Understanding Language
Many of our K-3 classrooms are using the Multi-Sensory Approach to language development. Please reach out if you have any questions about this approach.
Words Block Parent LetterDear Parents, Many of you have been asking us how you can support your child at home with spelling. Learning to spell is a highly complex business. Some children learn to spell effortlessly – most get there in the end, but too many find the process of learning to spell arduous, painstaking and, sadly, boring. The Friday spelling test may be great for those who can already spell, but for others it makes for a scary Friday morning. Most children get most spellings right on the day, but forget them when coming to use them in future work, others just get them wrong. For these reasons, it is necessary to have an approach which meets the needs of all children and allows them to develop their skills at an appropriate rate, in order that they can happily spell common words accurately and develop a range of strategies to tackle more complex words with confidence. Studies have shown that sending home a list of words to learn in preparation for a weekly test is not the most effective way for most children to learn and many children (although they may have performed well), have forgotten these words just a few hours after the test. Spelling must be made fun, enjoyable and interesting. Children only really become good at spelling by practising over and over again and this is best done in fun and interesting ways. There are distinct stages through which children progress in spelling and these will be outlined further on. Before finding out about these, please take time to read about how children learn to spell, the range of strategies for spelling and multi-sensory teaching and learning. These sections will help you understand how your child learns best and how to choose the most appropriate activities to help them. It is important to say however, that all children are different and progress at different rates and some will not display the characteristics described in the Key Stage descriptions in this document. If you are unsure at which stage your child is at, please ask the class teach