Teach pupils the names of the letters and their sounds. Have them use sounds to practice spelling simple three-letter words that follow the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, such as "mop." Show them how to build new words by changing the first letter in a word. For example, "mop" becomes "top." Have them try changing the last letter to create more words. Teach pupils how to build longer words by learning digraphs such as "th" and "sh" and blends such as "tr" and "bl." Have them practice adding suffixes like "pre" and suffixes like "ing" to root words.
Focus on teaching five new words each week. Print the words on index cards or purchase a ready-made word wall set. Post the words on a bulletin board or wall. Have pupils spell the words out loud, practice copying them and use the word wall as a resource when they are writing. Have them add the words to personal dictionaries. Review previously introduced words as new words are added. Use the word wall to teach sight words that cannot be sounded out phonetically such as "there" and "you."
Teach pupils how to study the words they are learning to spell. Introduce the "look say cover write check" method. Pupils look at a word, say it out loud, cover it up, write it down then check to see if it is spelled correctly. Have pupils spell words aloud to partners. Provide them with resealable bags filled with hair gel to trace words in. Have them write words in sand or trace them on a partner's back. Pupils can use magnetic letters on a whiteboard, chalkboard or cookie sheet to spell words.
Teach pupils memory aids to recall spelling rules. For example, memorizing the phrase "I before E except after C or when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh" helps spell words like "receive" and "height." Teach the phrase "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" to spell words like "team" and "wait." Have pupils use mnemonic devices to learn challenging words. For example, the acronym "Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move" helps with the spelling of "rhythm." Ask pupils to create their own mnemonic devices.