Read Write Inc (RWI) Spelling is an interactive programme which teaches spellings in a fun and engaging way. Each unit is introduced with a short video. It helps children to learn spellings with common patterns and uses rules to help them recall spellings as well as teaching exceptions to these rules. The programme also has ‘special focuses’ which look at aspects such as homophones, apostrophes, word families and silent letters.
RWI Spelling is taught for 15-20 minutes daily and there is a range of teacher-led activities, paired work and independent tasks. Most weeks, classes will focus on a new spelling unit. Some weeks, classes may focus on special focuses or have consolidation sessions. Children will use a RWI Spelling Workbook in class alongside a spelling jotter (or workbook in Primary 4) which they will take home to complete homework tasks.
English is a complex language
English is one of the most complex alphabetic codes in the world. There are more that 150 spellings of 44 speech sounds and 26 alphabet letters.
The RWI Complex Speed Sounds charts are displayed in all our classrooms. The chart shows the most common graphemes used to spell 44 speech sounds (phonemes). For example: the long vowel sound 'ay' can be spelt as 'ay - may I play', 'a-e - make a cake', 'ai - snail in the rain', 'eigh - as in eight neighbours', 'a - as in maple bacon', 'ei - as in beige, vein and reign', 'ey - as in hey, they, survey' and 'aigh as in straight or laigh'.
Spelling Units and activities
This is what a typical Spelling Unit week at ESMS will look like:
Speed Spell - This is quick opportunity to review spelling words the children learnt the previous week. To support learning, it is important to create time to revisit previously-learnt knowledge.
Spelling Zone - This is a short video, led by three humaliens (Zita, Gama and Mew) who live on Spelling Zone Planet. Using their expert spelling knowledge, they guide the children through the week's spelling rule and give the children to opportunity to participate throughout.
Dots and Dashes - This is where children identify the sounds (phonemes) that are used to make up the word. A dot is drawn if one letter (grapheme) makes one sound; a dash is drawn if two or more graphemes make one sound and a 'smile' is drawn to indicate a split grapheme (e.g., a-e, i-e, o-e).
Examples:
We encourage children to break words into syllables to support their spelling. However, we also teach that within those syllables there are sounds that they can dot, dash and count. Examples:
Words to Log and Learn - Children will choose 6-8 words from the week's spelling unit that they are less familiar with to write into their spelling jotter. They will take these words home to practice. In addition to this, children will have a small number of red/orange words (between 3-6) to practice at home, too.
Rapid Recall - This is quick opportunity to review the spelling rule/focus of the week, referring back to the Spelling Zone video.
Word Changers - The purpose of this activity is to help children understand how a root word is affected by a suffix or prefix.
Examples:
Dictation - Children work in partners to read a dictation sentence to one another. The purpose of this is to allow children to practise the focus spellings in the context of a sentence. It is an opportunity to practise handwriting and punctuation, too.
Four-in-a-row - Children work in partners to practise spelling the focus words. The aim of the game is to get four 'ticks' in a row.
Choose the Right Word - The purpose of this activity is to support children choose the correct spelling so a sentence makes sense. This provides opportunities to reinforce grammatical concepts such as plurals and tenses.
Examples:
Team Teach - At the end of the week, the children work in small groups to review and revise words from the current unit, along with previously taught words that may need revisiting.
Red and Orange Words - During two sessions each week, teaching will focus on red and orange words. Red words are common words that have an unusual spelling of a particular sound (e.g., said, the, would, my). Most of these will be covered in Primary 3 and 4, however, some children may require revision of these in later year groups. Orange words are common words that are often misspelt by adults and are derived from the National Curriculum for England.
RWI Spelling uses five strategies to help teach read and orange words:
1) Mnemonics - A mnemonic connects something that is hard to remember with something memorable. These are used sparingly as they can become confusing.
2) Say it as it looks - We teach children to 'say it as it looks' to help them remember the correct spelling.
3) Word in a word - We can help children to remember a spelling by noticing that there is a 'word in a word'. Examples:
4) A sticky letter - Sticky letters help when there is only one letter causing a problem. Examples:
5) Rap it - We say the letter names in a rhyme to help children to remember the word.
Red Word List
Orange Word Lists
Homework
Spelling homework will be given out on a Monday and due back on Thursday or Friday (class timetable dependent). Children will copy 6-8 words from the spelling unit's word bank at school on a Monday and bring these home to practise during the week. In addition to the unit words, children will have a small number of red/orange words to practise, too. They should complete Look and Cover and Write and Check (LaCaWaC) three times and class teachers will set an additional spelling homework task to complete.
In Primary 5, 6 and 7, teachers may set the additional homework task on the Extra Spelling Zone. Children will have their own logins and password for this site. Login (oxfordowl.co.uk)
Spelling Tests
Giving children weekly spellings to be tested (even when they do score 10/10!) does not mean that they will apply these in their own written work. With this approach to the teaching of spellings, we hope to support and encourage children to become both more confident and independent spellers which will help them become better writers. Revisiting spelling patterns and rules regularly is key to them becoming successful spellers.
Children will be tested every 2-5 units depending on the year group and units covered. Children do not need to do extra revision for these at home. Following the 20-word test, classes will use time to do consolidation practice where necessary.
Helping at Home
Whenever possible, please help your child(ren) learn their 6-8 spelling unit and red/orange words each week. It is also beneficial to revisit spellings from previous weeks. There are several methods that you can use to support this:
- Ask your child to explain the rule for the week and get them to give you further example words that they may have focused on in class.
- Use a mini whiteboard. Children love using these and it encourages them to check their own work and wipe away any mistakes.
- Ask your child to spell the word with their eyes closed.
- Ask your child to write the word in the air with a finger as he/she is orally spelling the word to you.
- Help your child to check over their LaCaWaC words. If you find an error, ask you child to redo for accuracy.
- Play homophone games where you give them a word like right/write and they write you both spellings and show you on the complex sounds chart which graphemes they would choose to spell them right! Make sure they know which one is which!
- Play hold a sentence dictation where you give the child a short sentence with one of their spellings. This will help them to understand the meaning of the word and spell and punctuate correctly.
- Play dictionary games with your child. Encouraging your child to race against you in finding spelling words will not only support the spelling process, but speed up their use of a dictionary. Use this as an opportunity to discuss the meanings of words.