are placed in pairs and give each other their spelling tests!
We have a good long talk about honesty. They also know that I walk around and monitor just in case 😉
It is such a joy not to have to give spelling tests every week.
Get ALL of the resources that I use for my differentiated spelling lists:
Since all of my kids have different lists, how do I accommodate during Daily 5 Word Work?
I use my Word Work for ANY Spelling List
I wrote a blog post about it HERE
Thanks for stopping by!
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TeacherWillRunForBooks
November 23, 2014 at 12:39 amHi Amber!
I nominated you for the Liebster Award! Love your blog! Go check out my post with the details here
-Ashlee
TeacherWillRunforBooks
SARA FRAMPTON
November 24, 2014 at 3:39 amI nominated you for a Liebster Award, visit my post to see all about it!
Sara
Frampton's FUNdamentals
SARA FRAMPTON
November 24, 2014 at 3:39 amI also nominated you for a Liebster Award, visit my post to see all about it! 🙂
Sara
Frampton's FUNdamentals
Mary
May 10, 2015 at 2:34 pmI love this idea! It will work in my special ed. classroom for my 3rd and 4th grade students next year! Thank you for sharing!
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Autumn Buch
June 15, 2015 at 8:35 pmI love this idea. Do you have the student complete homework assignments over their lists? Also, the words that you give the first week of school, is that the first page of of the document you've provided on Google Drive?
Thanks,
Autumn
shininginthird@gmail.com
Jennifer Regan
July 15, 2015 at 4:54 pmLove this idea!! It does not seem like as much work as it sounds when you say each student has a different spelling list! Great ideas, thanks!
Jen~Two Little Birds
Caroline
July 30, 2015 at 3:41 pmHi Amber,
I love your idea about doing differentiated spelling tests! However, I'm a bit confused about how you do it…it seems to be so complicated. I've read and reread your directions, but I'm still not clear on how to do it. In step 1, you give them a long spelling test on page 1 and 2. Are those the first 2 pages of the packet you linked or are they numbered 1 and 2? I printed out the spelling resources you kindly offered for free (thank you!) but only got lists 4-9…is that correct? Would it be possible to post a youtube video for this blog post just so I can clarify the step by step process? I'm so sorry to bombard you with so many questions! I really would love to do this with my 3rd grade students this year!
Thanks,
Caroline
carolinert26@gmail.com
Mrs. C
May 30, 2016 at 1:57 pmI think this is Beth Newingham's approach that she wrote about in Scholastic's Top Teaching, back in 2010. It's a great approach to use! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/10/my-october-top-ten-list-classroom-ideas
Unknown
May 31, 2016 at 5:16 pmI am loving your differentiated spelling approach! Do you ever have students that get all the way through Fry's 3-10 lists? How do you handle that if they do?
cawendt1@waynebluedevils.org
Amber Calderon
June 9, 2016 at 4:06 pmCrazily, I have never had that happen!
Jamisa McCall
June 9, 2016 at 2:18 amI love this idea! Thank you so much for sharing. Could you please share the phonics skill that you cover each week using this list?
Amber Calderon
June 9, 2016 at 4:05 pmHey Jamisa!
I teach in Texas so the phonics skills that I cover are all in the Texas TEKS which can be found HERE
Thanks for your question!
-A
Carly
June 25, 2016 at 6:45 amHey!
I know this blog post is really old-but I am just now reading it and I love it! 🙂 I also teach in Texas (Austin) and I would love to know if you have a week-by-week plan of which spelling skills you go over each week? I would be very interested to know and would love the help implementing this in my classroom this year. I feel like spelling is something I have always wanted to perfect and differentiate more in my classroom and I absolutely love this method!
Carly
Lydia Riggins
August 5, 2016 at 9:46 pmAmber,
Thank you for sharing such a great idea! Would you mind sharing the assessment you give at the beginning of the year as well?
Thanks,
Lydia
Andrea Crabtree
October 15, 2018 at 3:04 pmAmber,
I have a question about the leveled spelling. When I download the lists there is not a 1, 2 or 3 list. Is that correct?
Andrea