Even when all of the rigours of the English language are accounted for, spelling remains a colossal challenge to children and adults! This is why we have chosen to use Spelling Shed - an interactive and engaging web game - in order to help children learn their spellings and make them stick!

Spelling shed continues the phonic approach to spelling learnt in EYFS and Year One all the way through to year 6, ensuring children embed this key skill. They are also immersed in the morphology and etymology of words, learning about the smaller chunks of meaning in them and where they originate from. 
 

What is Spelling Shed?

Spelling Shed is a simple, fun web-game that is playable through any internet browser on phones, tablets or computers. Each week, pupils will be assigned a spelling rule that they have been focussing on in class, pupils can also select ‘More Lists’ if they would like to revisit past assignments.

To ensure your child is given a level of challenge appropriate to them, they can choose from four levels of difficulty. The game is also designed to be dyslexic-friendly.

• Easy – The word is shown, an audio clip is played and only the included letters are shown.

• Medium – An audio clip is played and only the included letters are shown.

• Hard – An audio clip is played and the included letters, plus some random letters are shown.

• Extreme – An audio clip is played and a full qwerty keyboard is shown. Letters must be correctly accented and capitalised.

All users have an avatar that can be personalised by using honeypots. Honeypots are earned by spelling words correctly. Pupils can also keep track of how Thomas Jolyffe Primary School's score ranks against other schools in the country, as well as how their total lines up with other pupils in our school.

How do I access Spelling Shed?

Click on the bee to access the Spelling Shed website. Alternatively, you can download the app free of charge to any tablet. Your child will have their own personal log in which will be stuck in the front of their reading record. Please see your child's class teacher if you need any login details this reissued. 

How to get the most out of Spelling Shed

Regular spelling practise helps children to build their vocabulary and feel more confident with their writing, allowing them to write more freely and imaginatively.   With your help and encouragement, your child can understand the importance of practising their spellings.  Ideally, pupils should spend a short time every day accessing the games and activities available on the Spelling Shed.  In addition to weekly set spellings, the more they use the program to revise previously learnt spelling patterns, the more confident they will feel in continuing to use these words in their every day writing. 

HAPPY SPELLING!