Introduction by Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity’s Head of Education, Claire Harvey:

Many dyslexic learners struggle to spell common words, especially when these are irregular in nature and are not spelt like they sound. Some dyslexic learners will limit the words they use when writing because they are unsure of how to spell them. Or they may resort to using the same word repetitively. This is a real shame. I would not want any learner with dyslexia to not use a wonderful word that lies in their oral lexicon when they are writing because they are unsure of how to spell it.

In order to bypass this difficulty, learners can consult this small Spelling Journal when writing. They can look up common words to check on the spelling and copy these in their writing. They can also look through the Spelling Journal for inspiration when writing. The words are arranged alphabetically for ease of access.

I have also left plenty of room for learners to add their own tricky to spell words. Please fill the pages with wonderful words. Also, consider adding a picture, colour or writing the word in a short phrase to help recall the meaning. The intention is that this Spelling Journal becomes a valuable and very personal resource to support the development of writing skills.

The words included in the Spelling Journal arranged alphabetically are:

• The most frequently used words (sometimes called sight words or common exception words). These are often spelt irregularly with little correspondence between the spelling and the sounds in the word so can be tricky to spell.
• Question words
• Family members
• Common adjectives and adverbs
• Common sentence starters and conjunctions

At the back of the Spelling Journal the following words are also listed in their own categories:

• Common adjectives and adverbs
• Common sentence starters and conjunctions
• Days and months

Author: Claire Harvey

Initial design and formatting: Thea L’Sol

Pages: 33

ISBN: 9781036929527