Spelling

BJU Press’s spelling product line equips students to master spelling by recognizing word relationships and structural patterns in grade-appropriate lists. Activities include word study, word sorting, proofreading, dictionary skills, and writing. In the primary grades, word lists contain high-frequency words, phonetic words, and challenge words with irregular spellings. In the intermediate grades, lists add syllable patterns and derivational suffixes. Frequent assessments give opportunities for self-assessment and retrieval practice. They also build student confidence and encourage mastery for producing God-honoring written communication.

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Vision

To equip students to apply science to life by observing and analyzing scientific information and by evaluating scientific models from a biblical worldview.

Goals

To develop a foundational understanding of scientific knowledge and skills
To engage students in scientific methods to solve real-world problems
To use models to explain and describe observations and make predictions
To enable students to interpret and apply scientific knowledge through the lens of biblical teaching

Program Approach for Spelling

Biblical Worldview

sitting on a sofa sharing the Gospel

God created mankind to declare His glory through being like Him. He has made each of us in His image and has called us to imitate His deeds. One way we imitate God is in the use of language. God’s attributes are reflected in the characteristics and usefulness of language. The Bible is His Word, and in it He communicates to man His truth and His love.

God has created people with the ability to use language to glorify Him and to show love to others. In order to do this, we must develop our two types of language skills: receptive language (listening and reading) and expressive language (speaking and writing). Spelling is one of the skills needed for effective writing. A biblical worldview sees spelling as a vital tool in the production of God-honoring written communication.

Throughout the BJU Press Spelling program, proofreading and writing activities portray real-life situations in which Christians use writing. Whether using writing to participate in worship, to minister to the needs of others, to provide information, or to complete routine tasks, a Christian realizes accurate spelling is essential for clear written communication.

Academic Rigor & Critical Thinking

Learning to spell is an essential part of learning to communicate accurately in writing. The BJU Press Elementary Spelling product line is designed to equip students with the ability to spell correctly a bank of known words and to apply spelling generalizations to unknown words.

It also equips the students to use a dictionary to check or correct spelling and to proofread effectively. This is accomplished through the development of critical thinking rather than rote memorization.

Meaningful Instruction

Our product line incorporates key elements of the word study approach. Through a balance of direct instruction and interactive learning, the teacher models the thinking process students need to develop. The teacher uses demonstrations, questions, and discussion to guide students in identifying and applying spelling generalizations.

The use of the word study approach strengthens critical thinking so that students understand, retain, and apply spelling skills. In word sorting activities the students investigate words by identifying, comparing, contrasting, and drawing conclusions about spelling patterns and rules. Word sorts help students organize what they know about words and learn generalizations they can apply to unfamiliar words. Dictionary skill lessons support learning to spell the words and help students effectively use the information in a dictionary entry.

Carefully Crafted Word Lists

In the primary grades, students learn that spelling represents the sounds in words. Word lists contain high-frequency words with reliable phonics and structural generalizations. Lists also contain the most common words with irregular spellings as memory or challenge words. In the intermediate grades students discover that spelling also represents meaning. Lists progress to include various syllable patterns, derivation formed by adding suffixes, and words with Greek or Latin word parts.

Vocabulary skills are presented throughout our program. These skills are tied to the spelling generalizations being taught and are used to support learning to spell the words. Review features help students develop spelling mastery. Each weekly list includes review words taken from the previous week’s list.

Purposeful Application

Spelling skills give teachers insight into how well students hear sounds and how well they are connecting those sounds to reliable patterns. Also, spelling is an effective indicator of what students know about words and about language.

Our Spelling materials provide opportunities for students to apply the spelling skills and strategies they are learning. Many activities involve using words spelled correctly in a proper context for meaning and usage.

Proofreading and writing experiences transfer the responsibility for accurate spelling to the students and promote a desire to spell correctly. Students grow in their awareness of their own spelling and increase their skill in finding their own spelling errors. Many of the proofreading passages and writing activities portray real-life situations in which Christians use writing. This reinforces our goal that students view spelling as a tool to be used to honor God and to love and serve others.

two kids learning together

Love for Learning

Making Spelling Enjoyable and Encouraging Success

The BJU Press Spelling program includes colorful Worktexts with enjoyable themes. Our Worktext pages have age-appropriate art, photo, and page design features that are not distracting. Spelling skills are presented in a variety of interesting ways. Interactive lessons provide opportunities for the students to actively participate in the learning process. We use review activities and games to stimulate interest while providing worthwhile practice.

The Spelling program is designed to foster success in each student. Our desire is that each student understands that he can learn to spell, he can remember the spelling of the types of words he has learned about, and he can apply what he has learned to unfamiliar words.

Writing lessons provide opportunities for real-life application of spelling and writing skills. Activities include journaling, designing a brochure, making a list to organize information, writing in response to a Bible passage, and writing a card or letter. Lessons begin with a story or discussion, and then the students complete an activity related to the lesson. For example, after a story in which the characters write a thank-you note, the students write a thank-you note they can give to someone.

Materials

the Spelling 1 textbook

Student Worktext

Each Student Worktext contains grade-appropriate spelling lessons presented in thirty-two weekly lists. Lessons include word sorting, word study, proofreading, dictionary skills, and writing application activities. The Worktext for all grade levels contains a Spelling Dictionary with selected words from the weekly lists. For grades four through six, a Spelling Handbook at the back of the book contains the Spelling Dictionary as well as a number of charts about suffix rules, syllable patterns, and Greek and Latin word parts for student reference.

Teacher Edition

As the foundation of the program, the Teacher Edition coordinates all the instruction and activities with a balance of structure and flexibility. Through interactive lessons, the teacher guides the instruction of spelling patterns and rules, activities using words in context, proofreading, dictionary skills, and writing activities.

Each weekly spelling list is presented as a five-day lesson sequence. Reduced-size Worktext pages with answers appear in each lesson. The Teacher Edition also includes a copy of the Spelling Handbook section of the Worktext, and the Appendix in each book provides supplemental information to enhance instruction.

Bible Action Truths focus on goals for Christian attitudes and conduct. A listing of these and Bible Promises is included in the Appendix section of each Teacher Edition. Also located in each Teacher Edition Appendix, Leading a Child to Christ includes helpful suggestions for the teacher as he or she discusses salvation with a child.

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Spelling 1

30 Weekly Word Lists

Ten words per list (nine pattern words and one sight word); Words frequently used in writing; Review list with pattern words every fifth week

Generalizations

Phonics generalizations: short and long vowel patterns, r-influenced vowel patterns, diphthongs; Consonant patterns: consonants, consonant blends and digraphs, soft c; Structural generalizations: suffixes s, es, ed, er, est, ing; suffix rules: no change to base word, double the final consonant, drop the final e

Word Study

Phonics and structural analysis activities; Word-meaning activities: sentence contexts, rhyming words, meaning or picture clues, puzzles

Proofreading

Spelling awareness: identifying the correct spelling for a given word, identifying and correcting misspelled words, standardized-test practice

Dictionary Skills

Location skills; Alphabetical order to the first and second letter; Entry words, guide words, word forms, sample sentences

Writing Application

Dictation sentences in tests

Spelling 2

Decoding and Encoding

Word study

Word sort: classifying words based on word patterns; Word building: creating words by addition, deletion, and substitution of letters; Phonics and structural analysis activities; Word meaning activities: using words in context, meaning clues, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and analogies

Dictionary skills

Location skills; Alphabetical order to the first, second, and third letter; Entry words, guide words, and word forms

Writing and Spelling

Proofreading

Spelling awareness: identifying the correct spelling for a given word, identifying and correcting misspelled words in sentences or passages; Standardized test practice

Writing application

Dictation sentences for weekly tests; Strengthening the application of spelling skills through writing prompts for writing sentences, lists, paragraphs, and journal entries; Real-life writing application including an informational poster, writing a thank-you note, lists, and a prayer

Automaticity

Vowel patterns

Short and long vowel patterns; R-influenced vowel patterns; Diphthongs and the schwa

Consonant patterns

Consonant blends and digraphs; Soft c; Soft g; Silent consonants

Structure

Suffi xes -s, -es, -ed, -er, -est, -ing—No changes to base word, Doubling the final consonant, Dropping the final e, Changing y to i; Two-syllable words ending in -le, -er, -y, and other reliable patterns; Compound words; Contractions

Spelling 3

Decoding and Encoding

Word study

Word sort: classifying words based on word patterns
Word building: making different words by choosing or adding a blend
Phonics and structural analysis activities
Syllable division: compound words, words with two middle consonants, words ending in -le, open and closed syllables
Word meaning activities: using words in context, meaning clues, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and analogies

Dictionary skills

Location skills
Alphabetical order to third letter
Entry words, guide words, and word forms

Writing and Spelling

Proofreading

Spelling awareness: identifying the correct spelling for a given word, identifying and correcting misspelled words in sentences or passages of increasing complexity
Standardized test practice

Writing application

Dictation sentences for weekly tests
Strengthening the application of spelling skills through writing prompts for writing sentences, lists, paragraphs, and journal entries
Real-life writing application including an instructional poster, a journal entry, a menu, a recipe, a schedule, and a thank-you note

Automaticity

Vowel patterns

Short and long vowel patterns
R-influenced vowel patterns
Diphthongs and the schwa

Consonant patterns

Consonants and consonant blends and digraphs
Soft c
Soft g
Silent consonants

Structure

Suffixes -a, -be, -dis, -re, -un, -s, -es, -ed, -er, -est, -ing, -ful
- No changes to base word
  - Doubling the final consonant
Dropping the final e
- Changing y to i
Two-syllable words ending in -le, -er, -y, and other reliable patterns
Compound words
Contractions

Spelling 4

32 Weekly Word Lists

Word lists: 16 pattern words, 2 challenge words, 2 review words; Interactive study method