what is the best way for a 7th grader to study for a spelling test?

Question

What is the best way for a 7th grader to study for a spelling test with letter combinations that are difficult to keep in order such as "believe" "thirtieth", "lieutenant",  "maneuver" and "precipitation"?

Answer 1

This is more of a long-term strategy that yields results over time, but I've found that typing helps a lot. Think about passwords you have to type all the time: even if they're nonsense combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols, your muscle memory takes over and you can spell them accurately. So too for real words! I'll frequently find myself writing out a word, not remembering how it's spelled, and then closing my eyes and typing at an imaginary keyboard, letting my fingers find the right letters without my higher brain getting in the way and second-guessing.

So, if your child/student is pretty comfortable and familiar with using a keyboard, you might consider just having them type the correct spellings of the words over and over and over again to develop that muscle memory. It's not for everyone, but it may be worth considering.

Answer 2

When it comes to speech, it is important to remember that English is first spoken and then written.

1. Developing phonological awareness comes first -- learning to hear a word, break it into syllables, and then segment the phonemes (individual sounds). There are approximately 42 sounds in English.
2. Learning the orthography of English comes second. There are only 26 letters, so in order to represent the 42 sounds, there are 72 spelling patterns. We have 44 spelling rules that help us know when to use each spelling pattern.
3. The 72 spelling patterns and 44 rules will be enough to help you read and spell most common words, but morphology is an integral part of developing academic vocabulary. Latin and Greek roots and affixes are key at this stage of spelling.

English is a systematic code that should be taught in an explicit manner -- don't memorize a list of words -- learn the code that will enable you to spell any word!

Answer 3

Hi Debbie,

Another rule that comes into play based on the list of 7th Grade spelling words present is:

'i' before 'e' except after 'c': with the 'ie' blend always written in that order as opposed to 'ei' in words in which the letter 'c' immediately precedes the given blend; ex: deceive, receive, conceive, perceive

Answer 4

Another aspect that can help with spelling is to look at the word parts (morphology) because many times there are patterns that are followed that will help with spelling.  Syllabication rules can also help with spelling, this allows you to think about the spelling within each syllable so that you can chunk it and make it easier. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Something that always worked for my students was triangle spelling. It helps you visualize writing the word. So for the word believe, you would write each of the following lines:

 

b

be

bel

beli

belie

believe

 

Also, memorizing spelling rules helps. It appears your words are following the pattern of ie or "i before e" and you can use the rhyme "i before e, except after c or sounding like 'a' and in neighbor and weigh"

 

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

Repeated practice. Copying out the words. Having an older sibling or parent quiz them, in random order.

 

"Practice makes perfect--if it's perfect practice."  Memorization follows repetition.  Extensive reading (BOOKS) enhances language ability & needs to be stressed.  Get off the 'social media devices.'