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Diagnostic Analysis of Spelling Errors

Date 27 February 2016Advisor Eoin Shanahan

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Objectives

• To inform about current research findings on how children learn to spell

• To explain how this knowledge can help identify deficits that cause spelling errors

• To demonstrate how to target these deficits effectively in our teaching

• To experience and engage in analysis of a range of common spelling errors

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Key Messages

• Knowledge of sound, meaning and pattern are primary contributors to spelling

• A spelling error can reveal the deficit in student knowledge that caused it

• Once we have identified the deficit that has caused an error we can target it effectively in our teaching

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How do children learn to spell?

...a number of overlapping developmental stages:

• using sound-letter relationships

• using pattern

• using meaning

(PSC p. 85)

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Components of Spelling

Knowledge of sound

Knowledge of meaning

Knowledge of pattern

Stored images of words and patterns

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Analysing Spelling Behaviours

• A spelling error can reveal to us what the student knows

• It can also can reveal to us what the student does not know

• We can then target deficits effectively in our teaching

• We can do this for individual needs, group needs or whole class needs

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A note of Caution

• Young children have a more extensive vocabulary of spoken words than of correctly spelled words

• Overcorrecting can stifle creativity and can affect confidence

• Better to view spelling errors as an opportunity to identify deficits in student knowledge that we can address in our teaching.

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Is it really a spelling error?

• Is it a vocabulary issue? Did the child spell the wrong word or did (s)he spell the word wrongly?

• Can the student read the words at level of automaticity?

• Is it a slip of the pen?

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Is it a pronunciation-related (sound) issue?

• Are/our

• Cousin/cousint

• Pencil/pincil

• Tea/tey

• Water/wather

• Brother/bruder

• Wednesday/ Wensday

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Is it a phoneme-related (sound) issue?

• Bird/brd

• Girl/grl

• When/wen

• Went/whent

• Very/fery

• Train/chrain

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Is it a Schwa-related (sound) issue?

The Schwa is an unstressed /uh/ sound that is present in syllables of many spoken words.

• Im port ant

• Sat ur day

• Butch er

• Ban an a

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Is it a different phonological (sound) issue?

• When a child’s spelling of a word represents all of the sounds of that word in the correct order (even if the spelling is incorrect) he/she demonstrates good phonological knowledge (knowledge of sound).

• When a sound or a syllable is omitted or added, there is a phonological issue.

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Is it a pattern issue?

Check the spelling to make sure that the sounds in the word are spelled using the correct letter patterns.

• Woch/watch

• Duk/duck

• Bred/bread

• Necst/next

• Windo/window

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Is it a meaning issue?

Knowledge of meaning is important when spelling homophones, contractions, words with prefixes and suffixes (incl. singulars, plurals and tense changes).

• Lookt/looked

• Wasent/wasn’t

• Too/two

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Have a Go

In the text can you find examples of

• A pronunciation issue

• A phoneme-related issue

• A Schwa-related issue

• A pattern-related (orthographic) issue

• A meaning-related (morphological) issue

• Two different issues in the same word

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Key Messages

• Knowledge of sound, meaning and pattern are primary contributors to spelling

• A spelling error can reveal the deficit in student knowledge that caused it

• Once we have identified the deficit that has caused an error we can target it effectively in our teaching

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What we are

Teachers and school leaders

Teacher Educators

Facilitators/Enablers

Purveyors of lifelong learning

What we are not

Evaluators

Policy makers

Curriculum developers

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In-school support

www.pdst.ie/schoolsupport

School roll number

schoolsupport2015

It is essential to fill out the on-line application form in order for your application to be considered

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• www.pdst.ie/publications - Free PDFs

• www.laoiseducationcentre.org/pdstpublications

To order print copies at cost price + P & P

PDST Publications & Resources

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• www.pdst.ie/publications - Free PDFs

• www.laoiseducationcentre.org/pdstpublications

To order print copies at cost price + P & P

PDST Active Learning Toolkit

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School-Self EvaluationTeaching & Learning Framework; 6 Step SSE Process; gathering, collating & analysing relevant data; implementing the SIP for

literacy, numeracy and any other area of teaching & learning.

Health and Wellbeing SPHE including Child Protection and Stay Safe Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Active Learning Methodologies Anti Bullying-Procedures and Policy, Awareness

Raising, Intervention, Prevention and Intervention Strategies

PE Wellbeing for teachers

PDST Websites

www.pdst.iepdsttechnologyineducation.iescoilnet.ie (portal for resources)teachercpd.ie (on-line courses)

Overview of PDST Primary Supports for Leading Learning in the 21st Century

www.pdst.ie/schoolsupport

Models of support:in-school support (in-class modeling, meeting principal/groups of teachers, Croke Park hrs), seminars, workshops, clusters

Literacy SSE & strategies for improving

oral language, writing, reading and the use of broadcast /digital media.

NumeracySSE & strategies for improving

numeracy. Supporting the development of Mathematical

thinking.

GaeilgeTacaíocht chun Curaclam na Gaeilge a chur i

bhfeidhm i Scoileanna T1&T2, Féinmheastóireacht Scoile, chomh maith le

tacaíocht lán Ghaeilge a sholáthar do Ghaelscoileanna agus scoileanna sa

Ghaeltacht.

Integrating ICT - PrimaryActive Learning Methodologies- Key methodologies of the primary curriculum through the effective use of ICT.Literacy & Numeracy – Creating, developing and using ICT to create teaching resources in all areas of primary literacy and numeracy.SSE – Online tools for gathering, collating & analysing relevant data.eAssessment & ePortfolios – Assessment of / for learning with ICT.ePlanning & Collaboration – Google Apps for Education.Tablet Technology Integration – Pedagogy, Curriculum & SEN Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) – Google Classroom, Edmodo

PDST Leadership ProgrammesMisneach.....New PrincipalsTánaiste.......New Deputy PrincipalsTóraíocht.....Aspiring Leaders accredited by

Maynooth UniversityForbairt .......Experienced Principals & ALNsSpreagadh...NAPD & PDST collaboration

www.pdst.ie

The PDST is funded by the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and is managed

by Dublin West Education Centre

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This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ie/. You may use and re-use this material (not including images and logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike Licence.

© P D S T 2 0 1 4