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Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling Homework (freebie)

by Emily

Spellinghomework

A couple weeks ago I posted about the homework I do with my 2nd graders.  One thing that I send home each week is spelling practice.  The page is set up with a space for the students to write down their 10 spelling words for the week and then there's a 3X3 grid with different activities.  Students are expected to choose 3 to do during the week.  I send this home on Monday so they can do a little each night or (because there isn't regular homework on Thursday) they can do it all on Thursday nights.  (I used to send home 1/2 sheet homework on Thursdays too, but the feedback I got from parents is that it was too much to hassle with all at once.  I haven't noticed a problem since scaling it back so that's what I continue to do.)

There are 6 different sheets that I cycle throughout the year.  If you notice at the top of the page it says "Spelling Homework Week."  I just write the week's number in there.  So students see the first form on weeks 1, 7, 13, 19, 25, and 31.  The second form shows up on weeks 2, 8, 14, 20, 26, and 32.  And so on.  For the 2nd graders at our school it seems like a good mix of predictability (so they know what to do) and novelty (so they don't get bored). 

Each page has 9 different spelling activities.  It was kind of a trick to come up with 54 ways for students to easily practice their words without repeating activities or using the same ideas from the spelling practice in the Morning Work Book!  I also didn't want anything too crazy.  Imagine the friction of kids begging to write their words with shaving cream and parents not wanting that to happen at all!  The most adventurous it gets is to use bleach and a Q-tip to write spelling words on construction paper.  But that is on only one page–and I put it in a corner square so the homework could easily be completed by bypassing that activity (but I did have one little guy last year who was excited to do it everytime it came up!). 

The center square on each page is always a low-key activity that kids can typically do independently.  I try to limit the necessity of parental involvment because a good chunk of my kids have parents who will never look at any of their homework.  It's expected for parents to initial each activity, but for some kids I allow them to mark it themselves (or if they're not always trustworthy) I ask them to bring the papers they practiced on back to school.  Even then there's usually 3 who never bring it back.  Those kids spend Friday morning recess writing their words three times.  They're usually done in less than 5 minutes.  I don't want to penalize them too much because in 2nd grade a parent really should be helping out!     

If you're familiar with this blog you know that I use Words Their Way.  But I don't use those words for homework.  You can read more about the spelling I do for homework on this post.

Also, the research on the traditional method of weekly spelling lists–test on Friday–new list Monday shows that it doesn't do much to improve spelling accuracy (hence I use Words Their Way).  But parents expect spelling words and tests.  It's something they're comfortable helping their child with.  Plus, I figure, practicing extra words is never a bad thing.

You can download the 6 Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe pages at our Teachers Pay Teacher shop.  Happy spelling!

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Filed Under: homework, spelling

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    July 5, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing! Wow! Love this! I made some of the same ones for my kids to use as additional Math homework. This was used for the gifted kids whose parents thought they were not getting enough. A great way for differentiated instruction.

  2. Heidi says

    July 5, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    What a great extension Michelle! Thanks for sharing!

  3. Artchoo! says

    July 12, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Yay! I’m so excited to have found your site (from the ALT class last night.) What awesome stuff you have on here. I’m excited about scouring through your posts.

  4. Elly B. says

    July 26, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    I’m also a 2nd grade teacher and want to use Words Their Way for my spelling program. I like the homework tic-tac-toe you provided, but could you help point me in the right direction for how you structure the overall spelling curriculum? I’ve tried doing it a few different ways, but none seemed to help the students REALLY become better/more proficient spellers. I’m particularly confused about how to handle spelling ‘tests’ and spelling grades if the main focus is on studying word patterns and sorting words. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

  5. Katie says

    May 10, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    Love these spelling tic tac toe homework activities! Thanks for making them available for free.

  6. S says

    September 8, 2013 at 7:25 am

    Any ideas of modifying the program for older grades?

  7. Joy Edwards says

    October 7, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    I am using these this year! I love them! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! You both are amazing!

  8. Becky Freeman says

    January 30, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    My son loves doing his homework because of this Tic Tack board! Thanks!

  9. kim d says

    September 11, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    How do I get this print out?

  10. emily kate says

    September 11, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tic-Tac-Toe-Spelling-Homework-freebie-270968

  11. Monica says

    September 27, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    I love this spelling tic tac toe practice sheets. My son used it through out his 1st grade year. Now in second grade he is doing 20 spelling words. Might you have this in word format or pages, so I can add those 10 more lines.
    Hope you can help.
    Thanks,
    Monica

  12. emily kate says

    September 29, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    Sorry, we do not have it in an editable format.

  13. Amanda says

    October 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    @Monica,
    I teach second grade, and I found this fabulous resource (that my kiddos enjoyed!) to use last year in my class. I gave 20 word spelling lists last year, and just made sure to leave room to write in the extra words on the right side of the “Spelling Words column.” So I was able to number down to 20 for my students last year.
    This year I’m excited about starting the chunk spelling these fabulous ladies mention, and will only be doing 10 words. Thanks so much for your detailed posts on Words Their Way and Chunk Spelling! Your time, effort, and sharing are greatly appreciated!

  14. Linda says

    June 25, 2015 at 12:31 am

    Thank you so much for sharing. With very little money from the state to spend on materials, I really love getting these. I will be using this with my students.

  15. Lori Huey says

    July 28, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    I have been using this sheet you made for several years. It works beautifully. Can not thank you enough.

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We are Heidi and Emily. Sisters. Heidi & Emily are both former 2nd grade teachers and current preschool teachers with a combined 17 years experience.

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