NOTE: This class is intended as a "refresher" or "maintenance" course to follow the 6-week spelling intensive camp.  Before taking this class, the learner should take this one-time diagnostic spelling evaluation class: 
https://outschool.com/classes/spelling-skills-assessment-private-diagnostic-testing-Cjj0KQil?sectionUid=d738c2e3-ae86-4bcb-902e-fb25b4a98384&usid=4VWBVjnN&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link  

Does your child struggle with spelling? Or, does your learner memorize the weekly spelling list and spelling rules, but later misspell the same words in their writing? This class will help!

Traditional spelling programs often use lengthy spelling lists which sometimes follow a theme, such as animals or weather. The problem with this approach is that there are too many different spelling patterns to study. For example, consider this spelling list:

  1. bought
  2. fought
  3. caught
  4. sought
  5. ought
  6. cough
  7. rough
  8. tough
  9. enough
10. doughnut
11. although
12. thorough
13. throughout
14. trough
15. drizzle
16. forecast
17. lightning
18. umbrella 
19. waterproof
20. monsoon
21. wrought
22. drought
23. bough
24. torrent
25. blustery

This list is especially difficult because—among a plethora of other spelling skills—it features a difficult spelling pattern (-ough) that represents five different phonemes (sounds): 

/oʊ/ as in although; 
/uː/ as in through; 
/ʌf/ as in tough; 
/ɒf/ as in cough; 
/ɔː/ as in bought; and 
/aʊ/ as in drought

Then, it lists many other words that have a wide variety of phonemes and spelling patterns:

drizzle (short vowel with doubled consonant, silent e)
forecast (long vowel with silent e, short vowel) 
lightning (long i with “igh” trigraph, -ing ending)
umbrella  (doubled consonant, schwa)
waterproof (r-controlled vowel, oo digraph)
monsoon (oo digraph)
torrent (r-controlled vowel “or,” doubled consonant)
blustery (r-controlled vowel “-er,” -y ending)

For a child who has difficulty spelling, this is a lot to study in just one week! The learner may be able to memorize the words, but with so many different spelling rules and exceptions to remember, the learner is not likely to gain many transferable spelling skills—much less true proficiency. 

Instead of attempting to memorize lengthy word lists with a large number of spelling rules and exceptions, a better way to learn spelling is for the learner to master the basic spelling patterns they are “using but confusing.” As they become confident in these patterns, they progress systematically and sequentially toward more difficult spelling patterns. 

The content of this spelling class varies daily according to each learner's individual needs—particularly, based on their performance on the daily spelling quizzes. Each day will follow the same procedure:

At the beginning of each class, your learner will in turn be given a brief spelling quiz (pretest). (The quizzes we start with will be based on their previous diagnostic spelling evaluation.) Each quiz will feature one specific phoneme (sound) that the learner may be struggling with spelling—for example, the "long e" sound. 

After the learner writes each word, we immediately check it and correct the spelling if needed. When the learner reaches 7-8 misspelled words, we stop the pretest.

Next, I will guide the learner through some activities to practice each misspelled word. These activities include:

- Saying the word
- Analyzing the parts of the word
- Tracing the word in a tray of salt 
- Writing the word
- Using the word in a sentence

We would also do activities to sort words into word families and make a game of identifying words that are “rule breakers” and/or “sneaky.” 

Each day, we will briefly review the previous day’s words and add them to a growing word bank.

Here's a schedule showing what to expect the first four weeks: 

Week of May 22: Spelling word lists 1-2 (long vowels); homework check; spelling activities
Week May 29: Spelling word lists 3-4 (long vowels); homework check; spelling activities
Week of June 5: Spelling word lists 5-6 (long vowels and digraphs); homework check; spelling activities
Week June 12: Spelling word lists 7-8 (vowel digraphs); homework check; spelling activities

I will assign other activities and/or a fun challenge for homework. For example: Make a silly story with all the spelling words we practiced, putting all the “ea” words in one sentence, and all the “ee” words in another sentence: “The sneaky beast beat the meat, beans, and peas with its big beak. The three sheep see this deed and weep.” 

We would focus specifically on the spelling patterns with which they need the most help, and not waste time on patterns that your learner already knows well. By focusing on and mastering many specific spelling patterns, your child will become more confident spellers!