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There are regional differences in the way some English words are spelled. In particular, you must learn to differentiate between British and American spellings.

Happily, one of the best ways to become familiar with a language is by reading. Students practising spelling in England should find reading material that has been published in the British Isles.

Rather than focusing just on great literature, students should read things they truly enjoy. This can include graphic novels, comic books, and magazines, in addition to age-appropriate books.

Reading should never be a chore; parents should allow their children to choose their own reading material, within reason. A trip to the bookstore can become a great treat. And, as Pigada and Schmitt (2006) tell us, reading can enhance vocabulary and word recognition.

Writing is another good way for a child to improve spelling. This is another technique that parents may find difficult to implement. For some children, even writing a story or poem can be a chore.

Clever (2008) suggests having children create their own comic books. This is an excellent outlet for children who have a difficult time with traditional classwork. The focus is shifted to the child's artwork and storytelling ability, while at the same time valuable writing and spelling skills are developed.

A proofreader is very important for this type of writing practice. If the child is not open to his or her parents’ critiquing the work, perhaps a favoured aunt or uncle or family friend can assist.

When having a child write for spelling practice, it is important that the parents do not focus too much on spelling correctness. Fear of misspelling often stunts a child's writing ability, since he or she will tend to use words that are easy to spell rather than the words that properly convey his or her meaning.

Practising spelling in England should be a fun way to learn spelling for the child, and parents should endeavour to make a game of it whenever possible. Pointing out alternate spellings of words can be good practice. Parents can discuss the differences between UK and US spellings, and how to tell them apart (such as -ise words versus -ize words, double lls versus single ls, and -our words versus -or words, as in colour versus color).

Spelling should not be considered a separate subject from reading and writing, and rote memorization should be avoided as much as possible.

REFERENCES

Clever, S 2008, 'Comics and Graphic Novels,' Scholastic, New York, NY.

Pigada, M, Schmitt, N 2006, 'Vocabulary Acquisition from Extensive Reading', Reading in a Foreign Language, vol 18, no 1, pp 1-28.