Spelling strategies and memory tricks for adults

1. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/
Spelling Strategies.
According to the Oxford Dictionary website www.oxforddictionaries.comthere are plenty of words that follow spelling rules butthere are some tricky words you just have to learnlike necessary and rhythm.
But they dont tell you how you can learn them. Spelling strategies to learn and remember words are one of the most important aspects of spelling.

2. To remember a spelling you have to keep writing the word but if you don't, and it's an important word you have problems with, then use a memory trick to fix it inyour brain.
Do you know any ways of helping fix spelling in your memory?
Here are a few - words within words, rhymes, syllable breakdown, knowing the history of the word, any trick to help remember the spelling.
http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

3. Podcast spelling test. Listen and see if you can spell these notoriously hard words.
Maybe you have memory tricks to remember them.
Why is it important to always write in lowercase /small letters? Apart from capital letters if needed.
Always use lowercase in handwriting so you can see the shape of the words but use capitals for proper nouns American, Britain etc.
BLOCK CAPITALS are hard to read and to write. Use BLOCK on forms only.
OK, ready. Press the player below, it takes a few seconds to start.
| Duration: 00:03:03

4. How did you do?
Check the spellings carefully and underline the problem areas and see if they relate to the memory tricks below.

The podcast spellings
necessary
accommodation
piece
business
assistant
secretary
February
believe
Wednesday
forty
write
stationery

5. Spelling Strategies
Lets look at the problems most people have with these words and strategies for remembering them.
Other peoples memory tricks areuseful but if you invent your own it means the process of coming up with one will help fix it in your brain.

6. People usually know the beginning and endings of words, and understand the patterns ation, -ary, -ness but its the individual letters within the word that usually cause problems.
necessaryWhat a nightmare - is there one C and one S or two Cs and two Ss or two Cs and one s?
Necessary one C two Ss.
Have you got a memory trick?
Try this memory trick
its necessaryto have one collar and two sleeves
- one c and two s

7. accommodation this word is spelled wrong in so many signs and notices. Is there one C or one M etc?
Have you got a memory trick?
Memory trick accommodation has two cots and two mattresses 2 Cs and 2 Ms. Remember the O as well accommodation. 2 cots with two mattresses and two fat babies O.

8. piece or peace?
These are homophones - same sound, different meaning and spelling and troublesome.The computer will say yes its the correct spelling for either one butis the meaning right?
We can use the word within a word memory trick to remember piece whats the word?
A piece of pie.
Peace and love.

9. Business - do you have a memory trick?
Strange memory trick is abusat a bus stop i. bus iness.
Some students have come up with their own with its a busi business (busy business) etc.
assistant - sales assistant, shop assistant, admin assistant the word is used so often. But is there one s at the beginning etc?
A memory trick is
the ass of the assistant is or the assistant is an ass.
Or use syllable breakdown - ass is tant
secretary - use a word within a word memory trick. Whats the word?
a secretary will keep a secret.


10. February the difference between how we say words and the spelling is obvious in days and months.
Wednesday /wens day/
Tuesday /choos day/or /toos day/
February /Feb ree/.
You could sound out the syllables - Feb ru a ry .
Or use a memory trick - its brr in February
Learn the letter pattern uary for
Februaryand January

11. believe use the word within a word memory trick to remember that it's -ie- not -ei-
What is the word within believe?
Never believe a lie.
Wednesday the big problem is with the silent d.
Any memory tricks?
We could break it down into syllables - Wed / nes / day. Say it slow and exaggerated. Wed nes day.
Breaking words down into manageable syllables is good for big words.

12. Forty - another nightmare.
We have four, fourteen, then forty without the u.
Any memory tricks?
A memory trick is four, fourteen but U cant be forty!
Write
Write or right? Another homophone. Remember what they are?
- same sound, different spelling and meaning.
Right and left, right and correct.But you write words.

13. And finally stationery.
This is a homophone again - stationery or stationary?
Do you have a memory trick to remember if its -ery or ary?
Stationery has envelopes.
Stationary = stop at the station
stationary train

14. Another spelling strategy is to use
Look Say Cover Write Check.
Write the word you want to learn on a piece of paper.
Look at it, see the shape, that's why we use lowercase with a capital when appropriate
Sayit
Cover it (this is important, don't copy it)
Writeit
Check it carefully letter by letter and correct any mistakes and think how you can learn from them.
Try it again. Do this a few times every day.

15. Now for that Oxford Dictionary problem word rhythm.
Any ideas how to remember this spelling?
rhythm has your two hips moving.

16. Remember spelling needs to be practiced so try again tomorrow and the next day and next week etc. This will help fix the spelling in your long term memory.
But if you make a mistake don't worry, mistakes are good and you learn from them. So keep at it.

17. Thank you for listening.
There are more spelling tests and interesting stuff about spelling on my spelling blog

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Spelling strategies and memory tricks for adults