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Plenty of kids need help with spelling homework, in fact most of them do. If your teacher is simply giving you a list of words at the beginning of the week and a spelling test at the end of the week, he or she is not using scientifically proven methods for teaching spelling.

Many scientists have done a lot of research to find the best ways to teach kids spelling. So far, the worst way to learn spelling is by writing the spelling words over and over.

Even if you memorize them well enough to pass the spelling test, you will probably still misspell them in your writing. You may not even remember them by next weeks' spelling test.

So how can you practice your spelling words for the week and learn them so well you still spell them right a month later? The answer is: by using the words all over the place.

Write a story or a poem that uses some of your words. Jenkins (2002) says you shouldn't worry about the spelling first, just write down what you want to say.

Don't try for perfect spelling the first time or you might end up using simpler words instead of saying what you really want to say. After you write, take a break for a while and then go back and proofread.

Proofreading is a great way to catch spelling mistakes in all of your assignments, but only if you do it right. When rereading something they just wrote, most people just skim over the words and read really fast because they already know what it says. Try reading your work out loud, or even reading it backwards to catch any misspelled words.

Try making your own spelling list from words you misspell in your writing. Make a notebook with a page for each letter and record the correct spellings of words you have misspelled. You can use these words to practice with.

You can invent your own memory tricks for words you miss a lot. “I before e except after c” works for some people, but making up your own tricks work a lot better.

In order to really learn your weekly spelling list so you'll keep spelling those words right next week, play some games with them.

Meier (2008) recommends SpellingCity.com for practicing your words. You can type in your assigned words and then play hangman, do word searches, and play all sorts of other games with them. You can listen to somebody spell the word out loud, and you can take a practice test to see if you still remember the words.

If you don't have Internet access, you can still play with your words and find fun ways to learn spelling. Try to find your target words in a comic book or on your favorite website. Write different parts of the word in different colors of marker or colored pencil. Sort your words into groups based on how they begin or end, or whatever categories you decide. When you do something other than just write the words, your brain starts to remember the right way to spell them.

REFERENCES

Jenkins, DR 2002, 'Six Ways to Be a Better Speller,' Writing!, April-May, ver 24, i6, p22.

Meier, J 2008, 'Spelling Made Fun,' Sound It Out.