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/ Word Sums Drill

Word Sums Drill

Purpose

Spelling, morphological awareness and morphotactics.

Summary

The Word Sums drill supports learners' morphological awareness, ie. understanding that words in English are made up of morphemes. Morphology is a powerful way to boost spelling of multisyllabic words. Word sums drills also support understanding the core spelling rules that govern spelling longer words. It is important to have an understanding of the major suffixing rules as you and your learner begin to practice with longer words.

Materials Needed

Word sums drill with a list of words to spell.

Something to write on (mini-whiteboard, workbook, Spellcaster worksheet)

Something to write with.

How to deliver

  1. Show the learner a word broken into its morphological units in the form of a sum.
  2. Ask the learner to 'sum up' the word adjusting spelling where necessary.
  3. Check the spelling of the word.
Suggested script
"You're going to spell some words using prefixes and suffixes. Remember to use the appropriate suffixing conventions where necessary."

Common Issues & Prompts

Issue: Learner spells a word incorrectly

  • Do this: If the error is in the spelling of the base word, prefix or suffix, ask the learner to check against the slide or supporting resource and correct as needed. If the error is because the learner has not used the correct suffix convention then explain the spelling convention to them support them to correct the word.
  • Example: The learner spells ‘unreliable’ as ‘unrelyable’. Say “This word follows the change it rule. When we add a vowel suffix to a base word ending in a consonant and a y, we change the base’s ‘y’ to an ‘i’ before adding the suffix. Can you correct the word?” Support as needed.
  • Then: Reread the word.

Additional Tips

  • Always use a pencil and an eraser to make corrections so the learner can see the correct spelling neatly at the end of the exercise.

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