A useful powerpoint of spelling strategies to teach adults the importance of using strategies and memory tricks. Includes a spelling test of problem words and strategies to help spell them from www.howtospell.co.uk

1. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/ Spelling Strategies. According to the Oxford Dictionary website www.oxforddictionaries.com there are plenty of words that follow spelling rules but “there are some tricky words you just have to learn like necessary and rhythm.” But they don’t tell you how you can learn them. Spelling strategies to learn and remember words are one of the most important aspects of spelling.

2. To remember a spelling you have to keep writing the word but if you don't, and it's an important word you have problems with, then use a memory trick to fix it in your brain. Do you know any ways of helping fix spelling in your memory? Here are a few - words within words, rhymes, syllable breakdown, knowing the history of the word, any trick to help remember the spelling. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

3. Podcast spelling test. Listen and see if you can spell these notoriously hard words. Maybe you have memory tricks to remember them. Why is it important to always write in lowercase /small letters? Apart from capital letters if needed. Always use lowercase in handwriting so you can see the shape of the words but use capitals for proper nouns American, Britain etc. BLOCK CAPITALS are hard to read and to write. Use BLOCK on forms only. OK, ready. Press the player below, it takes a few seconds to start. | Duration: 00:03:03 http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

4. How did you do? Check the spellings carefully and underline the problem areas and see if they relate to the memory tricks below. The podcast spellings necessary accommodation piece business assistant secretary February believe Wednesday forty write stationery http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

5. Spelling Strategies Let’s look at the problems most people have with these words and strategies for remembering them. Other people’s memory tricks are useful but if you invent your own it means the process of coming up with one will help fix it in your brain. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

6. People usually know the beginning and endings of words, and understand the patterns –ation, -ary, -ness but it’s the individual letters within the word that usually cause problems. necessary What a nightmare - is there one C and one S or two Cs and two Ss or two Cs and one s? Necessary – one C two Ss. Have you got a memory trick? Try this memory trick it’s necessary to have one collar and two sleeves - one c and two s http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

7. accommodation this word is spelled wrong in so many signs and notices. Is there one C or one M etc? Have you got a memory trick? Memory trick – accommodation has two cots and two mattresses – 2 Cs and 2 Ms. Remember the O as well – accommodation. 2 cots with two mattresses and two fat babies O. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

8. piece or peace? These are homophones - same sound, different meaning and spelling and troublesome. The computer will say yes it’s the correct spelling for either one but is the meaning right? We can use the word within a word memory trick to remember piece– what’s the word? A piece of pie. Peace and love. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

9. Business - do you have a memory trick? Strange memory trick is a bus at a bus stop i.– bus iness. Some students have come up with their own with it’s a busi business (busy business) etc. assistant - sales assistant, shop assistant, admin assistant the word is used so often. But is there one s at the beginning etc? A memory trick is – the ass of the assistant is … or the assistant is an ass. Or use syllable breakdown - ass is tant secretary - use a word within a word memory trick. What’s the word? a secretary will keep a secret. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

10. February – the difference between how we say words and the spelling is obvious in days and months. Wednesday /wens day/ Tuesday /choos day/ or /toos day/ February /Feb ree/. You could sound out the syllables - Feb ru a ry . Or use a memory trick - it’s brr in February Learn the letter pattern –uary for Februaryand January http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

11. believe– use the word within a word memory trick to remember that it's -ie- not -ei- What is the word within believe? Never believe a lie. Wednesday– the big problem is with the silent d. Any memory tricks? We could break it down into syllables - Wed / nes / day. Say it slow and exaggerated. Wed nes day. Breaking words down into manageable syllables is good for big words. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

12. Forty - another nightmare. We have four, fourteen, then forty without the u. Any memory tricks? A memory trick is four, fourteen but U can’t be forty! Write Write or right? Another homophone. Remember what they are? - same sound, different spelling and meaning. Right and left, right and correct. But you write words. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

13. And finally stationery. This is a homophone again - stationery or stationary? Do you have a memory trick to remember if it’s -ery or –ary? Stationery has envelopes. Stationary = stop at the station stationary train http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

14. Another spelling strategy is to use Look Say Cover Write Check. Write the word you want to learn on a piece of paper. Look at it, see the shape, that's why we use lowercase with a capital when appropriate Sayit Cover it (this is important, don't copy it) Writeit Check it carefully letter by letter and correct any mistakes and think how you can learn from them. Try it again. Do this a few times every day. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

15. Now for that Oxford Dictionary problem word rhythm. Any ideas how to remember this spelling? rhythm has your two hips moving. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

16. Remember spelling needs to be practiced so try again tomorrow and the next day and next week etc. This will help fix the spelling in your long term memory. But if you make a mistake don't worry, mistakes are good and you learn from them. So keep at it. http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/

17. Thank you for listening. There are more spelling tests and interesting stuff about spelling on my spelling blog http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/ http://spellingblog.howtospell.co.uk/