2nd Graders Are Spellers!

2nd Graders Are Spellers!

Mastering spelling is difficult for English speakers! We teach phonics rules and children quickly learn that there are many exceptions to the rule! Memorizing rules is a way to apply patterns when learning to spell new words.

This week, students used books to collect words that contained the /k/ sound. We worked as a class to sort the words into the categories: “c”, “k”, and “ck.”

The general rules we came up with include:

Use “c” before an: a, o, u, l or r.

Use “k” before an: “e” or “i”.

Use “ck” at the end of syllables or words – never at the beginning of a word.

When your child is writing at home, you can encourage them to use the phonics rules learned in class as one strategy for correct spelling of words. In addition to the “k” sound, 2nd graders have reviewed the spelling of digraphs (2 letters that make 1 sound): sh, ch, wh, th, and ph. We also reviewed the spelling of short vowel sounds: “a” as in apple, “e” as in Ed, “i” as in itch, “o” as in octopus and “u” as in up.

Students have also learned that many words are not spelled the way they sound. We call these Trick Words and have been practicing at least 3 new words a week. These are posted in the classroom because they are frequently spelled words in 2nd grade. We recommend that you and your child keep a list near their desk at home. We will continue to post the new Trick Words in each blog posting. You can access the list here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GUQbF2ZRubpO8Oxi8ancBvdsqcn-UctQf_xCnFG6lTU/edit

Happy spelling!