Give students half-sheets of graph paper. Ask them to make a crossword-type grid of their spelling words, using as many intersections as possible. This activity is fun for the kids, and it requires that they look very carefully at the letters in the spelling words.If you want to go a step further, ask students to write crossword puzzle clues for each spelling word. Then allow them to go to a free online crossword puzzle creator and make a puzzle with their words and clues for a classmate to solve.
You'll probably ask your students to write their spelling words ten times each (or 5 times or 20 times) most weeks. That's a good way to practice new words. But it can become tedious for everyone. Why not see how some ART works in your spelling class, too?
Ask students to think of a way to illustrate some of the week's spelling words. Here are some examples:
Encourage students to use colors and add drawings to make their work really interesting. Post the artwork on a classroom wall for students to look at all through the week. It's a sneaky way to get students to study those spelling words!
Be sure to share our ideas, and yours, for teaching third grade spelling with other teachers and parents.