Learning Sight Words

There are many different lists of High Frequency Words. These words make up approximately 50% of what we read and spell so by having good knowledge of these helps to develop fluency for reading and spelling.   This website has lots of activities to provide practise in many different ways. Find some that help you…

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Handwriting Without A Pencil

Handwriting without pen and pencil

I am often asked how parents can work with their children to improve handwriting and letter formation. Here are some simple and effective ideas. What you will learn Ideas for letter formation without using pen and paper Ideas to develop fine motor skills that will support hand strength Handwriting without pen and paper Schools are…

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Using Prefixes and Suffixes to Read and Spell

Prefixes and Suffixes

A simple strategy for decoding longer words is by using prefixes and suffixes. Read on to learn how. What you will learn What is are prefixes and suffixes How to remover prefixes and suffixes from words to help with reading and spelling What are prefixes and suffixes? A prefix is a letter or group of…

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What Are Open And Closed Syllables?

open and closed syllables

Your children may have come home from school talking about open and closed syllables. They may have come home talking about long and short vowels. Confused? Read on… What you will learn: What exactly are open and closed syllables How to spot open and closed syllables How open and closed syllables change the vowel sounds in words Long…

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Explaining The Doubling Rule for Verbs

doubling rule

Do you know when to double the final letter in a verb before adding a suffix? What you will learn When to double the final letter of a verb before suffixing When not to double the final letter before suffixing a verb The 1:1:1 rule for suffixing. What is suffxing? A suffix is a letter…

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Spelling Strategies for Phonic Words

spelling

Last week I posted a strategy for learning to spell tricky or subject specific vocabulary. This week we will look at spelling strategies for phonic words. What you will learn strategy for spelling phonic words how to sound out syllables how to sound out words Spelling Strategies for Phonic Words Step 1 Say the word…

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