Help Your Child Ace His Next Spelling Test

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.

Is your child quizzed on weekly spelling words? Help him prepare with these tips.

Give your child a pre-test. When your child brings home his list of spelling words, sit him down with a pencil and paper for a practice quiz. Don't have him copy the words or sentences. Children learn how to spell words by visualizing them in their minds, not by copying them. Simply, say each word in a sentence out loud for your child to write down. Try to give the pre-test in exactly the same way the teacher would give the actual test. Have your son correct the pre-test. He should study only the words he has misspelled.

How your child will learn to spell the words he's spelled incorrectly on his pre-test:

1) Have him say the word while looking at it.

2) Tell him to close his eyes, try to see the word, and then spell the word out loud.

3) Have him look at the written word to see if he's spelled it out loud correctly.

4) Ask him to look at the word, then cover the word and have him write it.

5) Finally, your child should check to see if he's written the word correctly. If the word is misspelled, all four steps should be repeated before moving on to the next word.

Once your child has learned to use this technique, he will be able to study his spelling words independently. On the night before the test, give him a final test of all the words.

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