Views
Downloads
Printable Week 17 Spelling Test | Grade 3 & 4 ELA Ready
Paste this activity's link or code into your existing LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, Teams, Schoology, Moodle, etc.).
Students can open and work on the activity right away, with no student login required.
You'll still be able to track student progress and results from your teacher account.
Mastering r-controlled vowels is a critical milestone for third and fourth-grade writers. This Week 17 spelling test provides a comprehensive assessment of "bossy r" patterns through 18 targeted multiple-choice questions. Students demonstrate their ability to distinguish correct spellings from common phonetic distractors, ensuring they can accurately apply spelling generalizations in their daily writing and reading.
At a Glance
- Grade: 3 · Subject: ELA
- Standard:
L.3.2.F— Use spelling patterns and generalizations like r-controlled vowels in written words- Skill Focus: Spelling r-controlled vowels (er, ir, ur, or)
- Format: 5 pages · 18 problems · Answer key included · PDF
- Best For: Weekly assessment or spelling centers
- Time: 15–20 minutes
This 5-page PDF contains 18 multiple-choice spelling questions divided into three progressive sections. Each item presents one correctly spelled word alongside two look-alike distractors designed to challenge common orthographic misconceptions. The layout includes clear workspace for student names, dates, and scoring. A complete answer key is provided to facilitate rapid grading or student self-correction during independent work periods.
Skill Progression
- Guided Practice: The first 6 questions focus on foundational short vowel and r-controlled transitions with high-frequency words like "nurse" and "work," providing clear visual cues for learners.
- Supported Practice: Questions 7-13 increase the cognitive load by utilizing mixed letter orders and trickier vowel swaps to ensure students are decoding the entire word structure carefully.
- Independent Practice: The final "Word Challenge" section introduces longer, multi-syllabic words and familiar everyday vocabulary to test for true mastery of the r-controlled spelling pattern.
This gradual-release approach ensures students move from recognition to deep orthographic analysis throughout the assessment, following the I Do, We Do, You Do instructional model.
Standards Alignment
This resource is primary aligned to L.3.2.F: Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, and meaningful word parts) in writing words. It also supports L.4.2.D by reinforcing conventional spelling for r-controlled vowel patterns studied in upper elementary grades. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.
How to Use It
This worksheet is most effective as a summative assessment at the end of a week focused on r-controlled vowels or as a diagnostic tool before beginning the unit. During administration, observe if students are whispering the words to themselves to hear the vowel-r sound or if they are purely relying on visual recognition. The assessment typically takes 15-20 minutes to complete and provides clear data for differentiated small-group instruction.
Who It's For
Designed primarily for Grade 3 and Grade 4 students, this test is an ideal fit for general education classrooms, RTI Tier 2 spelling intervention groups, or special education settings focusing on phonics and encoding. It pairs naturally with the Journeys "The Extra Good Sunday" unit or any phonics-based curriculum teaching "bossy r" sounds to elementary learners.
