Chapter 5 describes five stages of spelling development: emergent spelling, letter name spelling, within-word pattern spelling, syllables and affixes spelling, and derivational relations spelling. The chapter discusses the role of traditional spelling textbooks and weekly spelling tests. Suggestions are given for personalizing spelling instruction. A sample of an effective weekly schedule is offered.
While teachers engage in many types of spelling activities, it is recommended that children be taught the following basic study strategy:
- 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.
(This information can be found on page 138 in the textbook.)
Effective teachers assist children in learning to spell in the following ways:
- Teachers encourage children to apply what they know about phonics through invented spelling.
- Teachers analyze children's spelling errors as a measure of their understanding of phonics.
- Teachers consider children's stage of spelling development in planning spelling instruction.
- Teachers teach children to use spelling strategies and "think out" the spelling of unfamiliar words.
- Teachers teach minilessons on spelling strategies and skills using words from children's reading and writing.
- Teachers provide children with daily reading and writing experiences because they understand that these activities contribute to children's spelling development.
- Teachers use word walls, collecting words, making words, word sorts, and other activities as part of a complete spelling program.
- Teachers teach children how to use dictionaries to locate unfamiliar spellings.
- Teachers often use spelling textbooks, but only as part of a complete spelling program.
- Teachers personalize spelling textbook programs to meet the needs of English language learners and struggling spellers.
Readers should consider the following questions while reading Chapter 5:
- What are the stages of spelling development?
- Why do teachers analyze children's spelling errors?
- How do teachers teach spelling?
- Why are weekly spelling tests an incomplete spelling program?
