Spelling and ABC orderAny grade
Spelling practice worksheet
A four-column grid with the spelling word on the left and three boxes to write it, the last one from memory. You type your own list, or switch to a built-in list for grades 1 to 5. It is for any grade.
- Type your details or print blank
- Print or PDF, Letter or A4
- Free, no sign-up
On this page
What prints
The title is "Spelling Practice" when you use your own words, and "2nd Grade Spelling Words" (or whichever grade you choose) when you use a built-in list. Under the Name line there is one instruction: read each word and say its letters, write it in the next two boxes, then fold the page back, cover it and write it from memory.
The grid has four columns with these headings.
- Word. The spelling word, in bold, already printed.
- Write it. A blank box for a first copy.
- Write it again. A blank box for a second copy.
- Cover and write. A blank box for the memory attempt.
A heavier vertical line separates the printed word from the three writing boxes. That is the fold: bend the paper back along it so the word is hidden when the child writes in the last column. Each row is tall enough for a line of printing, and the row height shrinks if you ask for many words.
The settings
- Sheet. "Practice: write each word three times" is the choice for this page. The other choice is blank test paper, covered on the spelling test template.
- Words. "My own words" is how this page opens. The alternatives are "1st grade list" through "5th grade list".
- Your spelling words, one per line. Up to 20 lines and 400 characters in all. Press Enter between words.
- Number of words. From 5 to 20. The grid has at least this many rows, so if you type only eight words and leave the number at 12, four rows stay empty. Set the number to match your list.
How to use it
Spelling lists work best when a child does a little each day. On Monday, write each word in the first two boxes. On Wednesday, fold and write from memory. On Friday, give the test. Saying the letters aloud while writing links the sound, the shape and the order of letters.
For cover-and-write to help, the child should look at the word, cover it, write it and then uncover it to check. A wrong attempt is not a loss; the child should fix it and try again in the margin.
Use the child's own errors to build the list. Words missed in last week's writing are better practice than words from a book of random lists. The Common Core standards name using conventional spelling for common patterns in Grade 1 and generalizing learned patterns, such as cage to badge, in Grade 2.
Worked example: a third-grade week
A teacher types ten words, one per line: friend, because, school, people, again, would, could, should, where, there. She sets Number of words to 10, prints the sheet, and sends it home on Monday.
On the page, each word appears in bold in the first column. A student writes it twice, fixing a "frend" by looking back at the word. On Thursday, the student folds the sheet, covers the first column and writes all ten from memory. Parents mark any that are wrong with a dot, and the student rewrites those at the bottom.
When the list is complete, move to the test sheet, or use the ABC order worksheets as a short alternate activity with the same words, or add them to handwriting practice sheets.
Sources
- Common Core State Standards: Language, Grade 2 (L.2.2, spelling conventions) thecorestandards.org