Children progress through spelling stages on their literacy journey. J. Richard Gentry lists these five stages of development: Stage 1 – Precommunicative Stage 2 – Semiphonetic Stage 3 – Phonetic Stage 4 – Transitional Stage 5 – Conventional Follow this link to read more about these developmental spelling stages. Kid Writing in the 21st Century, …
Read More about Developmental Spelling Stages
Word Study
Invented Spelling
Invented spelling has become a dirty word in many circles. For this reason I prefer the following terms to describe this stage in a literacy learner’s life: temporary spelling developmental spelling sound spelling The practice of inventing spelling leads children to consciously try to hear the sounds in words so they can match letters to …
Read More about Invented Spelling
Developmental Spelling Inventory
J. Richard Gentry developed a developmental spelling inventory, sometimes called the “monster test”, which is an easy way to determine a child’s developmental spelling stage. It does not give as detailed information about students’ phonics development as the Words Their Way spelling inventories do, but it’s a quick and efficient way to get some valuable information, especially with …
Read More about Developmental Spelling Inventory
Personal Word Wall
Word walls are great tools for teaching vocabulary, high-frequency words, and word patterns. It is often a challenge to get students to use these tools, however. “Word Wall Bobs” provide great opportunities for students to have repeated exposure to the words on our word walls and for encouraging students to use them independently. Some children …
Read More about Personal Word Wall
Elkonin Sound Boxes
I have found this technique to be extremely effective with my young spellers who have not developed full phonemic awareness. It helps them train their ears to hear each part of a word and eventually be able to represent each sound with a written letter. View a slide show demo of sound boxes. Draw a …
Read More about Elkonin Sound Boxes
Word Families: A Powerful Way to Strengthen Phonics Skills
Most of us would agree that English phonics is complex! Word families are a powerful tool to help our students internalize common phonics patterns, consolidate their decoding skills, and build greater reading fluency. How do we use them? First, a quick review: What are onsets and rimes? An onset is the consonant(s) before the vowel(s) …
Read More about Word Families: A Powerful Way to Strengthen Phonics Skills
But how do you spell…?
If you teach young children, you probably hear this question on an almost-daily basis. I am often asked by teachers, “What do you do when children refuse to write unless they know the correct spelling?” This is a really important question that I will attempt to answer here. First, let me remind you of the …
Read More about But how do you spell…?