Spelling Centers

Something new I've been doing this year is Spelling Centers. My students complete six activities weekly to practice their Spelling words. Multiple intelligences definitely play a role in selecting the activities every week. My students particularly enjoy Spelling Centers time because they're allowed to collaborate with peers and work together in small groups to complete the activities. Two of the six centers are workbook page centers, so my students manage to complete the four workbook pages included with the literacy curriculum every week plus four extra practice activities!

Here's a list of the activities I've used as Spelling Centers:

• graffitti writing (freely writing their words on large bulletin board paper with coloring tools)
• typing the words with different fonts
• making Kidspiration charts to categorize phonics patterns
• typing contractions and what they stand for using Excel spreadsheets
• writing the words with colored chalk on black paper
• invisible words (writing the words on white construction paper using white crayon, then painting over the words with watercolor paint, thus revealing the words)
• word stenciling
• playing a group game on the Smart Board
• using macaroni to write our contractions (the macaroni functions as apostrophes)
• painting the words with watercolor paint
• magnetic letters on the dry erase board
• writing the words using Microsoft Paint (this one is SUPER DIFFICULT for second graders, so the list was reduced for the activity)
• word art (This one turned out REALLY cool! I printed up some blown up, simple, black-and-white clip art, and students placed a blank piece of white copy paper over it and traced it using the words instead of pencil lines. After the paper is taken off, the words take the shape of the image!)
• write the words on the Smart Table
• play games on our classroom computers on Spelling City
• create connect-the-dots of each word using markers
• glitter words (each child had a glitter shaker and a plastic tub at-the-ready to avoid a huge glitter mess)
  

I REALLY want to buy a few letter stamp sets to incorporate this as a spelling center, but I cringe every time I price check them! I've also heard of teachers writing letters on big, dried beans (like lima beans, for example) and kids can spell the words using the letter beans. I want to try that one! I think I'd call it "Spelling Bee-ns!"