Ways to Increase Spelling Power, continued page 3

7. Master one word a week
8. Play phonogram bingo
9. Play phonogram card games
10. Memorize spelling exceptions

Master One Word a Week

Become an expert on one word a week. Learn the origin (etymology) of a word. Learning the history of a word helps one understand how the word came to be. Understanding the roots of words is helpful when one finds new words with familiar parts. In other words if one knows the meaning of the root of the word one is able to determine the meaning and spelling of new words.

Example:

The word photography (fO tog ra fi) has four syllables. It is a noun. Origin= photo (light) + graph (write). Photography is art that uses light to write pictures on special light sensitive paper.

Knowing the origins of the word photography helps one figure out the meaning of other words. Take the word telegraph. Telegraph = tele (far, or far off) + graph (write). A telegraph is a machine used to write messages to people at a distance.

Taking the time to become an expert on a word increases one's spelling and vocabulary

Exercise

How to Master One Word a Week
1. Take a misspelled word from one's writing and look it up in the dictionary.

2. Write the word down in your spelling dictionary worksheet record.
3. Write down the definition in your own words.

4. Look up the origin of the word, and include it in the spelling dictionary worksheet.

5. Notice the part of speech. Determine whether the word is a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction or interjection.

6. Use the word in a sentence three times during the day
7. Write the word in a sentence twice during the week.
8. Memorize the word origin

Playing education games is a quick way to learn phonics and spelling skills in a way the home schooling child will enjoy. Children love to play games and will enjoy this game.

Bingo is a board game that the home schooling child can play at home with two or more players to help a home schooling child learn their phonograms and spell better. The game consists of a cardboard or paper grid similar to a tic-tac-toe game, a call sheet, phonogram cards, and pieces to cover up the grid. The Bingo board is a 5x5 grid but it can be made smaller to for younger players (3x3 or 4x4).

Exercise

How to play
1. The caller passes out Bingo boards to the players. The caller can choose to play also.

2. The caller mixes up the phonogram cards and puts them face down.

3. The caller picks the top phonogram card, and reads the card out loud (say: B for the column and then /A/ for the phonogram's sound. The caller shows the card to the players.

4. Players check their Phonogram Bingo board to see if they have the phonogram the caller called. If they do they cover the spot with a token (plastic chips, pennies, dried beans, or slips of paper).

5. The first person to get five in a row, horizontally (left to right), vertically (up and down) or diagonally wins. The winner gets to be the caller for the next round.

How to Make the Bingo supplies

1. Make a 5x5 grid for the Bingo board(five columns x five rows)

2. Above each column write one letter of the word Bingo. (i.e., B is above the first column, I is above the second column etc.).

3. In the remaining boxes write the phonograms. Each board is to be different.
4. Make a (5x44) grid for the call sheet.

5. Above each column write one letter of the word Bingo. (i.e., B is above the first column, I is above the second column etc.).

6. In the remaining boxes write the multi-letter phonograms in alphabetical order from top to bottom. Each column will have forty-four phonograms. Print two copies, one for the call board and one for the phonogram cards.

7. Make the phonogram cards. Take the second copy of the call sheet and cut out each column. There should be five columns (B-I-N-G-O).

8. Take the B column. Label each phonogram with a B, and then cut the B column phonograms apart.

9. Repeat step 8 for each column (I, N, G, and O).
10. Mix all of the phonogram cards together, and get ready to play.

Play Phonogram Card Games

There are a couple of card game one can play to strengthen Spelling, phonics, and spelling skills. Play the ones suggested or make up the games oneself.

Example:
Phonogram Memory Card Game
1. Use the phonogram cards from the Bingo game.
2. Mix up the pieces and lay them face down.
3. Pick up two cards.
4. Say the phonogram sounds (Ignore the B-I-N-G-O letters on the cards).

5. If they match pick them up and then go again. If they don't match, the next player goes.
6. This continues until all cards are gone.
7. The player with the most phonogram cards wins.

Example: Other Card games can be played using these phonogram game cards. The rules are same or similar to the regular game.
1. Go Fish
2. Old Maid

Memorize Spelling Exception

There are spelling rules in English. The rules work lots of the time. Sometimes the rules do not work. Find a way to memorize the spelling words that break the spelling rules.

Example:
Here is a rule to use for words when i and e are together.

Use i before e, except after c, or when sounding like a as in neighbor or weigh

Rule: relief, piece, chief
Rule: receive, deceit
Rule: neighbor, weigh
Exception: seize, weird, neither, foreign, forfeit

H4>Tips for Spelling Exceptions

1. Use a dictionary.
Notice how the word is spelled and pronounced syllable by syllable. See if there are any words above or below the irregular word to see if it follows the same pattern. The more words found that break the spelling rule in the same way, the easier it will be to remember them as a group instead of a stray word here or there.

2. Keep a spelling worksheet record of exceptions. Use visual clues to help memorize the spelling. Underline or circle the part of the word that is a problem. Use a red pen or pencil to highlight what needs to be remembered.

3. Make spelling exceptions charts for words that: - have same sound but are spelled different (cent, sent, sense, air, heir, you, ewe)

- have silent letters (lamb, comb, knee, know, knife, should, would, could

3. See, say, and write the word three times. The more senses are involved, the easier it is to recall the information.

Exercise
1. Find a word that break the spelling rule.
2. Look up the definition.
3. Make up a sentence using the word.
4. Look at the word, say the word, picture the letters of the word, and write the word.