Spelling sometimes slows children down once they begin to write a little more. Encourage children to think about the word they are writing and try the word even if they get it wrong. Children may be encouraged to do the following before writing an unknown word:
Have they seen it before? Can it be found around the (class)room (heart word, in a personal dictionary, etc.)?
Is the word a short word or a long word? This will help determine how many letters the word may have.
How many syllables (sounds) does the word have? Sometimes we clap out the sounds in words like, ladybug. This word has 3 sounds. We count the claps, or some children place their hand under their chin and count how many times their chin lands on their hand.
Say the word, picture it...have they read or seen it somewhere before? Try to spell it.
Use word families to help spell other words (for example: I know how to spell like so I can spell bike, spike, trike, Mike, etc.)