Spellings for Year 5 & 6 are split into groups of words named after animals which get progressively harder. Children are encouraged to spend time learning these words and will test each other in class on a regular basis. When their teacher is satisfied that a child can spell all the words in a group, they can then move onto the next animal. After learning all the animals, the emphasis will be on learning all the spellings in your child's own spelling dictionary.
Earch child in Year 5 & 6 has a spelling dictionary. This should be used to guess any words they are unsure how to spell. A teacher or TA will then check the spelling, writing the correct spelling beside the guess if necessary. In this way, the children can build up a record of words they use frequently, and use it to help learn the spellings and work independently.
A useful routine we encourage for learning spelling is Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check.
Look at the word ~ Say the word ~ Cover the word ~ Write the word ~ Check.
It helps children to say the word as they write it. The final check is important of course. If the word has been written incorrectly, notice the bits that are correct and then try again... Please do help your child by checking spellings with them. It's best to notice slips sooner rather than later.
Ask your child which animal set they are learning. Each child should have a copy of all the spellings and can get another one from school. Copies of these sets can be found
here.