QTS = Qualified Teacher Status (UK)

QTS Spelling Strategies is for trainee teachers like you to learn some key strategies, rules and patterns to be able to pass the QTS spelling test, and then, hopefully, use in your professional life. This book is to help you to not panic in the test, but to help you use strategies to spell a word that is either in this list, or part of the word family, or even a new word.

Section One: Spelling Strategies is all about ways to help you learn and remember spellings. This is about learning as many strategies as you can so you can use them when needed. And even teach your pupils them!

Section Two: Key Words to Learn takes you through a step-by-step process that involves you noticing, studying, writing, and coming up with strategies to help you remember the words + their word families.

Just because you have seen a word and copied it down once, does not mean it’s yours. You won’t ‘own’ that word to use it when you want to without really learning it, committing it to memory in the first place. (Basic Skills Agency: Spelling Pack)

Studying a word/spelling in a deliberate, active and conscious way means you need to notice the features of words. Pay attention to how words are made up of the letter patterns, root words, prefixes, suffixes and rules. Also, writing and spelling are interlinked, so write.

Comments/Reviews

I failed my first literacy skills test by 1 mark and wanted to focus more on spellings as it is an area which I struggle in.
The book has lots of the spellings that come up in the test which I was able to learn off by heart however some of the methods to learn them I did not use as I find it easier to memorise.

Would recommend buying this book if you want to practice spellings which will come up in the test. I passed my skills test after using this book.

A massive thank you, Joanne, for this book. I loved working through it. It made me concentrate on the patterns, rules and memory tricks for the words. It gave me confidence to tackle any new words that might come up in the test. It certainly helped me pass the spelling test. Katy

I had to work so hard on my spelling. I'm dyslexic and the book helped me, especially identifying the vowels. Using colours, word art and mnemonics helped. Thanks again. Mike.

This book is all about building your spelling confidence. I wasn't sure about using spelling strategies and what they meant, like a lot of people I didn't learn them at school. But they're so useful to learn. We have so many strange spellings that these strategies help to remember how to spell them, especially in the exam. Highly recommended. Leonie.

Contents
Section One: Spelling Strategies
1. Memory tricks/mnemonics
2. Knowing and recognising letter patterns
3. Word families
4. Prefixes and suffixes
5. Syllable breakdown
6. Spelling rules
7. Look Say Cover Write Check method

Section Two: Key sets of words to learn including the word families.
Set 1: -able endings
Set 2: Adding -ly
Set 3: Adding -ly (part 2)
Set 4: -ible words
Set 5: Adding prefix 'in' + suffix 'ly'
Set 6: Doubling up rule
Set 7: ‘x’ words
Set 8: ‘y’ to ‘i’ rule
Set 9: Tricky letters
Set 10: Drop the ‘i’ rule
Set 11: -ous pattern and rules