Spelling Instruction

Big Word GameHow many words can you make out of these letters?

a, a, a, e, i, b, c, h, l, l, p, t

What is the word formed by using all of the letters?

Spelling Counts

Spelling has social importance.Yule, 1986

Spelling achievement is valued by parents.

Phonemic Awareness and Spelling

Phonemic awareness is a key predictor of spelling success.

Foorman, Novy, Francis, & Lieberman, 1991; Tangle & Blanchman, 1995

Good spellers are better readers and writers.

Scanlon & Vellutino, 1997; Moats, 1997; Tangle & Blackman, 1995, and Urea & Shepherd, 1993

Children retain spelling knowledge best when they use

their new words in reading and writing.

Moats, 1997

Stages of Spelling Development

Letter Name Stage Within Word Pattern Stage Syllables and Affixes Stage Derivational Relations Stage

Letter Name Stage

Alphabetic stageBeginning and ending consonantsShort vowels

Within Word Pattern Stage

R-controlled vowelsRegular long vowel patternsConsonant blendsCommon suffixes

Suffixes and Affixes Stage

Multi-syllabic wordsConsonant doublingE-drop before endingsLong vowel patterns in accented syllables

Derivational Relations Stage

Spell most words correctly

Why teach spelling as a part of reading?

Spelling is one of the 3 partners in the reading process:

Morphology: the study of word formation

Phonology: the study of sounds

Orthography: the study of correct spelling

Reading and Spelling Connection

Reading – decoding

Spelling - encoding

Consider Cowby: Alice Schertle

Consider cowWhich rhymes with boughBut notWith rough.That’s clear enough.

Remember mooWill rhymeWith throughBut notWith troughOr thoughOr tough.

You’ve gotIt now:There’s doughAnd boughAnd coughAnd throughAnd mough…Er, moo.

At one magical instant in your early childhood,the pages of a book –

that string of confused, alien ciphers

shivered into meaning.

Words spoke to you,gave up their secrets;

at that moment,whole universes opened.

You became,irrevocably,

a reader.

Alberto Manguel