In this small group lab, students will get grow in their spelling ability. At the beginning of class, we will do a quick ice-breaker game to get to know one another and set the stage for fun, relaxed learning. Next, learners will get a short lesson and a short, fun exercises to learn spelling rules and exceptions. When time allows we will play a second game, and we will often have time for two spelling exercises in a meeting. 

This is because all lessons, exercises, and homework are made to be bite-sized, short and sweet. This creates a low-stress feeling of accomplishment in students who may be otherwise intimidated by spelling. 

I will provide a practice sheet of homework for students to do between meetings. Once a month I will give a short, low-pressure test for students whose families want testing. I will award a certificate of achievement to students who get 100% on their tests, and I will offer make-up tests for those who desire them.  Students can retest any number of times until they achieve 100%.

This class works for small groups and as a one-on-one tutoring lab. It is a class I have taught in person with great success to students from 3rd through 8th grades. 

The class works best for kids who have some experience with spelling but are not yet confident in their abilities. It is not best suited for learners who are working with dyslexia or dysgraphia. If you have thoughts or questions about this please don't hesitate to message me to discuss. 

I look forward to working with your student on spelling confidence and competence!

Proposed schedule, subject to change:

Week of Monday, October 31: Homophones -e and -ee endings
Week of Monday, November 7: Open- and closed syllables
Week of Monday, November 14: Homophones -ew and -oo 
Week of Monday, November 21: Homophones -ie and -y

Phonemic approach - helps beginning spellers learn the relationships between spoken sounds and written letters and then apply them to spelling
Morphemic approach - exposes advanced spellers to prefixes, bases, and suffixes
Whole-word approach - gives spellers at all levels the meaning and root of a word and shows how the word's spelling is influenced