"Useful to both an experienced teacher as a focus, or back up, but also useful to a parent trying to support a child’s school spelling programme or for those home educating"
I think I might be a little addicted to these books, having reviewed a number of arithmetic and comprehension ninja books that I use regularly in my lessons.
It is evident that Andrew Jennings is an experienced and empathetic teacher, as the resources are all so accessible and relevant.
The book is split up into age groups, years 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, and within each section, there is a page dedicated to a spelling rule, with a focus, examples, the sound focus and how to break the word into syllables, a task or a tip and a ninja joke. There are also sample sentences which are great for re-enforcement or a dictation.
What is clever is that there is so much varied information, that it is useful to both an experienced teacher as a focus, or back up, but also useful to a parent trying to support a child’s school spelling programme or for those home educating. This makes it a particularly useful tool kit. This book is a useful and quick reference point with a clear contents page, an introduction on how to use the book and a parental guide to help a child to learn the spellings and retain the patterns; using such techniques as listen/hear/repeat, verbal and written recognition and the use of flash cards.
The only thing it doesn’t mention directly is how to support dyslexic spellers, who do not readily see the pattern in words and struggle to retain visual cues. This however has always been an issue with any spelling guide.
There are however useful tools here, such as colour coding words, the repetition and clear lists of word patterns, and use of flash cards. Perhaps a clearer guide for how to support struggling learners would be beneficial. There is certainly something here for any speller, at all levels and abilities – another great Ninja resource.
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