Smart Spelling Changes--Interactive Spelling

What  major changes are you implementing this school year?  This summer I decided it was time for an overhaul of my spelling instruction.  I was searching for a curriculum/method of spelling that would best meet the needs of all my classroom learners.  I was excited when I found exactly what I was looking for at Teachers Pay Teachers: Jen Bengel's Interactive Spelling.

The first week of school I administered the pretest to my third and fourth graders.  From the results of the pretest, I divided my third and fourth grade classroom into 5 spelling levels.  

Because my fourteen third graders need much more structure and organization at this time of year, I thought hard about ways to organize Jen's program to best fit their needs.  Here is what I did.

First, I created a SMART Board program for the weekly lesson.  The students wrote down the objective in their spelling notebooks.  Then I used the website http://www.morewords.com/ to develop five levels of words that fit the weekly lesson.  I used 5 highlighter colors to show the word lists on my SMART Board. I listed more words than each group needed so that each student would have a choice of words. 

One slide of four for the spelling lesson.

After we read through the word list, I walked around the classroom and placed a color-coded sticker in each student's spelling notebook.

This sticker showed the student which level words to copy and how many words to eventually star and put on their own personal weekly list.  The student's lists ranged from 10-20 words this week.

My fourth graders wrote their words in their assignment books. They also made a second copy to keep at school.

My third graders copied the words they starred in their notebooks and wrote them on two lists.  The yellow list was sent home today to study, and the white list was put in their pocket on the Spelling Buddies Bulletin Board.

The students will use their words lists on this bulletin board to practice with their buddies during the week and to give the tests on Fridays.  

Even though the launching of this new spelling program took a great amount of time, I am so excited that I can best meet the needs to my students this year!  Throughout the year, my students will gain more control of the spelling program as they will be involved in the word choosing process.  They will also be adding other personal words to their lists-- words that I notice them misspelling in their writing. 

Check Jen Bengel's Interactive Spelling Program out at her TpT Store!  I am thrilled that I made the change!

Amy

What will Students Remember about your Classroom?

What do you remember about your childhood classrooms?  Sometimes, it may be one little item.  For me, I remember a giant paper mache' giraffe outside my kindergarten classroom door.  I remember, Mrs. DeMott's(my fourth grader teacher) penny loafers( in many colors).
What will  your students remember about their classroom years from now?

I am thinking that this year my students will remember this:

What is "this"?  The Emoji pillow!

Each year I recover my old plaid classroom couch. 

 I have purchased a couple sets of fleece blankets (about 2 bucks each) from Walmart.  It takes four of them to cover the entire couch.   They transform the couch into an inviting place for students to read.  Plus, I can remove the covers from time to time and wash them to keep our classroom clean.

The Emoji pillow was just purchased at Walmart on a whim.  It seems, however, after three days into the schoolyear that this pillow will be the "hit" of the year!  I am thinking that Mr. Emoji pillow will be the one thing that is remembered about my classroom this year.

Former students have come back into my classroom to take a peek at our new pillow. The word is out. Parents have told me that their child LOVES third grade because it has a couch with an Emoji pillow.

Who would think that one little $4.95 item would add so much to education?  What decor accent are you adding this year to make your classroom memorable?

Amy