National Curriculum Spelling Tips

by John Higgins

National Curriculum Spelling is a big matter for all parents, teachers and pupils. Learning to spell is a developmental procedure not just a matter of remembering letters and words. This article gives top tips to aid teaching and learning spelling effectively for the National Curriculum.

Using a dictionary helps to find exceptions to the rules of spelling English. This is great because the spelling rules in English are so complicated. There are just such a large number of exceptions to each rule.

Sure, many people choose to use the on line spelling correction tools, but many people ignore them, too. This is due to the fact that they are not easy on the eye and can be quite difficult to use. Similarly, they can be unreliable, especially with regard to UK and USA spelling differences. This can cause confusion leading to more problems. As a result, staying away from online dictionaries and spelling tools may be best.

Using an ordinary dictionary can only help with National Curriculum Spelling. After all, there might not be a nearby computer whenever a spelling needs to be checked out. Obtaining a straightforward pocket dictionary or issuing one to a child and getting them to always carry it in their schoolbag for easy reference is a good idea.

Practice your spelling regularly to try assist with your National Curriculum Spelling. Looking things up a dictionary and then writing the word several times is a really good way to train yourself to spell properly. This sounds like an effort but it really takes no time and the benefits can be enormous. Sorry, but just quickly glancing at it and hoping to recall it in the future will not do anywhere near as well.

Note down and mentally run through all of the common spelling rules. The child working toward National Curriculum Spelling will easily remember things like "I before e except after C" and should see their spelling helped as a result.

A great idea is to build up a set of frequently misspelled words. You could similarly create a note of words that may be correctly spelt but that are often used incorrectly. Good examples are their and there as well as bananas and banana's.

List all the words that you personally misspell on a regular basis in a spelling notebook. This could quite easily be the back of your diary or filofax.

Adults and senior students should really take great care with any work related document. In fact, that applies to any presentation, project or document that will be seen by other people. Always, always carry out a spell check on the document, if it is computer based. Be certain to select the correct English language choice (USA English, UK English etc) spell checker software. Never use "correct all" option because the software will make errors. Go through the suggested choices one by one and you will correct errors the software has made.

Double check the item by printing it out the document and then reading it off the page. You will miss things if you read it off the screen notice and you will pick up those errors by using hard copy.

Be brave and request that someone that you can trust checks the final print out or hard copy. This is especially important on something crucial like a job form application.

Carrying out the final idea might fill you with trepidation because you risk getting feedback concerning the text as well as the spelling. It is well worth it, though, because the producing well spelt, nicely presented work might avert a tiny error leaving a bad impression. A word perfect document can create a fantastic image for you.

About the Author

John Higgins is a writer for quality newspapers as well as the internet.

Do you want some more help with National Curriculum Spelling? You can get a free report "20 Best Tips for Teaching Spelling" at www.all-about-spelling.co.uk

More learning to spell assistance is available at Learning to Spell