"Teacher, Teacher! How do you spell...?"

Have you heard that phrase a million times? If so, then my latest packet is just what you need. I have used "Words for Writing" for many years in my classroom and I am excited to share it with you. I've finally put the finishing touches on it today and just uploaded it to TpT and TN. TpT gave me such a hard time uploading {try a few hours}, so I wanted to spread some LOVE and decided to offer it FREE to the first 3 people to leave a random comment on this post.

Words for Writing is a compilation of words commonly used when writing. It is a student dictionary & reference pack meant to foster independence, help students move away from inventive spelling, and encourage all students to become better spellers as well as writers. 

This pack includes 33 pages of word lists, step- by- step directions, and five different options for cover pages.

How I use it in my classroom: 

1. Students are given an assignment that includes a form of writing. 

2. If a student is looking to write a specific word but is not sure how to spell the word, they would open their "words for writing" pack and try to find the page that the word begins with (ex. "astronaut", they must turn to the letter A page). 

3. After finding the correct page, he/she will come to me and say the word. If the word is listed on the page, I will put a check mark on the word and they would go back to their seat, copy the word, and continue with the assignment. If the word is not listed I would write the word on the lines provided. 

I would suggest binding it and printing the front and back cover on card stock for durability.  

You can use this in your writing center or you can use it daily, as I do each time you give your students a writing assignment. For this Earth Day activity students had to write a way they would help the earth. Instead of asking me, a million times how to spell words, they would open up their "Words for Writing" and at least be able to turn to the page that the word begins with.  

 

In this picture, my student needed help writing the word "trash". He opened up his words for writing to the letter t page. Then he would come to me and say the word he is looking for. At first, it may become overwhelming but as soon as students get the hang of it, your class will run a little smoother. When students come to me, I have trained  taught them to try and find the page that the word begins with on their own, so I am not busy flipping through it for them. For students who are still having difficulty with beginning letters they must ask TWO friends for help before they come to me. 

When they come to me they are also taught to just say the word, and only the word, not "teacher I need to spell.....". Just the word. So my boy comes to me and says "trash". I quickly scour the list and if the word is on the list I would put a check mark and students would go back to their seat and copy the word. If the word they are looking for is not on the list, I would write it on the lines provided on the right then they would go back and copy the word. 

I hope this makes sense. I know it sounds a bit confusing, I really wish I could just show you. But it has honestly made my classroom run a little smoother. 

Finished product:  

Have a fantastic day!!