A real step up from first grade
Second graders are usually ready for words that don't follow the simple rules. Sleigh has a silent gh, wreath starts with a silent w, and chimney ends in an ey that sounds like a long e. Spotting those letters in a grid gives children another look at spellings they could easily get wrong.
Diagonals change the search
With Medium difficulty, words can run diagonally as well as across and down. Children have to change how they look: instead of scanning line by line, they find a first letter and check all around it. Show one example on the board before they begin, as some children won't think to look that way without a prompt.
Using it in a December week
- Morning work: quiet and self-checking, as the room settles.
- Spelling review: swap in this week's words, up to the size of the grid.
- Word study: ask children to circle the silent letters once each word is found.
Make it easier or harder
If the grid feels like too much, press Easy for across and down only. For a child who races through it, choose Hard to add backwards words, or make the grid bigger in the settings. Press "New sheet" to give neighbours different layouts of the same word list.