GAMES teachers, home economists and historians are to be enlisted in the fight to stop shoddy spelling in secondary schools.

Every subject specialist must ensure that pupils can spell key words commonly used in their lessons, according to the Government’s draft literacy strategy for secondary schools.

Art teachers should ensure that pupils can spell perspective, palette and frieze while games teachers will be responsible for words such as quadriceps, hamstring and bicep, it says. Home economics staff should focus on hygiene while historians could tackle propaganda and imperialism.

The literacy strategy was introduced in primaries in September 1998. A strategy for the early secondary years is to be piloted in 200 schools next month and, if successful, implemented by all secondaries from September 2001.

Secondaries around the country have helped the Department for Education and Employment compile the spelling lists by supplying words commonly misspelt by 11 and 12-year-olds.

The draft document, Framework for teaching English - Years 7-9, says: “Language is the principal medium of learning and every teacher needs to cultivate it as the tool for learning. The challenge is to transfer skills from one lesson to another by making literacy skills part of the explicit teaching agenda in all lessons.”

KEY WORDS

History: chronological, siege, independence, rebellion

Geography: estuary, longitude, infrastructure, physical

RE:baptism, disciple, prejudice, prophet

Music: chromatic, crotchet, synchronise, syncopation

Drama: dramatise, improvise, playwright, rehearsal

ICT: byte, cartridge, disk, monitor