CURRICULUM AREA:
Language Arts, study skills (any class where students take standardized tests)
TEACHING LEVEL:
Grades 6-8
PREVIEW OF MAIN IDEA:
The way in which students' spelling ability is tested on standardized spelling tests
requires a separate teaching-learning strategy. Since the most common method of testing
spelling proficiency is to have students listen to the word, recall the correct spelling,
and write it down, standardized spelling tests pose a unique spelling problem for
students. Most standardized tests require students to look at a written cluster of four
words (with a fifth choice of "No Mistakes"), find the misspelled word in each
group (if there is one), and fill in the bubble which corresponds with the correct answer.
Students ability to demonstrate spelling proficiency on standardized spelling tests
requires that they be able to "take the test", as well as recognize spelling
errors. It also requires that students be able to demonstrate proofreading proficiency as
much as spelling proficiency.
MATERIALS:
Teacher-made "standardized" spelling tests
OBJECTIVES:
Students are expected to...
BEFORE THE LESSON:
The teacher develops "standardized" spelling tests. Start with tests where
students look at two possible ways to spell the same word. Next, design
"standardized" spelling tests where the students look at two words, one of which
is spelled incorrectly. Finally, design spelling tests that increase the number of words
in the word cluster (from two to three to four) until students are looking at groups of
five choices, one of which is "No Mistakes". At this stage, using a test paper
that looks like the "standardized" form would also be beneficial to students.
OPENING THE LESSON:
Approximately one month ahead of when students take school-wide standardized tests, the
teacher introduces the standardized spelling test as a spelling opportunity. The teacher
explains that the method students are going to practice will provide them with experience,
and develop their confidence, in test-taking. The teacher makes sure that students know
that the goal of this activity is to allow students the opportunity to have practice
"taking the test". Then, when it comes to demonstrating spelling proficiency on
the real thing, students will have the advantage of understanding how to take the
standardized spelling test.
DEVELOPING THE LESSON:
Spreading the process over a month or more, leading up to the taking of the standardized
test, is recommended. Use two word cluster tests for a week, three word cluster tests for
a week, four word cluster tests for a week, and five word cluster tests for a week or
more.
CONCLUDING THE LESSON:
The teacher allows students to keep all "test" papers, as the goal is not to
find words that students don't know and record these on their individual spelling lists,
nor is the goal to "grade" these "tests".
EXTENDING THE LESSON:
The teacher may choose to use this method of test-taking more often with class sets of
spelling words.
ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING:
Words that students "miss" on these practice tests may be added to individual
spelling lists for traditional testing. Teachers might also analyze standardized spelling
test scores over a period of years to determine if students are "taking the
test" more successfully as a result of using this strategy.
Circle the correct spelling:
| adjourn | ajourn | |
| alegory | allegory | |
| character | charactor | |
| disappoint | disapoint | |
| easiness | easyness | |
| forground | foreground | |
| gorey | gory | |
| havoc | havock | |
| isle | iasle | |
| loveliness | lovliness | |
| motercycle | motorcycle | |
| nightime | nighttime | |
| ommission | omission | |
| purchace | purchase | |
| rivision | revision | |
| squeeker | squeaker | |
| teammate | teamate | |
| unachieved | unacheived | |
| visable | visible | |
| youthfull | youthful |
Circle the correct spelling:
| aligator | allocate | |
| beauteous | brawnyness | |
| climatology | conivery | |
| dandalion | deterrence | |
| elittist | espionage | |
| flameous | focusable | |
| gaseous | gimicky | |
| hirarchy | honorific | |
| inertia | intellectualise | |
| javeline | judgmental | |
| kerchief | kneedable | |
| limerick | lecitin | |
| magnetizible | mediator | |
| nightengale | nostalgia | |
| oxidizable | oficiate | |
| potasium | prevalent | |
| quadrangle | quinttuple | |
| reciept | remnant | |
| sensability | seethe | |
| transferance | tyrannous |
Directions: Find the misspelled word in each group below. Circle the number of the line
in which the misspelled word occurs. If there is no misspelled word, circle #5.
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 11
Set 12
Set 13
Set 14
Set 15
Set 16
Set 17
Set 18
Set 19
Set 20
