Spelling

Read Write Inc. Spelling Programme

As part of our continuing drive to ensure that all children reach their potential in English, we are introducing a new approach to the teaching of spelling. The new scheme is called: Read, write inc. (spelling) and it is a highly regarded scheme based in evidence.

It was developed by Ruth Miskin, who is one of the UK’s leading authorities on teaching English. An experienced former head teacher and trainer, she has over 25 years’ teaching experience. There is more information on the scheme here: http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/resources/read-write-inc-spelling/

Why are we introducing this new approach?

• To enable us to meet the spelling expectations of the National Curriculum
• To raise standards in spelling and writing
• To provide consistency and progression in the teaching of spelling
• To help support children to enable them to be more confident at spelling

How does this programme support your child in learning to spell?

RWInc Spelling is an interactive programme which teaches spellings in a fun and engaging way. Each unit is introduced with a short video. It helps children to learn spellings with common patterns and uses rules in order to help them recall spellings as well as teaching exceptions to these rules.

Individual workbooks allow children to practise their spellings and the teaching naturally follows on from the phonics programme that the children follow at Strathmore. Therefore the children are already proficient at using dots (for individual sounds) and dashes (for digraphs) and prefixes and suffixes can be added to root words to help them to spell with greater accuracy, understanding and confidence.

Log books also give children ownership of their spellings and further consolidation at home.

How the Log Books support your child to spell

All children now have log books and these are important in helping them to practise the spellings they need to learn from each unit. Each unit explains the rules and gives handy tips and rhymes for remembering these.

During the week the children will log the spellings they found tricky. At the beginning of the next unit they will do speed spell which will assess their ability to spell words with the previous weeks spelling pattern correctly.

Please make sure that the LOG book is in school each day.

Handy Tips for supporting your child with spelling

• Make sure that the log book is used to practise the tricky spellings regularly.
• Revisit spellings from previous weeks.
• Ask your child to explain the rule for the week and get them to give you

example words so that you can build up a word bank that can be referred to

frequently.

• When your child is writing in their learning log remind them to use their dots

and dashes to spell.

• Encourage your child to edit their own writing for misspelt words using

the sounds chart in the log books to choose the right grapheme.

• Use the Log Book to log high frequency words which you notice your child is

spelling wrong

Building independence

Giving children weekly spellings to be tested (even when they do score 10/10!) does not mean that they will apply these in their own written work. With this new approach to the teaching of spellings we hope to support and encourage your child to become both more confident and independent spellers which will help them become better writers. Revisiting spelling patterns and rules regularly is key to them becoming successful spellers.

All children will be taking part in this programme within their classes. Where it is needed, some additional spelling support may be organised by class teachers alongside Mrs Carpenter. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher, myself or Mrs Carpenter if you have any concerns.