Spelling

At Tilstock C of E Primary school we use both Read Write Inc. Phonics and Read Write Inc. Spelling. Children progress to the spelling scheme when they have completed the phonics programme and are secure with the different sounds and speedy readers.

Read Write Inc. Spelling is a 15-minutes-a-day programme for Years 2 to 6. Using a proven approach underpinned by phonics, fast–paced lessons and an online subscription, Read Write Inc. Spelling ensures spelling success for children who are fluent readers.

Spelling Read Write Inc. Spelling embeds impressive skills in just 15 minutes a day, quickly and effectively filling the gaps in children’s knowledge. To keep children engaged, aliens introduce spelling rules on an exciting online spelling planet and children complete quick-fire activities in their spelling logs.

Progress is accurately recorded using practice tests and teachers learn how to move children on quickly.

The spelling team characters are called Zeta, Gamma and Mu .They are ‘humaliens’ whose mission is to help Earth children become confident and proficient spellers. They are very interested in all things related to spelling and are keen to share their enthusiasm with Earth children!

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.

For more information on Read Write Inc. Spelling, see video below: