In this ongoing class, students will have the freedom to learn spelling guidelines. Often times, these kinds of classes are done for younger students, but I have learned from my own classroom experience, that older students can benefit from this as well. Some students have trouble spelling because they cannot remember the rules for spelling and some were never taught the rules for spelling.

There are 26 letters in the English Alphabet, with 70 different spellings, 44 diferent sounds, and 29 rules. The goal in this class is to cover these rules, which will include some phonemic awareness, in order to improve spelling skills. Each class we will cover one rule and it will be self-contained so that students may come and go in this ongoing class. Along with the rules, examples of words that follow the specific rule for each class will be included. We will include some of the most commonly misspelled words so that students get plenty of practice.

Week of November 8: The letter q is always followed by the letter u and makes the /kw/ sound. The letter u is not considered a vowel here.

Week of November 15: The letter c before e, i, or y says /s/, but followed by any other letter says /k/.

Week of November 22: No class for Thanksgiving holiday.

Week of November 29: The letter g before e, i, or y may say /j/, but followed by any other letters says /g/. The letters e and i following g do not always make the g say /j/.

Week of December 6: The vowels a, e, o, and u usually say their names or their long sounds (a, e, o, u) at the end of a syllable (open syllables.) This rule also helps student pronounce words correctly with the emphasis on the correct syllable. 

Week of December 13: The letters i and y usually say /i/ as in a short i sound, but there are exceptions where they may say i as in a long i sound.

Week of December 20: No Class for Christmas/Winter Break.

Week of December 27: No Class for Christmas/Winter Break.

Week of January 3: There are five kinds of silent final e’s.

Week of January 10: There are five spellings for the sound /er/.

Week of January 17: The 1-1-1 Rule says that words of one syllable, having one vowel followed by one consonant (eg: a CVC word), need another final consonant before adding endings that begin with a vowel (eg: CVC+C+ -ed)

After class, students will be able to complete an activity on Kahoot!, and a handout to review what they have learned in class.

My goal is to create a meaningful class where students grow in experience and confidence. I hope that students feel comfortable asking questions, encouraging, and challenging one another to improve their spelling. 

Spelling can seem overwhelming. By breaking down the spelling rules, and using them as guidelines, students will find success! 

Students will have opportunity to ask questions and engage with other students. 

This class will use a combination of lecture, powerpoint/google slides, handouts, interaction, Kahoots!, and class participation for those who are comfortable with it, to assist students with learning.