Natalie is not a big fan of invented/phonetic spelling. She’ll do it, but she doesn’t really like it!
We recently made her a personal word wall in a file folder. I always had a word wall in my classroom, and as I introduced sight words, we would add them to the wall. So, this is just a mini-version of that. Natalie can already read all these words, she just can’t remember how to spell them. This has been a great tool for her. She always uses it during journal-writing, but I have also noticed her pulling it out to use when writing letters and notes.
For now, I am adding words mostly at her request. Sometimes, we look back through her journal and find words she uses often, but misspells. She loves it and I can tell it makes her feel more confident when she writes.
Anybody else use a word wall, word folder, or other word bank system? I would love to hear your ideas!
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I love this idea! My daughter is 5 1/2. She spells well for her age, but she also does not like inventive spelling. I try to encourage her to write the sounds she hears, but she just wants to spell words the right way! This file folder word wall is a great idea!!
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing.
love it! esp. the photo of it standing up on the desk! some of these ideas could go to my dd’s teacher who, as a 1st grade teacher, does not use a word wall b/c it “doesn’t work for her”??????
Awesome idea. Thank you!
Great idea!
I have a similar situation with my little guy. I created a little dictionary for him that we add to as needed, but I like this idea better, because it can be viewed at a glance, rather than flipped through. Thanks for sharing!
I used word walls when I was teaching. They are such a versatile tool that can be adapted for any age.
I like your idea of using a folder. The fact that the words are portable and accessible any where, any time, is a fantastic idea.
This is a neat idea. I’ve been making my 4 year old a picture dictionary. Every time he asks me how to spell something I will write it in his notebook and then we will add a picture as well.
What a great idea! My 4 1/2 yo son is almost at this stage so we might make one today!
Thanks for this great idea, I just had to make one right away.
I would love to make one! What program did you use for the grid and letters?
Hi Andrea! I used Microsoft Word and made a table (2 columns x 7 rows) for the grid. Then I just typed the letters in each box. Hope that helps!
I love this! I am a student teacher in a private, Christian school. I was looking for ideas to make word folders/banks for my students when I stumbled on your blog. I want them to be able to keep track of all of the words they are learning so that they can look back at the end of the year and see how many words they know. I am going to use this idea with some modifications. Thank you so much!
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