Does your kindergartner have spelling tests?

[Anonymous]

Teacher sent home a letter saying that the class would be having weekly spelling tests. Furthermore, words spelled using the wrong letter case would be scored as 0, even if they are otherwise spelled correctly.

I am not someone who objects to homework in K, nor opposed to having a more academic focus in K, but this seems extreme. Dock some points for not using the correct letter case, sure. But at this age shouldn't penmanship be a little less important than understanding the overall concept of matching letters to sounds?

[Anonymous]

What the heck? No. I have a kindergartener and they are still learning to write letters and numbers.

[Anonymous]

I find it amusing that the spelling is incorrect in this post.
kin·der·gar·ten·er
/ˈkindərˌɡärtnər,ˈkindərˌɡärdənər/

[Anonymous]

What? No. Most k kids don’t know how to read!

[Anonymous]

Nope. Totally developmentally inappropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it amusing that the spelling is incorrect in this post.
kin·der·gar·ten·er
/ˈkindərˌɡärtnər,ˈkindərˌɡärdənər/

https://iasce.net/kindergartner-vs-kindergartener/#:~:text=The%20key%20difference%20lies%20in,common%20but%20is%20still%20accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What? No. Most k kids don’t know how to read!

But they are learning, and spelling simple words goes hand in hand with reading, so it's not unreasonable to see if they can write the words they are learning. I think grading harshly on mixing caps and lowercase is in appropriate thought. Like, doG is still correctly spelled, and is certainly more correct than bog or dig. And both bog and dig are closer to being correct than xxiiu or whatever random letter combination a clueless child would write. But under the grading scheme, doG, dig, bog, and xxiiu are all 0 points.

[Anonymous]

Our school did spelling tests and a spelling bee in K and I though it was dumb. And my kid was reading and was a good speller and "won" the bee. I think it was stressful for the kids and defeating at a time when kids are vulnerable to getting turned off by reading or school in general. Several families including mine complained and they stopped doing the bee for K and 1st but they I think they still do tests and really emphasize spelling. I personally think at that age it's counterproductive. The focus should not be on testing or competition when kids are at various stages in the literacy process and even the most advanced kids are barely writing.

[Anonymous]

That's nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school did spelling tests and a spelling bee in K and I though it was dumb. And my kid was reading and was a good speller and "won" the bee. I think it was stressful for the kids and defeating at a time when kids are vulnerable to getting turned off by reading or school in general. Several families including mine complained and they stopped doing the bee for K and 1st but they I think they still do tests and really emphasize spelling. I personally think at that age it's counterproductive. The focus should not be on testing or competition when kids are at various stages in the literacy process and even the most advanced kids are barely writing.

Truth.

[Anonymous]

No. My son is in private K and does not have homework and certainly not tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it amusing that the spelling is incorrect in this post.
kin·der·gar·ten·er
/ˈkindərˌɡärtnər,ˈkindərˌɡärdənər/

https://iasce.net/kindergartner-vs-kindergartener/#:~:text=The%20key%20difference%20lies%20in,common%20but%20is%20still%20accepted.

pwned lmao

[Anonymous]

My kids had "words of the week" but there was no test on them. They were just sort of the focus. And I distinctly remember the first list was just A and I.

[Anonymous]

OP I would not worry about these "tests" at all. Spend a few minutes on the words if your child wants but there should be no stress in K homework.

[Anonymous]

I am jealous kids get this in school now. Ours came through during the “joy writing” era and most kids could not spell coming out of ES. Send flowers and say big thank you to any teacher who does spelling in ES.