Thursday, July 11, 2013

Spelling Tests

How do you do spelling tests in your school? Depending on your grade level do you even do them? I teach 1st and our school year is divided into four 9 weeks. For the 1st nine weeks we do not do spelling tests. We start them for the 2nd nine weeks.

We have 2 word families per week with 3 words per word family. The other 4 words are high frequency words that go on our word wall. So that's 10 words total.

We take a pre-spelling test on Monday with those 10 words. I quickly grade them and attach the 5 challenge words to their test to be sent home at the end of the day. The challenge words are more challenging word family words (3 of them) and then the other 2 are contents words depending on what we're learning that week. Examples might be fraction, ocean, noun, etc.

They practice the words all week and on Friday we have our OFFICIAL spelling test.

It includes the original 10 words plus the 5 challenge words plus 2 bonus words that follow the word families for the week.

Then there is a dictation sentence that includes words from the word family and words from our word wall.

You may say "wow that's alot! Can the students really handle it?" And the answer is "yes! but the first few weeks are a killer!"

"What was number five?"

"C-A-T. Michael, don't spell the word outloud! Write it down!"

Just a tip, ONLY do repeats of words at the END of the test! It's helped my kiddos not yell out, but you know there will always be that one or FIVE like it was this year! Oy vey!

I'd love to hear how you do spelling in your classroom! And here is a freebie of our spelling test paper for you to use in your classroom! Click on the picture and it'll take you to Teachers Pay Teachers.

Also be on the look out for a "Spelling Through First Grade" spelling unit that will allow you to implement spelling tests in your classroom all year long!

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  1. I teach 1st/2nd/3rd graders so we do spelling tests every Friday. The words come from our Reading Street story for the week. It includes spelling patterns and sight words that are in their stories for the week. 1st grade starts testing the 2nd 6 weeks. They get 10 spelling words and 2 bonus words. The 2nd graders get 12 spelling words and 2 bonus words. The 3rd grade gets 15 spelling words and 5 bonus words. While I am giving the spelling tests, the other kiddos can sit quietly at their desks working on something from their work plan, or they can sit quietly at their desks and wait until the tests are over (if they can't work quietly).

  2. Do all the students receive the challenge words?


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