Our Spelling Scheme

At Parbold Douglas CE Academy, we follow the evidence-led Spelling Shed Teaching Scheme. In designing this scheme, the Spelling Shed team have evaluated the latest spelling research and collaborated with schools and educators.

When teaching spelling, evidence shows that repeated practice, short-term retrieval and small-step goal achievement is key to spelling improvement. The Spelling Shed Teaching Scheme provides a comprehensive week-by-week spelling programme (alongside technology-driven practice games) that is designed to secure this improvement in spelling.

Curriculum Map

The documents below show how the teaching of spellings is mapped from Years 1 to 6. 

Please note: Stage 1 = Year 1, etc.

What is included in a Spelling lesson?

At Parbold Douglas, spelling lessons are taught for a full hour every week on a Monday. This is followed-up with short practice opportunities throughout the week in class and an expectation that pupils practice at home as part of weekly homework.

Each lesson has a main objective from the National Curriculum appendix for spelling. This may be split across multiple bullet points.

Lessons are comprised of three sections:

• Revision and Introduction
• Main Teaching Input
• Independent Activities and Consolidation

The lesson sequence is planned to systematically build upon acquired knowledge.

For more information on the structure of spelling lessons, please see the guidance document below.

Our Spelling Scheme: Orthography, Morphology and Etymology

Orthography

Orthography is how patterns of letters are used to make certain spoken sounds in a language.

In the Spelling Shed lessons, students will continue to build on the firm foundations built whilst studying phonics in their early years of education. They will continue to break down spellings into the smallest units of sound and cluster them into syllables in order to read and write words efficiently.

Through adult-led discussion and investigation children will become more secure in their knowledge of English orthography based on the frequency and position of the sounds within words.

Morphology

Morphology describes how words are structured into subcomponents to give meaning.

Children will study words; word parts; their meanings and how this affects spelling. There are lessons throughout the scheme that consolidate children’s knowledge of common morphemes such as root formations, prefixes and suffixes.

Etymology

Etymology describes the origins of words, which can lead to certain patterns of spelling.

Most lessons in the scheme include an etymology element that allows educators to teach the children about the origin of the words that they are learning about.

Children will be able to see how the English language has, over time, borrowed and integrated words and spellings from a range of source languages. For example, the latinate verbs which follow Latin prepositions in English words such as: -act (do), -pute (think) or -opt (choose).