Hey teacher friends! Hope everyone is fantastic today!
I was doing some updating yesterday and wanted to freshen up a super popular freebie: my Differentiated Spelling Homework Menu!
I used this menu in third grade (though it could be adapted easily by other grade levels as well), and the students, parents, and administrators loved it! I did too, because I was able to only grade spelling homework once a week, rather than a daily assignment each day.
By assigning the homework on Monday for the rest of the week, it allows families who might have sports or family emergencies to work on the homework throughout the week when it is most convenient for them. A great many parents have verbally shared with me how they loved this option.
Students like it better because they have a choice. They all have to complete the same amount of points {or that can be differentiated as well if needed}, but each child can choose how many assignments he or she needs to complete in order to get to the required level of points each week. And they are able to change it up and choose different activities whenever they like.
I loved it because I was able to grade once a week and also to see the creativity and choices come alive in the work students were turning in. I also didn’t have to run nightly homework copies – or tear out pages in a workbook! Students supplied their work on paper from home. Of course, you will always have a couple who “halfway” do the work – or forget and don’t turn it in at all. That happens though with nightly homework, so the same consequences should result.
I love menus for differentiating and allowing student choice with guidelines in place. The freebie menu packet below comes with a basic plain template with no graphics, along with 12 other monthly “themed” pages, in case you want to change things up a bit to liven it up.
Hopefully your students will love the choice factor as much as mine did! Feel free to pass along the link for this page to other colleagues in your school who also might like a change from the usual spelling routine.
Thanks so much and happy homework-ing!
~Charity
This post originally appeared at Organized Classroom.
Megan Amberg says
I really am interested in the differntiated spelling activities for a year, but can not get any further than the pg where I leave my email etc to be able to get the resource. I have put a personal email. It just spins…..I have tried over a few days. Any suggestions?
Charity Preston says
Hi Megan! I’m guessing your email or server is blocking the pop up. After you enter in your info, the freebie will be delivered via email to your inbox (sometimes it ends up in spam).