Mrs. Strafford's BlogFirst Grade is fun!

Our Spelling program is part of our Language Arts series with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Journeys Common Core program. In the beginning, there will be 6 new words each week that share a trait (example: words with short a). We will be doing a lot of practice with these words in the classroom, but it is still helpful if you can practice these words regularly at home.

To get you started, here are the first 5 spelling lists:

1. Words with short a: am, at, sat, man, dad, mat

2. Words with short i: if, is, him, rip, fit, pin

3. Words with short o: log, dot, top, hot, ox, lot

4. Words with short e: yet, web, pen, wet, leg, hen

5. Words with short u: up, bug, mud, nut, hug, tub

Word of warning: The difficulty level increases as we go. Later in the year the spelling units increase to 10 words per week and multiple spelling patterns are used for the same phonics trait. For example, later in the year words with long a can be spelled with /ai/ or /ay/ all in the same list (grain, mail, stay, play). Another unit showcases compound words (flagpole, sailboat, inside, bedtime). Lots of instruction, support, and practice in the classroom will help your child master these phonic rules. Regular student attendance and reviewing these lists at home are also critical to success in spelling this year.