A quick and effective spelling activity

This is a fun, quick and effective activity that my tutoring students enjoy as they study their weekly mutlti-syllable spelling lists. All it takes is paper, something to write with, and scissors.

First, rewrite the spelling words correctly or type them up in a fairly large font.  Cut each word into a separate strip of paper.  Keep the original list handy.

Spelling words are cut into strips.

Now have the student use the scissors to divide the words into syllables.  Help him if needed; if you're  not sure where the separation should be, a dictionary with pronunciation guides will be helpful.

Each word is cut into syllables.

If a mistake is made, no problem--- a bit of tape can be used, or the word can be re-written, and then cut correctly.  Don't worry too much over words that could possibly be divided more than one way. For example, it is not the end of the world if the child cuts 'particle' into part i cle instread of par ti cle. A true mistake would be "pa rti cle."


This is a good time to take notice of the various spelling patterns found in the syllables.  For example, when looking at "anemone," I might remark to the student, "That last e is unusual. When I first saw that word, I thought it was a silent e, like "an-e-mone."  We usually spell final e sounds with a y or ey, like "funny money."  This word comes from the Greek language, though, and they don't use silent e.  It's the same e we see with the spelling of Harry Potter's friend Hermione."

 When the words are all cut up, scramble the syllables

Syllables are mixed up.

and then have the student reconstruct the words as you read out the list. 

Words are reassembled.

With this activity, the student does not have to write the words himself, but is still using his hands and eyes to put the words together. Most importantly, however, he is focused on seeing the words in small, memorable pieces, and matching the sounds of the words to the spelling of the syllables.  As I've mentioned before in other posts, this is a critical step that students often miss when they are just seeing the whole word as a string of letters.

An added benefit of this activity is that it is less likely to result in a meltdown from a tired or frustrated student, whereas  a written or oral spelling practice session might be too much.  Completing this "game" can be done with the student completely silent and not using a pen or pencil at all.  Plus, if the pieces are kept in an envelope for future use, the student has a quick spelling review for as long as he needs. 

If you allow the student to use the word pieces for independent study, be sure to include the spelling list so he can check his work.  If he is likely to miss details, make the pieces self-checking by labeling the pieces of each word with a matching number or symbol.  For example, "plank" and "ton" might each have a 2 on the back, so the student can check for a match by turning them over.  (In case of repeated syllables, such as the "gen" in hydrogen and oxygen, you might put two symbols on both "gen" pieces.)

This activity will not solve every child's spelling problems-- and it's no help at all for beginners' one-syllable lists-- but it should be a helpful addition to word study methods.