Spell Stories
Getting children to learn their spellings can be very tricky. It can especially difficult if they are not sure of the meaning behind the words. The context can also be difficult for children to understand, especially if they are learnt in the traditional way of parrot fashion. Word such as “where” and “wear” sound the same but have different meanings.
Research over the years has shown that by giving meaning to words they become easier to remember and recall. A study by Craik and Lockhart, in 1972 showed that the more meaning attached to a word, the higher the chances of remembering it.
With this in mind, when my daughter came home with her list of ten spellings, it seemed natural to make up a story to help her to learn the words. It made it more fun for her, but also helped her to achieve 10/10 most weeks in her spelling tests, not only boosting her self confidence, but also helping her to remember them.
Examples
Here are some examples of some of the spellings and the stories made to go alongside them.
CHASE, HOPELESS, KITE, FLUTE, ESCAPE, SURPRISE, TUBE, BRAVE, MOLE, COMPLETE.
There was a BRAVE MOLE called Morris. A hungry fox called Frank would CHASE after him, so Morris MOLE hid in a TUBE. Frank Fox was HOPELESS, and to his COMPLETE SURPRISE, he was able to ESCAPE from Frank the hungry fox! A little girl called Daisy saw all this. She was looking out of her bedroom window, trying to decide whether to play her FLUTE or fly her KITE!
The story helped to capture her imagination and helped with recalling the words during the test as she could visualise them easily.
Here's another example of a story using the words below.
POSITION, SURE, FRIENDS, SUGAR, MISSION, SPECIAL, ARTIFICIAL,
CHEF, PROFFESSION, STATION.
"Wednesday was a SPECIAL day, because Daisy met
up with her FRIENDS at the train
STATION.
She told them how her Auntie had got a new POSITION
as head CHEF at the Imperial hotel. Daisy's friend
Emily asked if she would like to go into the PROFFESSION.
"Oh no, my MISSION is to find out if there is any
life in space," replied Daisy.
"If aliens exist, I wonder if they would like SUGAR
in their tea?" Wondered Emily
"I'm SURE they would" said Daisy
"Fancy some sweets?" said Emily
"Yes please, best not have any with ARTIFICIAL
colouring in them" said Daisy,
"My auntie would never approve! "
We think that spelling stories are a really useful tool for your child, so if you would like us to make up a story for your child and their weekly spellings then email us on the form below and we will have one sent back to you within 48 hours! If you would like your child's name added into the story then that is not a problem, just tell us in the message box below!