Teachers have many students wanting to know spellings, but there’s no way we can answer every word for every child. Instead, we teach the class how to figure out spelling by paying attention to every sound of the word. After a while they stop asking and start figuring it out themselves.

This starts when the child is 4 - how do you spell cat? Well let’s pull it out /c/ /a/ /t/.

Some words are confusing because there’s more than one way to spell the sound. For example mermaid could have been mermade. That’s where my daughter got stuck, she knows the long a can be spelled a or ai or a_e. If she would have stuck with a or a_e, I would have just told her, that’s correct, but in mermaid the ‘a’ is spelled ai.

Note: Couldn’t you also spell long a as ‘ay’? Yes, but we normally see that spelling at the end of a word! (If you learn these phonics rules it will help the child be a better speller!) Also, she needs to be reminded the ‘a’ spelling is most often when there’s any open syllable, so it wouldn’t be a by itself.

If your child doesn’t know the different sound-spellings, you’ll have to teach them. I have phonics cards on my website (www.akeebamaze.com/product-page/watercolor-flashca…) that you can use. They are DIGITAL which means you can use them on your device or print them (recommended). Unlike store bought flashcards if you lose one or baby rips one, you can just print another. You can also print multiple copies keep one copying your car, one in the family room, one at your sister’s house. In 5 years you won’t have to buy them again.

If you prefer I also have a free list on my sight of all the sounds they need to know, for example long e can be represented and spelled ee, ea, y…. You can simply write them on a notecard and go over each group.

So when should you tell spellings? When word are really hard, like archaeopteryx (like a dinosaur). Even then I like to ask for at least the first letter from them. But note it’s perfectly fine for them to use inventive spellings most of the time! Tell them the words they reaaally want to get right, and for the rest:

Put a list of grade level words in their notebook, teach them how to use it for reference. If they are working on a writing skill, remind them that spelling doesn’t count for their draft. Later they can go back and fix up spellings.

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