Revamp your spelling program by using this resource to create personal spelling dictionaries for your 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade students! Webster’s Dictionary is too massive for students to use as an easy reference tool during everyday writing activities. Now, whenever students ask me how to spell a word, they copy it into their personal dictionary so they can find it again when needed. Plus, use the editable PowerPoint file to create your own additional pages.
 
This dictionary helps make spelling relevant. Students use it along with the "CUPS" acronym when revising their own writing. The words on these dictionary pages are most applicable to upper-elementary and intermediate students.
 
✨ Grab your FREE scavenger hunt to accompany this resource. ✨
 
Check out the contents of this Personal Spelling Dictionary (70+ Pages of Options):
✏️ Alphabet Pages
I combined frequently misspelled words and commonly used words for each letter of the alphabet. (Approx. 30+ words in the word bank and 20+ blank spaces for students to add words for each letter. This equals hundreds of pre-typed words for students to reference).
EDITABLE PowerPoint File
✏️ Writing-specific pages: 
8 Parts of Speech with definitions and examples
60 Contractions
122 Homophones with sentence examples
240 Vivid Word Choices (ex. synonyms for "said" to spice up writing)
✏️ Other subject areas with terms related to reading, math, science, and social studies:
58 Literary Terms
194 Math Terms (Categories: Numbers, Roman Numerals, Operations, Measurement & Data, and Geometry Topics)
166 Science Terms (Categories: Earth Science, Life Science, Energy & Matter, Motion, Scientific Processes)
562 Social Studies Terms (Categories: Time & Holidays, U.S. States and Capitals, Continents & Countries, World Languages, History, Government, Economics, and Geography)
✔ These pages also include space for students to write in additional words.
 
Print and Bind Personal Spelling Dictionaries:
✅ Choose to print whichever pages are most applicable. My principal helped me spiral-bind these professionally, but you can also use comb binding or even large staples. I also considered hole punching and adding to students’ binders. 
✅ Stick-on tabs from office stores are also helpful so students can separate each section. 
✅ This is an extremely thorough resource and a great product for the price! (Printing your own dictionaries is much cheaper than purchasing pre-made dictionaries from online suppliers... and most do not offer subject-area word lists).
 
Hear about these Personal Spelling Dictionaries from educators like you!
⭐️ “My students love their spelling dictionaries! One of my students even came back when she had moved on to 5th grade to tell me that she still uses her dictionary.”
⭐️ “Great resource for my students!”
⭐️ “Exactly what I was looking for!” 
If you’ve struggled to find a spelling dictionary for older kids, this resource is sure to meet the needs of your upper-elementary students.
 
Use Personal Spelling Dictionaries in Your Classroom!
✍️Encourage students to add tricky words to their “Challenging Words List” so they can find them quickly.
✍️Play word games that encourage students to explore word relationships and add unfamiliar words to their dictionaries.
✍️Teach mini-lessons on the “Writing” section. Give students practice writing sentences with transition words, using homophones correctly and matching contractions to corresponding words.
✍️Include the subject-area word lists if you want students to utilize higher vocabulary words when explaining their math problems or reflecting on a science experiment.
✍️Allow students to explore words in the dictionary and subject area word lists to trigger research explorations and personal inquiries.
✍️Insert blank word sheets in the dictionary to allow students to customize their learning needs (ex. if your class is studying a novel, include a word sheet to list vocabulary or key words from your discussions)
✍️Print the blank spelling pattern sheets as a centers activity. Students can sort a list of words or create their own that follow the pattern.