How a movie can teach spelling

Photo credit: Disney.com/Tron

Are you in the middle of a spelling program with your kids?  Some of the exercises can be boring and monotonous.  However, if you inject a little bit of creativity with some of your child’s favorite things, you might just find a kid who’s learning and having fun.

This year we’re doing a bit of a spelling review by following Sonlight’s suggestions.  In their American History parent’s guide {Core 100} they list 500 of the most commonly misspelled words.  Each week we’ll be taking around 13-15 of them for a quick review. 

The process is very simple and a great review for middle and high schoolers. It goes like this:

• ·         Day 1: pretest
• ·         Day 2 & Day 3: copy words 3x each
• ·         Day 4: use each word in a sentence properly
• ·         Day 5: posttest

So on Day 4, when my son was about to do sentences, I allowed him to say them to me instead of writing them.  Amazingly, this is what he came up with.  See if you can tell what his focus is on these days {the list words are in bold}:

1.       The absence of Flynn’s disc went not unnoticed by Clu.
2.       Sam’s academic degree was at CalTech.
3.       Quorra accepted the vial from Sam when she woke up on the solar sailer.
4.       Sam used his handheld computer to gain access to the Encom building.
5.       I don’t think Sam liked the cafeteria food at CalTech when he was a student.
6.       According to the digital calendar under Flynn’s arcade, the computer had been on for twenty years.
7.       After Flynn fled to the outlands, Clu began a campaign to create the perfect system.
8.       Rinzler, who is really Tron, is the most dangerous program on the Grid.
9.       Gem deceived Sam by pretending to help him.
10.   Sam was in ecstasy when he saw his father for the first time in twenty years.
11.   Never once while Sam was on the Grid did he need to use the facilities. {my personal favorite!}
12.   Richard Mackie, Encom chairman, had an attitude of ignorance when Alan asked him if they were going to make EncomOS 12 free.
13.   The Tron Legacy / Daft Punk soundtrack album came with a small digital pamphlet.
14.   The End of Line club was in pandemonium when Clu’s blackguards dropped in through the skylight.

I love his creativity here!  He used one of his favorite movies and spun it into a learning activity {though that was NOT his intent…he just wanted to avoid boredom}.  You can do the same with any age group and any topic.  You’re in charge of your kids’ learning, so make it fun!!