Time really does fly by so quickly. Sometimes I feel like our back-to-school meet and greet was just a few days ago. Here we are starting spelling and holding conferences.
Spelling starts this week. Students will take their pretest in small groups with either a parent volunteer, Mrs. McCormack, or me. (Thanks, Mrs. Phillips, for your work today!) They will correct their own tests. A printed copy of the word list that comes home on Monday is for you to keep at home for practice. Please sign and return the pretest.
I will send the final tests home either Friday or Monday each week. Any words missed will be added to the next week's list. If at any time you feel your child's words are too easy or too hard, please let me know. I want spelling to be the best experience for each child, yet be challenging as well. Most importantly, I want the children to come to a better understanding of how words are structured, the origins of words, and what words mean. In short, if students are good spellers I would like them to focus on meaning and structure. (I don't want you to think I want kids to just do definitions. That pretty much leads to rote work, rather than true understanding.)
On Tuesday I will send home a set of spelling practice ideas for you to keep at home. These ideas are not assignments that need to be returned to school, just ideas for your son or daughter to use when practicing their words.
I recommend that students study spelling twice per week at home in the evening. If you feel that more practice is needed, please feel free to adjust accordingly.
Thanks for supporting this new work!
Mrs. Perrien
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