SPAG is a part of English that children must get right in order to write clearly and effectively. The acronym stands for spelling, punctuation, and grammar and is needed across the curriculum to produce a high quality of work. Below are some tips from a prep school in Farnham Common on how you can help your child perfect these basic English skills.
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Start By Reading
Reading and writing go hand in hand, so help your child with their writing. You must make sure that they are a confident reader and practice regularly. As children read, they naturally learn spellings and enhance their English skills. Also, they can learn about how words are used correctly and develop their grammatical skills.
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Correction is Key
To begin with your child will write words as they sound which will help them up until a certain point. In English we have various rules, meaning that this technique won’t always work. There are things such as silent letters that your child will need to remember and sounds that letters make when combined such as “igh” that form words like “sigh”. Explore these rules with your child and don’t be afraid to correct them where necessary as this will help them learn.
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Let Them Be the Teacher
A fun way to correct your child without criticising every word they spell is to create an activity where they do the correcting and get to be the teacher. From this they will learn the way to spell words and be more likely to remember them.
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Their Spellings
You can also continue on the work they’ve been doing at school by helping your little one practise the spellings they’ve been learning.
These are just an idea on how you can develop your child’s SPAG. Remember, practice is key so continue the work you’re doing to read with your child and encourage them to write as often as they can.