How can parents work with their children at home for spelling?

Dear Mac,

Did you and members of your staff see the most recent August Appleseed? If not, read “If Parents Ask” for starters. Here are more ideas for additional materials parents may wish to use.

These cost-effective materials complement the Sourcebook curriculum for parent-child partnerships. Parents can read about and order them at www.epsbooks.com/sittonspelling.

• Core Word Activity Cards (one set for each grade, 1-3)

A colored word card, 3.5” x 6,” identifies each Core Word that will be tested throughout the school year for that grade. On the backside of each card, parents and children can engage in activities that relate to the Core Word. The activities teach and extend the Sourcebook skills and concepts.

• Word Skills in Rhythm and Rhyme (one book for each grade, 1-3)

Activities in each grade-level book spring from the book’s accompanying CD-ROM which features six interactive rhymes. Parents and children can have fun working together through the extensive activities and reproducible worksheets that correlate to the rhymes to extend and reinforce essential Sourcebook skills and concepts.

• Word-Wise Sourcebooks (Book One for grades 1-2,  Book Two for grades 3-4, and Book Three for grades 5-6)

Laugh-aloud poems and correlated word-skill activities on 32 reproducible worksheets help students gain competence in language-related skills. The three books provide an ideal complement to the Sourcebook curriculum for parents to enjoy with their child.

• Some Words Vocabulary Mini-Course Series (seven titles for grades 4 and above)

Teachers can order the titles in this series to distribute for parent-child projects. Each title is packaged in a set of ten 32 page, paperback booklets. On the bottom of each page, an “apple” extension activity offers more word-work partnerships to extend skills. The seven topics for study are Suffixes, Prefixes, Often-Confused Words, Homophones I, Homophones II, Greek Word Parts, and Latin Word Parts. Each vocabulary-building booklet develops multiple communication skills that springboard from the central topic.

• Student Practice Books (One for each grade, 1-6)

These optional student practice books, are a terrific resource for parents to extend a child’s skills. Like the series Some Words above, the consumable practice books are packaged in multiple copies (5 per package) and include an “apple” extension activity at the bottom of each page. The books feature crossword puzzles, games, and skill-development practice activities correlated to the Sourcebook lessons. If teachers are using the practice books in class, reserve the “apple” extension activities for parent-child projects.

Mac, suggest to your staff that they use these suggestions in concert with the numerous activities appropriate for at-home projects included in every unit of the Sourcebooks. The more informed and involved that parents can become with their child’s spelling and word-skill education, the stronger the achievement that you can expect among your students. Time on task makes a difference!

By the way, you may wish to use the Tutor Me Training^® CD-ROM Parent Introduction for families new to your school. This has been a very successful, quick way to explain the program to parents. If you’re unfamiliar with it you can learn more at www.epsbooks.com/sittonspelling.

Parents are among the strongest proponents for Sitton Spelling and Word Skills™. Their support and involvement increases student achievement. It’s worth the time and effort to put parents on your team!