New Spelling Scheme

Recently, we launched an exciting new spelling scheme in our school, Read Write Inc. Spelling, in order to support our children in years 2-6 in developing their spelling. Because we are using Read Write Inc, the spelling follows on from learning that the children did in KS1 into KS2.  The Spelling Team characters are star spellers that help us with our spellings. They are called Zeta, Gamma and Mu and are ‘humaliens’, whose mission it is to help Earth children become confident and proficient spellers in a fun and interactive way!

Roughly every two weeks in Key Stage 2 and weekly in Year 2 we will be looking at a new spelling unit. This will begin by watching a video where one of the ‘humalien’ characters explains what the theme is for the new spelling unit and any rules/ patterns we need to learn. After this, we do activities over the course of the units that help secure the children’s understanding of the spelling focus for that week. These are some of the activities we do:

* Spelling zone – activity linked to humalien spelling zone video

* Saying consonant and vowel speed sounds (p6 and 7 of logbook)

* Dots and dashes (and smiles!) – finding the number of sounds in words 

* Rapid recap – repeating the spelling rule for the week

* Word changers- identifying root words and prefix/suffixes and putting them together

* Words to log and learn – recording spellings that the children have found trickier that week

* Partner dictation - holding a sentence activity (say and write)

* Four in a row – spell 4 of the week’s spellings correctly in a row (a fun competition between partners)

* Choose the right word – putting the spellings in sentences that make sense

* Jumping orange words –we take 6 orange words from our special spelling box (these are words from the Year group National Curriculum word bank list, but don’t link to the spelling rule/ theme unit for that week).

* Speed spell – Based on words that the class has found tricky over the past unit.

As part of our work, your children will be logging a series of words across the unit in a log book. Please practise these words with your children as much as possible. These lists are tailored to your child, as they have identified them as words they are finding tricky. They may also link into our speed spelling sessions.

Please could you help make sure that your child brings their spelling log book to school every day, as we practise our speed sounds daily and also children may wish to log spellings they have found trickier to learn from that day. Could you also please remind children to bring their orange spelling books into school every other Monday, as we will stick the new unit spellings in the front and may do a spelling check in the back (if this is not covered in speed spell). 

If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to ask your class teacher.

Best wishes and happy spelling

Mark Rogers, English Leader