Learning to Spell

1
Learning to Spell

• Dr. Peterson
• Chapter 12- Tompkins

2
What is invented spelling?

• Creating unique spellings based on knowledge of
  English or how the word should be spelled.
• Phonetics
• Stages of spelling development
• Refer to Tompkins p. 510

3
Ways to Support Spelling

• Refer to Figure 12-1 on p. 513
• Stage 1 Emergent
• Experiment with writing
• Model how to write
• Environmental print
• Stage 2 Letter Name Spelling
• Sing the ABC song
• Post high-frequency words to the word wall

• Stage 3 Within-Word Spelling
• Teach lessons on vowel spelling patterns
• Use visualization to recognize the correct
  spelling of words
• Stage 4 Syllables and Affixes
• Teach lessons on dividing words into syllables
• Teach proofreading
• Stage 5 Derivational Relations
• Teach root words affixes
• Sort words

4
Teaching Spelling

• Refer to Tompkins p. 518
• Writing
• Reading
• Word Walls
• Making words
• Word sorts
• Proofreading
• Dictionaries
• Spelling options
• Root words and affixes
• Spelling strategies- refer to p. 524 for helpful
  strategies to teach students.

• Figure 12-2 The 100 Most Frequently Used Words-
  p. 520
• Figure 12-3 100 Useful Words for Students in
  Grades 4-8

5
Teaching Minilessons

• Refer to p. 528 and 529 for suggestions
• Procedures
• Concepts
• Strategies
• Skills

6
Weekly Spelling Tests?

• Should weekly spelling tests be administered?
• Research shows that students spelling is learning
  through reading and writing.
• Weekly spelling tests if given should be
  individualized so children learn to spell the
  words they need for their writing.
• Based on the fact that most commercially
  prepared spelling lists are based on words that
  are unrelated to the words students are reading
  and writing.

7
Suggestions from Tompkins

• Students choose the words they will study.
• Words come from writing projects and literature
  they are reading.
• Students study five to eight words during the
  week using a specific study strategy.
• Places more responsibility on the student for
  their own learning.
• Guidelines for individualized spelling tests are
  provided on p. 530

8
Guidelines for Individualized Spelling Tests

• Page 530
• Master list
• Pretest
• Words to study
• Study lists
• Study strategy
• Practice test
• Posttest
• Next weeks words

Master list words are drawn from words students
needed for their writing projects during the
previous week, high-frequency words, and words
related to literature focus units and theme
cycles ongoing in the classroom.

• Research has shown that pretests are a critical
  component in learning to spell.
• Eliminates words already know how to spell.
• Immediate feedback provided by correcting own
  pretest.

9
Studying Spelling Words

• Students should spend five to ten minutes
  studying the words on their study lists each day
  during the week, instead of busywork activities,
  such as using their spelling words in sentences
  or gluing yarn in the shape of the words.
• Research shows

10
Studying Spelling Words

• It is more effective for students to us this
  strategy to practice spelling words
• Look at the word and say it to yourself.
• Say each letter in the word to yourself.
• Close your eyes and spell the word to yourself.
• Write the word, and check that you spelled it
  correctly.
• Write the word again, and check that you spelled
  it correctly.

11
Spelling Research Justification

• Textbook or commercially prepared spelling
  programs..
• Arranged in week-long units
• Lists of 10-20 words
• Practice activities that require at least 30
  minutes per day to complete.
• Focus on language arts skills that are not
  directly related to learning to spell.
• Research indicates that only 60-75 minutes per
  week should be spent on spelling instruction.
• Greater periods of time do not result in improved
  spelling ability.

12
Spelling Research Justification

• Textbook spelling programs
• Word in each unit arranged according to spelling
  patterns or phonetic generalizations.
• The effectiveness of teaching spelling via phonic
  generalizations is highly questionable.
• Students often memorize the rule or spelling
  pattern and score perfectly on the spelling test
  but later are unable to choose among spelling
  options in their writing.

13
Adapting Spelling Instruction

• Encourage Invented Spelling
• Teach High-Frequency Words
• Teach the Think It Out Strategy
• Read and Write Every Day
• Recognize That Errors Are Part of Learning
• Tompkins- p. 532

14
Assessing Students Spelling Progress

• Weekly spelling tests are the traditional measure
  of progress and the individualized spelling
  instruction approach provides a convenient way to
  assess students.
• Samples of students writing should be collected
  periodically to determine whether words that were
  spelled correctly on tests are being spelling
  correctly in writing projects.
• Spelling problems could be attributed to
  pronunciation or dialect differences.
• Keep anecdotal information and samples of
  childrens writing to monitor overall progress in
  spelling.
• Error patterns and spelling strategies can be
  examined in these samples.
• Examining students spelling in writing samples
  provides one type of information, while examining
  writing samples for error patterns and spelling
  strategies provides a more complete picture.
• A chart like the one on page 514 and 516 can
  assist teachers in determining the stages of
  spelling development of a child.

15
Lets try some alternative spelling practice
methods.