Spell Poems for KS3

Written by an experienced teacher and tried and tested in the classroom.

The perfect accompaniment to Grammar Poems for KS3 by the same author!

A creative approach to the teaching of spelling at KS3!

Humorous poetry is used to teach letter patterns, word families, spelling rules and more, in a systematic and enjoyable manner.

Each poem is followed by regular exercises to help learners build confidence with spelling and maintain a high level of pupil interest and involvement.

Great for a variety of learners…

  • Excellent for use with EAL students
  • A formative, diagnostic tool for individual learners
  • Ideal for transition from KS2

In a variety of different ways…

  • As starter, plenary or homework activities
  • As a stimulus for creative writing and spoken language activities
  • For discussion and group work

What do teachers say about this resource? (11104)

Simply superb! Rhyme and musicality make learning infinitely more memorable. I still remember Carol Vorderman’s times tables cassettes from the early 80’s and I’d love to think that students will be able to chant “Sheila the receiver” well into adulthood. This truly is an ingenious idea, and kudos to the creator of such a super resource. I’d love to use this with my own KS3 students. I like the way that this is a back to basics approach. There are no gimmics or buzzwords, this is English teaching at its best, and has English skill at its heart.

I particularly like how the shorter ones make their point in such a way as to make them a really short focus of the beginning of a lesson, before students move on to use them in their own writing. I really like the scope for some of the shorter ones to be used to simultaneously teach handwriting practice, particularly for the students who find these issues a struggle in high school. Two birds with the one proverbial stone!

The activities with the missing words in section B are a lovely way to gradually build confidence with the spelling of the words. It’s clear that taking the advice of one poem a week would be an effective way to secure the spellings, and with the revisiting through low-stakes quizzing later on, it could be effectively embedding.

It takes the logical teaching process through each poem. The poem, the task, the creative task and then the extension.

I think that this interprets the requirements of the Key Stage 3 curriculum exceptionally well. All of these skills and rules are in the lists of spellings which students should know by KS3, however many of them don’t. In a post-Covid curriculum, where we will inevitably need to take a step back and get the foundations secured, this is simply perfect: recap, revise and re-embed.

The writers of this pack should be commended for such a comprehensive resource. It’s so rare to encounter something that is so perfectly formed and has such potential to provide a measurable impact in school, as well as a life-long and, in my opinion, most valuable skill that students can take away from their time in school. I can’t wait to get using these!

This resource is perfect.

K Chanter, Head of English & Peer Reviewer

There are many good ideas in this resource.

I really like the way that spelling strategies are emphasised - particularly with irregular words. It certainly provides teachers with a wide range of activities that can be dipped into as starters, feedback tasks or literacy intervention.

I would be happy to use this for Y7.

This is a stand alone resource which fits into general literacy programme. It could be appropriate for KS2 and KS3.

This collection of resources is deceptively simple and not something you would ever find to do yourself. Eminently practical.

S Tedd, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

A fun collection of poems and related activities to help younger learners with spelling... Works well for Year 7... The poems could be presented as posters and the worksheets could be organised and displayed on a PowerPoint.

A Powell, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I really liked the focus on spelling and how it differs from the usual resources in that it teaches spelling through literature. For me, each poem has been carefully chosen to zoom in on a key issue too... Support is evident in abundance... It will enhance the learning of lower-ability students very well... Well presented... The poetry skills that will inevitably be developed in accordance with the spelling focus is great and is definitely transferable to the poetry components of the GCSE.

B Edkins, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I liked some of the creative activities, section D particularly had some useful ones.

I can see how they might be useful for starters/plenaries and/or homework.

Some of the poems might make useful wall posters.

I would use it for intervention/support groups.

It would be best suited for lower ability. The aim of it being a 'vehicle for liaison with feeder primary schools' is a good idea.

E Gasan, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I liked that the spelling rules were worked through systematically... Attempts to bridge a gap in a difficult area - how do you improve students spelling... Matched to National Curriculum... I feel it is a brave attempt to find an engaging way to teach spelling, and it is logical and clear. The patterns could be used to structure a spelling programme.

J Whitbread, Teacher & Peer Reviewer