Word writing for kids


The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List

By: Steve Graham, Karen R. Harris, Connie Loynachan

This list was created to help teachers know which spelling words should be taught to kids in grades 1–5. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing — the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.

This list was devised to help educators know which spelling words should be taught to children. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing — the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.

Mastering this relatively small corpus of words yields a high rate of return. For example, the most common 1,000 words are used 13 times more frequently than the next most common 1,000 words. It also provides teachers flexibility in planning spelling instruction, providing an opportunity to give children the "basics" while supplementing with other spelling words germane to classroom activities.

Grade level for each word was determined based upon difficulty, pattern of occurrence in children's writing across grades, and grade placement on current vocabulary lists and spelling materials.

Words that children have difficulty spelling correctly are marked with an asterisk.

Grade 1

a
all
am*
and*
at
ball
be
bed
big
book
box
boy*
but
came*
can*
car
cat
come*
cow
dad
day*
did
do
dog*

fat
for
fun*
get*
go
good*
got*
had*
hat
he*
hen
here
him*
his*
home*
hot
I*
if
in*
into*
is
it*
its*
let

like*
look
man
may
me*
mom
my*
no*
not
of
oh
old
on*
one*
out*
pan
pet
pig
play*
ran
rat
red
ride
run

sat
see
she
sit
six
so
stop
sun
ten
the*
this
to*
top
toy
two*
up
us
was*
we*
will*
yes
you*

 

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Grade 2

about*
add
after
ago
an*
any
apple
are*
as
ask
ate
away
baby*
back
bad
bag
base
bat
bee
been*
before*
being
best
bike
bill
bird
black
blue
boat
both
bring
brother*
brown
bus
buy*
by
cake
call
candy
change
child
city
clean
club
coat
cold
coming*
corn
could
cry
cup
cut
daddy*
dear
deep
deer
doing
doll
door
down*
dress
drive
drop
dry
duck
each
eat
eating
egg
end
fall
far
farm
fast

father*
feed
feel
feet
fell*
find
fine*
fire
first*
fish
five
fix
flag
floor
fly
food
foot
four
fox
from*
full
funny
game
gas
gave
girl
give
glad
goat
goes*
going*
gold
gone
grade*
grass
green
grow
hand
happy
hard
has*
have*
hear*
help
here*
hill
hit
hold
hole
hop
hope*
horse
house*
how*
ice
inch
inside*
job
jump
just*
keep
king
know*
lake
land
last
late
lay
left
leg
light
line
little*
live

lives
long
looking
lost
lot
love
mad
made*
make*
many*
meat
men
met
mile
milk
mine
miss
moon
more
most
mother*
move
much*
must
myself*
nail
name*
need
new*
next
nice*
night
nine
north
now*
nut
off*
only
open
or*
other
our
outside*
over
page
park
part
pay
pick
plant
playing
pony
post
pull
put
rabbit
rain
read
rest
riding
road
rock
room
said*
same
sang
saw*
say
school*
sea
seat
seem
seen
send*

set
seven
sheep
ship
shoe
show*
sick
side
sing
sky
sleep
small
snow
some*
soon*
spell
start
stay
still
store*
story
take
talk
tall
teach
tell
than*
thank
that
them*
then*
there*
they*
thing
think*
three
time*
today*
told
too*
took
train*
tree
truck
try
use
very*
walk
want*
warm
wash
way
week
well*
went*
were*
wet
what
when*
while*
white
who
why
wind
wish
with*
woke
wood
work
yellow
yet
your
zoo
 

 

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Grade 3

able
above
afraid
afternoon*
again*
age
air
airplane
almost
alone
along*
already*
also
always*
animal
another*
anything*
around*
art
aunt*
balloon*
bark
barn
basket
beach
bear
because*
become
began
begin
behind
believe*
below
belt
better
birthday*
body
bones
born
bought*
bread
bright
broke
brought*
busy
cabin
cage
camp
can't*
care
carry
catch
cattle
cave
children*
class
close*
cloth
coal
color
corner
cotton
cover
dark
desert
didn't*
dinner
dishes
does
done
don't*
dragon
draw
dream
drink
early
earth
east
eight

even
ever
every*
everyone*
everything*
eyes
face
family*
feeling
felt
few
fight
fishing
flower
flying
follow
forest
forgot
form
found*
fourth
free
Friday
friend*
front
getting*
given
grandmother
great
grew
ground
guess*
hair
half
having*
head
heard*
he's*
heat
hello*
high
himself
hour
hundred
hurry
hurt*
I'd*
I'll*
I'm*
inches
isn't
it's*
I've*
kept
kids
kind
kitten
knew*
knife
lady
large
largest
later
learn
leave
let's*
letter*
life
list
living
lovely
loving*
lunch
mail
making
maybe*
mean
merry
might*

mind
money*
month
morning*
mouse
mouth
Mr. *
Mrs.*
Ms.
music
near
nearly
never
news
noise
nothing
number
o'clock*
often
oil
once*
orange
order
own
pair
paint
paper
party*
pass
past
penny
people*
person
picture
place
plan
plane
please*
pocket
point
poor
race
reach
reading
ready
real
rich
right*
river
rocket
rode
round
rule
running*
salt
says
sending
sent*
seventh
sew
shall
short
shot
should
sight
sister
sitting
sixth
sled
smoke
soap
someone*
something*
sometime*
song
sorry
sound
south
space

spelling
spent
sport
spring
stairs
stand
state
step
stick
stood
stopped*
stove
street
strong
study
such
sugar
summer*
Sunday*
supper
table
taken
taking
talking
teacher*
team
teeth
tenth
that's*
their
these*
thinking
third
those
thought*
throw
tonight*
trade
trick
trip
trying
turn
twelve
twenty
uncle
under
upon*
wagon
wait
walking
wasn't
watch
water
weather*
we're*
west
wheat
where*
which
wife
wild
win
window
winter
without
woman*
won
won't*
wool
word
working
world*
would*
write*
wrong
yard
year
yesterday
you're*

 

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Grade 4

across
against
answer*
awhile*
between
board
bottom
breakfast
broken
build
building
built
captain*
carried
caught*
charge*
chicken
circus
cities
clothes*
company
couldn't*
country
discover
doctor*
doesn't
dollar

during
eighth*
else
enjoy
enough
everybody*
example
except
excuse
field*
fifth
finish
following
good-by*
group
happened*
harden
haven't*
heavy
held
hospital*
idea
instead*
known
laugh
middle
minute

mountain
ninth
ocean
office
parent
peanut
pencil
picnic
police
pretty*
prize
quite*
radio
raise
really*
reason
remember*
return
Saturday*
scare
second
since
slowly
stories
student
sudden
suit

sure*
swimming*
though
threw*
tired
together*
tomorrow*
toward
tried*
trouble
truly*
turtle
until*
village
visit
wear
we'll
whole*
whose
women
wouldn't*
writing*
written
wrote
yell
young
 

 

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Grade 5

although
America
among
arrive
attention
beautiful*
countries
course*
cousin*
decide

different*
evening
favorite
finally*
future
happiest
happiness
important
interest
piece

planet
present
president
principal*
probably*
problem
receive*
sentence
several
special

suddenly
suppose*
surely*
surprise*
they're*
through
usually

 

 

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Graham, S. , Harris, K.R. and Loynachan, C. (1993). The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List. Journal of Educational Research 86(6) 363-368.

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wiggly words: fun ways to get kids to write

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Maddy’s Kindergarten teacher is–in my humble opinion–the best of the best. My dream has come true: Maddy landed a super teacher with whom she has already fallen in love.

A few weeks back, Maddy was sent home with a packet of information about things parents can do at home to help promote literacy and learning. I literally danced around the house when I saw it.

Three cheers for the Kindergarten team at Maddy’s school!

It included uppercase and lowercase alphabet cards to cut out, and it included four sheets of words.

They classify the words as early emergent, upper emergent, early fluency and fluency. I put them on the computer in the form of tiny flash cards to use for learning and games.

Here they are to download:

early emergent words;

upper emergent words;

early fluency words; and

fluency words.

I added a few words to these lists in order to include all of the words that our kindergartners are expected to know by the end of the school year.

  • Wiggly Words: I have a wiggly board that I use for making writing that much more fun for emergent readers and writers. It is a thick piece of cardboard and put several layers of drywall tape on top of it. (I found the drywall tape on our workbench a few years ago–it’s really just a hard plastic grid with tape on the back; anything bumpy or textured will work.)

Students put a blank piece of paper on top of the board, and when they write their words, or letters, or numbers, they look bumpy and wiggly. Crayons work best and will show the best ‘wiggle’.

All I did this afternoon was dump the Early Emergent Word Cards and the Early Fluency Word Cards into a small bucket.

 

I knew Maddy was comfortable with most of the Early Emergent words, and I thought I’d throw in a couple more challenging ones for fun.

Next, Maddy pulled two cards out of the bucket and put them face up above her Wiggly Board.

I said, Okay, Maddy, you big word reader, let’s see which word you’ll choose to write. Will it be ‘are’ or ‘you’?

 

I always read two words and gave her a choice. That way, she was using some of her reading skills by listening to the words I read and then reading them again–or trying to–by herself when she made her decision.

She was never put on the spot or forced to read a new, tough word on her own, out of context. I always try to set her up for success.

It was the luck of the draw that our first few words were from the Early Emergent list, but as we pulled more and more cards, they were mixed–easier words with more difficult ones.

Then she wanted to find all of the words that had a letter ‘g’ in them to read and write because she felt she had really begun to write her lowercase ‘g’ well. So we hunted for those words, and she wrote them when she found them.

And before we knew it, Owen and Cora turned up the music way too loud, their dancing around turned to spinning and rough-housing, and Maddy wanted to join them. (Who wouldn’t?).

So our little sight word fun was over, but fun it was. . .

Maddy has had a blast lately, playing with sight words. And as I’ve said before, there are tons of cool ways to help make these important words more familiar–and fun–for our emerging readers, and most of these ways take minimal preparation time on a parent’s part.

Five, ten, or twenty minutes now and again to help our little ones become better readers is worth it!

Want a few more alphabet activities? Check out:

  • backyard alphabet hunt
  • homemade alphabet book
  • leafy letter learning
  • ABC hunt
  • on the road ABC hunt
  • lowercase ABC hunt
  • build your own bingo: uppercase and lowercase match
  • ABC cards and clothespin match
  • alphabet letter splash
  • alphabingo (play with lowercase letters)
  • alphabet letter lids
  • leafy outdoor alphabet hunt
  • build your own board game
  • clothespin letter match
  • 10 fun ways to learn the alphabet

 

Follow us on pinterest, and check out our literacy pins:

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

How children remember the spelling of complex words

“As you hear it, so it is spelled” the Owl principle, and by the way it is not bad, because Winnie the Pooh was very upset by long and difficult words.

This is a very convenient principle, but, alas, it does not coincide with the laws of the Russian language.

What to do?

Remember. This is the only way to write competently "naughty" dictionary words to which none of the rules of the Russian language apply. You can help a child only by turning on interest.

5 games so that difficult vocabulary words do not upset kids!

Learn the Word

Learn the word by one consonant letter: krndsh, brz, Moscow, stkn, jrny, stlts.

Collect Words

Collect the word from scattered syllables: fe, kon, ta - candy; ko, lo, yab - an apple; neither, earth, ka, la - strawberries.

Shopping

Olya and Anya went shopping. Olya took vegetables and fruits with an unverifiable unstressed vowel O (cucumber, apple, carrot), Anya - with A (cabbage, orange, zucchini).

"Joke Questions-Riddles"


1) In what words does cancer live? (breakfast, rocket)

2) Which words contain notes? (tomato, guys, beans, road, lilac)

3) Name the words in which the numbers are hidden. (Motherland, once, magpie, showcase)

4) All words are good, but where did the snakes hide? (dinner)

5) What words does the crow like? (potato, painting, pencil, pocket, carriage)


"Dictionary hide and seek"

Find vocabulary words in the text and write them down.

For example, an excerpt from the poem by S. Ya. Marshak "Night Page"

Before you is the night page.
The capital is shrouded in darkness.
Trams go to rest,
Trolleybuses are rushing home. ..

By the 3rd grade, children must write 200 vocabulary words without errors. By the end of schooling, their number is in the thousands. You will find all vocabulary words that a child should know by the 4th grade in the manual by O. V. Uzorova and E. A. Nefyodova “Absolute literacy in 15 minutes. 1-4 grades»

11/21/2018 Authors

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How to practice the correct spelling of words with children

Vocabulary dictation, spelling, tests - these words give the students goosebumps. How can you help students remember all these words?

It's no secret that children love to play, and what they learn with pleasure remains in their memory for life. So where to start? The first, and most important, is to abandon the boring, monotonous rewriting of words. How then to teach? Fun, interesting and interactive!

1. Adapt your favorite games. Tic-tac-toe and the gallows will impress any child. And the spirit of competition will only spur the desire to learn words. If the group is quite large, we divide the students into 2 parts. One thinks of a word, the other writes it. Managed - earned the right to put a cross. No. The move goes to the opponents. And then they definitely will not miss their chance!

2. If you have active students, then Running Dictation 9 is in a hurry to help0106 . We prepare a list of words in advance, glue it in the farthest corner. The task of the students is to copy all the words correctly on the board. Whoever did it first, wins! If there are many students, we divide into teams and rejoice at success. Unlike regular rewriting - it's fun, it's productive, you have to memorize the word, and not just copy it. In general, some pluses.

3. Have you ever heard of Whole Body Writing ? No? Then we go to you! Modern techniques, especially for children, suggest using as many organs of perception as possible. The essence of this method is that you need to draw a letter with your body, and the rest of the students need to guess this letter. For convenience, we prepare cards in advance with the words passed, the student chooses one, and with the help of his body “writes” this word. A lot of fun and learned words with a guarantee.

4. Every child wants to be a teacher ! What does it mean? And this means that you need to give him a chance to become a teacher, even if only for 5 minutes. We prepare words with errors and ask the children to correct these errors. Simple but effective.

5. Well, if the soul requires a dictation, then spend it. Not just a dictation, but Silent Dictation …shhh…don’t make a sound! Show students a picture or object and ask them to write a word. The same dictation can be made active, we hang pictures or lay out objects, the task is to sign all the objects. At the initial stage, you can allow peeping.

6. sorting helps to deal with complex letter combinations. For example, you need to work out the spelling of words with -ee and -ea, prepare a set of cards (a picture, plus words with a gap) and ask the children to insert the necessary letters. By the way, we will immediately solve at least 2 problems. Children will remember the spelling of words and will associate the word with a particular subject.

7. You must have heard that America is the only country in the world where a spelling contest is held. And we just have to hold the same competition with our students.


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