Teaching Spelling: The Basics

MariaCecília de Freitas Cardoso Buckley, Ph.D., P/ET

SBPS Teacher Preparation Program April 30, 2015

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Why teach spelling?

It impacts literacy development, reading, written expression, academic success.

It impacts hiring, job performance and advancement.

It impacts clarity of communication and acceptance.

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Goals

Effective communication

Linguistic-Cognitive knowledge

Efficient use of tools (dictionary, spell checkers, thesaurus)

Automaticity

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Ways to Teach Spelling

Emphasis on memorization

Relationship of spelling with reading

Integration of spelling and morphology

Study based on frequency and patterns

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A Better Understanding

Spelling is a high level linguistic-cognitive skill to be integrated in language arts curriculum that requires different types of knowledge:

Phonological

Orthographic

Morphological

Semantic

Mental orthographic images

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What You TeachPhonological knowledge: ability to discriminate and segment phonemes and syllables (pin x pen; bag x bad; bet x bed; me x knee)

Orthographic knowledge: sound-symbol correspondences, rules for combining letters, spelling patterns (/k/ = c, k, ck, cc ch, qu, x)

Morphological knowledge: morpheme units, root words, inflected words and derived words; modification rules (walked, walks, walking; teach, teacher; fair, unfair; silly, silliness; magic, magician; “sine x signachur”)

Semantic knowledge: word meaning (bear x bare; won x one)

Mental orthographic images: mental representation of words(stopt, stoppt, stopd)

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Stages of Development

Emergent - Early Letter Name

Letter Name

Within Word Pattern

Syllables and Affixes

Derivational Relations

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Assessment

Measure / quantify student ability

Baseline to describe current skill / developmental level

Determine type of word study instruction

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Developmental Approach

Follows developmental sequence and instruction that considers spelling as a high-level linguistic cognitive skill

Used with larger groups

Does not allow time for intensive instruction and practice

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Prescriptive Approach

Sample for each spelling pattern within student’s developmental spelling level

Identification of patterns most frequently misspelled and analyzes the errors to determine deficit

Establishment of goal and appropriate instructional method for the student and spelling skill taught

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How to Teach

Explicit teaching

Sequential teaching

Systematic teaching

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Active LearningRole of investigation and discovery

Role of carefully thought questions

Love for words, exploration of their structure and their meaning across curriculum

Integration with reading and writing

Role of self-monitoring and correction

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Useful TipsBalance DIRECT TEACHING with COACHING FOR DISCOVERY.

Do not say everything, but PLAN carefully and SCAFFOLD the learning.

Plan a list of words to present and let the child figure out as much as possible.

Emphasis on patterns, not on words.

Guide with QUESTIONS, promote observation of patterns

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Examples

Working with regular patterns and sight words

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Make it interesting!

Make it fun!

Make it crazy!15

Discover Patterns

Sort Word

Speed sort

Blind sort

Word Hunt

Reading the Room

Change-a-letter

games

Write and draw

Rhyme time

Make up words

Make diagrams (Venn, Family Tree, …)

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SortsBy initial or ending sound, using pictures or words

By patterns

By syllable types

By base-words, roots, affixes

By syntax

……………..

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Games“HUNT” for words with specific patterns using: boards on the wall, Just Right Books, curriculum texts, objects in the classroom or in the playground…

Change-a-letter games

Use different spelling games.

Work on the same concept for the whole week.

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Chunking and Chin Drops

Known parts

Syllable rules

Try different ways

Identify syllables / Syllble Types

Stressed and unaccented syllables (schwa sound)

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Word Study

Meaning of the word

Origin of the word

Usage of the word

Compound word, base-word, root, affixes

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Dictionary Strategies

Go by sections: EMS (eat more spaghetti)

Strategies to effectively use computer spell checker, dictionary and thesaurus

Poem: “Eye half a

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Multisensory ActivitiesBuild word with cards or magnetic tiles

Build three dimensional word

Build word using cubes with letters

Write with finger on cookie sheet using different textures

Write “rainbow” words

Write on “gel pads” with “magic pencil”

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Keywords

Anchor sounds with keywords

apple, Ed, itch, octopus, up

bait, play, jeep, eat, key, coin, boy, boat, toe, snow plow, trout soup, school book, blue rescue, chew, August, saw

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Tapping and Chaining

Tap individual sounds; tap “glued sounds”

Touch “syllable cards” before writing

Reverse chaining by letter

w-o-r-d; w-o-r-_; w-o-_-_; w-_-_-_; w-o-r-d

Reverse chaining by syllable

re-cor-der; re-cor-_; re-_-_; re-cor-der

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Visualize the Word

See the word with your mind’s eyes. Play with the letters in your mind.

Think of colors, format…

Make something interesting happen to the letters in your mind (see them jumping up and down…).

Spell the word

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Aga jumped in the puddle again, again and again. Her mother said: STop! She was against that silly play!

Mnemonics (brain tricks - best if tailored for the SPECIFIC

child)

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Mnemonics

Will, the little boy, was happy he was learning to write! (wwwwwwww)

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MnemonicsPIEce of PIE

THERE is not HERE

THEIR - They Have Eggs, Elephants, Inchworms and Raccoons

TO - I like to play, and nothing can be as simple as that.

TWO - Why do they call it “w”, when there are two “v”s?

TOO - I want some cookies, TOO!28

Crazy Stories

For vowel teams with same sound

goat, moat, toast, boat, road, cockroach…

beast, eat, peach, reach…

For difficult patterns

plain, train, grain, rain…

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Motor Activities

Jump rope, throw ball, bounce ball while spelling

Write on air with straight arm and pointing three fingers

Say word, say each letter (spell) while writing each letter in the air, say all the word again at the end

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Cloze Activities (stories with highly frequent words)

_____ ago, buffalo herds _______ a source of _____ for the Native American people _____ on the Great Plains. The tribes _____ the buffalo in_____ to live. _____, the buffalo _____ the people _____ with meat from _____ body. Then the buffalo hide was used in many _________ ways, _____ as for robes and tepee covers. The people were _____ about _____ respect for the beast.

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Word Maps and Diagrams

TRI

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Venn Diagram

televise, telegram, provision, supervise, improvise, telegram, telepathy, telephone, visit, advise, telephoto, telecast, telegraph, audiovisual, visitor, vista, revision, invisible, telepathy, telescope, telethon, television

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Create-a-word

What is a…

Critmal?

Spectivore?

Give your word, define and illustrate.

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Words Their Way

http://pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS174y

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Words Their Way: Word Study in Action Developmental Model

Donald R. Bear, Ph.D.

Marcia Invernizzi

Francine Johnston

Shane Templeton, Ph.D.

published by Pearson

http://pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS174y

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Words Their WayDevelopmental Spelling Stages

Words Their Way: Word Study in Action Developmental Model aligns students’ spelling development into the following five research-based stages. This developmental model recognizes the synchronous nature of reading, writing, and spelling, and has identified common characteristics of readers, writers, and spellers along the literacy continuum.http://pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS174y

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Emergent - Early Letter Name

Characteristics of Word Knowledge

Neglect to use any sound-symbol correspondenceRepresent strongest sounds with a single letterHave an incomplete knowledge of alphabet

 

Word Study FocusConcepts SortsRhyming PairsBeginning consonantsBlends and DiagraphsShort-Vowel Word Families

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Letter NameCharacteristics of Word Knowledge

Neglect to use any sound-symbol correspondenceRepresent strongest sounds with a single letterHave an incomplete knowledge of alphabet

Spelling SamplesB, BD, BAD for bedS, SHP, SEP for shipL, LP. LOP for lumpU for youBAKR for bakerDADT for daddyGRUM for drum

Word Study FocusBeginning ConsonantsBlends and DigraphsSame Vowel Word FamiliesMixed Vowel Word FamiliesAffricatesShort VowelsPreconsonantal Nasal

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Within Word PatternCharacteristics of Word Knowledge

Correctly spell most single-syllable, short vowel words, beginning consonant diagraphs, and twoletter consonant blendsAttempt to use silent long-vowel markersUse but confuse long-vowel patterns

Spelling SamplesSNAIK for snakeFELE for feelFLOTE for fl oatBRIET for brightSPOLE for spoilCHUED for chewed

Word Study FocusLong Vowels (CVCe)Other Common Long-Vowel Patternsr-Influenced Vowel PatternsDiphthongs and Vowel DigraphsComplex Consonant ClustersHomophones

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Syllables and AffixesCharacteristics of Word Knowledge

Connect word knowledge with vocabulary growthCorrectly spell most single-syllable, short-vowell and long-vowel words and high-frequency wordsMake errors at syllable juncture points and in unaccented syllables

 

Spelling SamplesSHOPING for shoppingKEPER for keeperSELLER for cellarAMAZZING for amazingPERRAIDING for parading

 

Word Study FocusCompound WordsInfl ected EndingsOpen and Closed SyllablesAccented SyllablesUnaccented SyllablesPrefi xes and Suffixes

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Derivational Relations

Characteristics of Word Knowledge

Connect word knowledge with vocabulary growthSpell most words correctlyMake errors on low-frequency multisyllabic words derived from Latin and Greek forms

 

Spelling SamplesOPPISITION for oppositionTERADACTIL for pterodactylPROHABITION for prohibitionEXHILERATE for exhilarate

 

Word Study FocusPrefixes and SuffixesGreek and Latin RootsAssimilated Prefixes

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Bibliography and Resources

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Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, Francine Johnston. Words Their Way; Pearson Publications

Diane Snowball and Faye Bolton. Spelling K-8 Planning and Teaching. Stenhouse Publishers.

Anne Whitney. Breaking the Can’t Spell Spell - Best Practices in Spelling Intervention; Spectrum Educational consulting Services, Broomfield, Colorado. Courage to Risk Conference, February 14, 2004

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Rebecca Sitton with Barbara Hanno. Rebecca Sitton’s Spelling Sourcebook; Egger Publishing

Luisa Moats, Ed.D and Bruce Rosow, M.A. Spellography - A student road map to better spelling; Sopris West.

Kristin Johnson. Megawords. Educators Publishing Service

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Cynthia M. Stowe. Spelling Smart. The Center for Applied Research in Education

(various authors) Wordly Wise (by grade level); Educators Publishing Service

McGraw-Hill Learning Materials. Spectrum Phonics (by grade level). The McGraw-Hill Companies.

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