This week, I’m focusing on English teacher Kim and her middle school struggle:
My answer? Yes and no. More details (including my 80s-rific hairdo) here:
Video where I model essay grading method: https://youtu.be/sEFZedSW0I0
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) materials:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SSR-Tired-of-Book-Reports-Try-this-FREE-idea-instead-Easy-grading-for-you-494444?st=817c3022979d1eb9876ca83daa77897e
Commonly Confused Words bell-ringer materials (homophone practice):
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Commonly-Confused-Words-1-Homophones-Slides-Note-Keeping-Sheets-CCSS-3056181?st=17e2b7a1c724bd70982923f44323433d
What strategies do you use to help students improve their spelling skills? Leave a reply below!
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Hey, Cheyenne, thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Hi Laura . . . I was traumatized in elementary school for missing a word in an in class spelling bee. My third grade teacher told the kids they needed to do something about the fact that I messed up and I got beat-up after school for causing my team to lose. I have had trouble with spelling ever since. I did not learn about this until I was working on my masters degree in reading and working on my reading specialist credential. I do not have spelling bees in my middle school classroom and I remind my students that spelling is a memory function – not a sign of intelligence. I do however tell them that not going back over their work and correcting their mistakes with spell check and grammar programs is unacceptable in this day and age of technology.
Smiles,
Kendall
Thanks for sharing your wise perspective on this topic, Kendall. What a horrific childhood experience! Hard to understand such cruelty, and I’m glad to hear you were able to move forward and become the kind of teacher you needed. I also agree – good spelling ≠ intelligence.