MarcX Studio English
A classic spelling routine
Look, Cover, Write, Check at home
Look, Cover, Write, Check is a four-step routine for learning a spelling word: study it, hide it, write it from memory, then check it. Here is how to run it at home, with a printable template.
Free to start: 2 word lists of up to 100 words each. Pro: US$2.99/month, US$19.99/year or US$29.99 once (UK £2.99/£19.99/£29.99; Australia A$4.99/A$29.99/A$49.99).
Snap Spell
What is Look, Cover, Write, Check?
It is a four-step way to learn a word. Look at the word and notice its tricky part, cover it, write it from memory, then uncover it and check letter by letter. Repeat on a fresh line for any word that was not right. Short daily sessions on a handful of words keep it manageable.
The four steps
Take one word at a time and finish all four steps before moving on.
- 1 Look: read the word aloud, say its letters, and find the tricky part, such as a double letter or a silent letter.
- 2 Cover: hide the word with your hand or a folded sheet of paper and picture it in your mind.
- 3 Write: write the whole word from memory on the next line.
- 4 Check: uncover the word and compare it letter by letter. Tick it, or circle the letter that differs and try again on a fresh line.
Making it work at home
A few small habits make the routine easier to keep going.
Five to ten words
Take them from the list your child’s school sent home, starting with the words that were missed last time.
A fresh line each try
Fold the paper or use the template below so the earlier attempt is out of sight when your child writes again.
Short and often
Ten minutes a day is easier to repeat than one long session the night before the test.
Printable Look, Cover, Write, Check template
Print this template, write one word per row in the first column, and fold the sheet back so each try is written without the earlier one in view. Tick the last column when the word is right.
Printable Look, Cover, Write, Check template
| Word | Write 1 | Write 2 | Write 3 | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Where Snap Spell fits in
Snap Spell can read the words and help you check. Photograph the school list, then use Auto Dictation: each word is read aloud (once, twice or three times, with 3 to 15 seconds between words) while your child writes on paper. When the list is finished, Check Answers lets you mark each word right or wrong, and words that were missed come back through Tricky Words. When your child types answers in Solo Test, common British and American spellings (colour/color) both count as correct.
Questions about Look, Cover, Write, Check
Is it the same as Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check?
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check adds a spoken step: say the word aloud before covering it. The other steps are the same, so you can add the Say step whenever it helps.
How many words should we do in one session?
A handful, around five to ten, keeps a session short. Add more words on the following days.
Can my child work through the template alone?
Yes. Your child fills in the sheet row by row, and a grown-up checks it at the end, or reads the same words with Auto Dictation in Snap Spell and marks them in Check Answers.
Have this week’s list nearby?
Download Snap Spell, photograph the list, and let the app read the words while your child writes.
