Spelling at Nook Lane Such  is  our  commitment  to  developing  spelling,  a  Nook  Lane  pupil  can  expect  to  improve  on  two  fronts:  widening  horizons  through  our  focused  fortnightly  patterns  and  conventions,  while  consolidating  the  basics  through  our  whole-­‐school  daily  intervention  –  Spelling  Zappers.  Now  at  the  heart  of  our  curriculum,  we  engage  families,  pupils  and  staff  by  putting  spelling  firmly  in  the  spotlight.  

Patterns  &  Conventions  Supported  by  an  in-­‐class  display  ,  each  cohort  selects  a  fortnightly  spelling  focus  from  our    progressive  patterns  document  (devised  from  the  most  up-­‐to-­‐date  spelling  resources).  A  collection  of  words  are  shared  with  families,  who  work  in  partnership  to  create  personalised  spelling  lists  for  their  child.  Families  are  challenged  to  investigate  the  pattern  at  home  and    invited  to  share  any  evidence  of  progress    with  their  class  teacher  –  examples  include  photographs,  games,  word  searches/crosswords  or  more  traditional  have-­‐a-­‐go  ‘lists’.  More  importantly,  we  promise  to  play  our  part  by  committing  to  explicit  teaching  sequences  designed  to  support  and  challenge  any  home  learning  –  it  really  is  a  partnership  approach!  At  the  end  of  each  fortnight,  we’ll  test  our  spellers  on  their  terms.  A  non-­‐threatening,  personalised  and  fully  inclusive  model  which  assesses  only  words  accessed  and  learnt  .  Such  an  approach  allows  emerging  spellers  the  chance  to  experience  that  ‘full  marks  feeling’,  if  successful  in  learning  all  their  chosen  words.  Our  model  is  innovative,  progressive  and  –most  importantly  –  family-­‐friendly.  

   ‘Mopping  Up’  The  Basics  –  Zappers  We  won’t  take  things  for  granted  at  Nook  Lane!  In  response  to  common  errors  in  even  our  most  confident  spellers,  all  pupils  are  assessed  on  their  key-­‐words  when  they  become  part  of  the  Nook  Lane  family.  Whether  gaps  appear  at  ‘High  Frequency’,  ‘Common’,  ‘Lower’  or  ‘Upper  School’  words,  our  progressive  word  bank  will  identify  the  gaps.  Once  identified,  our  in-­‐class  Zappers  provide  a  daily  self-­‐managed,  fun  and  inclusive  way  to  plug  the  gaps.  Your  child’s  Zapper  progress  is  recorded  in  their  English  book  and  tracked  through  school,  providing  the  clearest  possible  evidence  of  spelling  progress.  

Tried  &  Tested  In-­‐school  research  revealed  that  pupils  who  undertook  our  dual-­‐approach  model,  made  –  on  average  –  20  months  spelling  progress  in  an  academic  year  (2012/2013).  

 

Spelling  Out…  

Proagress  Proggress  Progres  

         Progress  

An  inclusive  whole-­‐school  approach  to  

nurturing  better  spellers  

A  Two-­‐Pronged  Attack!  To  be  outstanding  in  your  field  can  

require  sensitive  managing  -­‐  that  delicate  balance  between  encouraging  

experimentation  and  securing  building  blocks.  Such  an  approach  can  harness  potential  and  nurture  an  ethos  of  

challenge,  motivation  and  confidence.  It’s  the  approach  we’ve  adopted  for  our  Nook  

Lane  spellers…  

Here,  we  outline  our  innovative  dual-­‐approach  to  supporting:  

• Confident  spellers  • Pupils  with  increased  awareness  • Knowledge  of  high-­‐frequency  and  

common  words  • Pupils  who  are  motivated  to  improve  • Understand  patterns  and  conventions  • Investigate  and  make  informed  spelling  

choices  • Risk-­‐taking  to  develop  a  breadth  of  

knowledge  around  words.  

We  provide  our  pupils  with  not  only  the  tools  to  spell  well,  but  the  path  upon  

which  to  take  ownership  and  drive  their  own  improvement.

I  hear;  I  forget.  I  see;  I  learn.  I  do;  I  understand.  (Gennady  V.  Oster)  

Children  must  not  only  learn  what  their  parents  learnt  at  school  but  also  have  to  learn  how  to  learn.  (Margaret  Mead)  

Hyperpolysyllabicomania  is  a  fondness  for  massive  words!  (Unknown)  

Anyone who can think of only one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination. (Mark Twain)

My spelling is wobbly. It’s good spelling but it wobbles and the letters get in the wrong places. ( A. A. Milne)

One of the drawbacks of English is that you can’t spell words simply by hearing them. (Bill Nye)

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