What are your thoughts about spelling tests?  Do you give spelling tests?

Our curriculum has weekly spelling lists. I give the students the main 20 words to study during the week and then I throw in 2 "challenge words" that they haven't seen but go along with the weekly spelling. The challenge words are bonus only, and it is sometimes amazing what words they end up spelling.

The presence of spell check makes spelling tests still very necessary. Liked the ideas of using groups of 4 students to try and guess the definitions of words using context, then using technology to write with the words and publishing their work. Somehow by knowing that others will be reading their material students seem to put forth more of the effort and work harder.

I agree! Middle schoolers are having a difficult time spelling. When they get the 'squiggly' line for misspelled words, they have no idea why it's wrong.

I do give spelling tests. I look for the prefixes, suffixes and roots that students are suppose to know at grade level and pick one word component a week. Our first spelling list included dis- prefixes. Students gave me dis- words where the root could stand alone as a word. After looking at the prefix and the roots, students were asked what they thought the root meant. Then we chose 10 words out of the contributions. They voted on 8 and I voted on 2 for the spelling test.

I also give spelling tests. They are a part of the Reading program we use. The lists have 15 words related by vowel sound or word family. The students are excited when they see their spelling words in their reading, and will often come point them out. (I teach third graders.)