[simplyesl]

Does anyone have any ideas to make spelling tests fun?

[ruth1966]

You could maybe have a game first. Get the students to stand in a circle and pass/throw a ball to each other spelling out each letter of the given word as they each receive the ball. Write down the correct spelling of the word as they do this. You could eliminate students who make mistakes or simply have other students help out for incorrectly spelt words. I usually do this as review practice before the test.

[simplyesl]

I've tried stuff like that. I still need a way to test them individually, not as a group. It only takes 2 or 3 minutes max, but all the students groan at the mention of it.

[mesmark]

Are you giving them a grade or just trying to verify that they can do it? There are a lot of spelling games but I'm not sure you can grade the students by them.

[simplyesl]

Yea, they are graded, but it's not a serious affair. What are your games like? Maybe I could adapt them to work for me.

Cheers,
Eli

[mesmark]

1. I give students some small alphabet cards and have them lay them all face up on their desks. Then I call out a word and the students race to spel the word out on their desks.

(For fun I tell them that if the same letter is called 'week' they can try to get the second letter from a neighbor if they are quick enough. However, it get a little roudy.)

2. You can put up larger flashcards and have the students slap them in order, instead of spelling out the word. For large classes, I like to put large flashcards on the board keyboard style and have the students slap them in order using fly-swatters. The other students can be judges.

Maybe one of those could be adapted.

[mesmark]

One more that might be useful.

This is more of a reading game, but it evolves into a spelling game.

Visulaized Spelling - Start with small words and spell them out verbally to the class. The students don't write down the words. They have to try and visualize the word in their head, then read it.

They'll get better and better at it and then you can spell the word backwards and have them reorder it and read it correctly. You can start to add more letters up to 5-6 letter words or more.

They'll get good at that quick and then you can start to jumble the letters and have them rearrange them in their heads (smaller 3-4 letter words to start.)

Somewhere along the line you can start to have them do the reverse. You say the word and they visualize the spelling and verbally recall it to you.

That's a lot of ground work for a little spelling test, but it's very helpful for the students as an activity.

[simplyesl]

I think I might be able to use that first one. I use the second game for my phonics classes.

Thanks for the ideas.

[Pix]

I like all the above ideas, and I can also suggest playing various games based on anagrams, also boggle, and other spelling games, such as fill in the blanks, hangman and many more.

Another things you can do is give only specific letters to your students such as all the consonants and the vowel A - then have them make up as many words as possible from those letters - cat, mat, pat, etc. This is perhaps too easy an example for your students, but by giving out groups of letters you can focus on certain sounds such as few, view and dew.
I think we learn through repetition - even if that means going over words ourselves alone - rather than through rules, so give your students plenty of practise and set certain words to be learned by heart.

Kind regards
Shelley
Fun English Games

EDIT: Please keep site promotion in your signature.

[simplyesl]

Here's one I used to learn how to spell:

Throw/bounce a ball back and forth, each time the ball changes hands a letter must be said.

Simple and effective.