Play this classic game, with a spelling twist. Write action words on individual index cards. Use descriptive verbs that children can actually do in the classroom, such as run, skip, stretch, lean or smile. Divide students into two teams, team A and team B. A player from team A chooses a card and reveals the word to his teammates, then gives the card to one member of the opposing team. That player must act out the action card without using any words, while his team guesses. The team collects one point with a correct guess and a correct spelling of the word.
In this class project, call out words or short sentences and have students write the words out, using magnetic letters or scrabble pieces. This is a fun activity to prepare for a vocabulary quiz. If you are using magnetic letters, you can give each child a cookie sheet or a similar magnetic surface to write their words on. For more difficult or complex words or sentences, divide students into small groups to work together.
Students will enjoy cracking the code to reveal their spelling words. Create a master code using number and/or symbols, which correspond to the alphabet. For example, 1=A, 2=B or $=A, &=B. Write a series of vocabulary words or a secret message on a sheet of paper, using these symbols. Give each student a copy of the code and instruct them to decipher the words. For longer messages, divide the class into small teams. The first student or group to "crack the code" wins a prize.
Help students familiarize themselves with the dictionary as a spelling reference tool. This can be an interactive classroom activity, as well as a one-on-one lesson. Each student should have his own dictionary. Call out a word and have students race to look up the word in the dictionary. The first student to find the word should recite the word, read its definition and spell it on the board in front of the class. Let that student choose the next word for the class to find.