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Correct Spelling of Words
Correct spelling of words is essential for everyone.
The key in all about spelling is learning patterns to improve spelling and strategies for difficult spelling words.
Common spelling problems happen when teachers do not emphasize the correct spelling of words through a variety of ways.
Successful spelling is a thinking activity, not a rote memorization activity.
Being able to improve spelling is a multi-sensory task that requires tremendous brain power, repetition and strategic thinking.
Also, the over-use of inventive spelling is a detriment to student success when it goes beyond the initial development stage.
Why Does Correct Spelling of Words Matter?
It matters for many reasons:
Facilitating professional communication
Consideration of the audience to which the writer is trying to reach
Without a working knowledge of spelling strategies, invented spelling and spell checkers become crutches that enable us to actually stop thinking about how words work.
Spell checkers do not always work anyway: i.e. grammar, homophones, etc.
High stake tests are generally taken in longhand: if you can't spell, you may not pass (update: many states are now going to use PARC for their testing, and all tests will be online. Correct spelling of words will still matter.
Your good intentions in your creative story ideas will be overshadowed by spelling and grammatical errors
Correct spelling prevents misunderstanding
You are more credible as a writer when your written work is free from error
How to Improve Spelling in Your Classroom
If you really want to teach your students all about spelling, do this first:
Understand developmental spelling
Match teaching strategies to needs
Scaffold on spelling knowledge and be keenly aware of when intervention is needed
Then, start teaching using these strategies and methods:
Use errors as diagnostic signs.
Students' errors should guide a teacher's instruction in spelling
Errors lend important clues to the strategies children are trying to implement in their writing
Read My Mind - call out clues for a word for students to spell
Illustrate spelling words to demonstrate understanding of meaning
Allow for Self Evaluation
You must teach proofreading skills. I teach basic proofreading to my second graders - they can do it. Knowing when a word doesn't look right is an essential step to the correct spelling of words
Help students set goals and identify spelling areas they need to work on
Teach students to use different strategies at the same time to spell correctly
Teach students how to learn new words and expect them to use it
Strategies can include: Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check; Tap out the sounds; Visualize the word, Look for words within a word; Break it into syllables; Use knowledge of prefixes and suffixes
Use analogy strategies: consider known words when writing new words, like chick and tap can spell "chap."
Use reference strategies: Model consulting a dictionary, asking for help from a proficient speller, and show how to use a word wall.
Improvements in writing words correctly happens through consistent practice and implementing a variety of teaching strategies.
When students start to apply these strategies consistently with difficult spelling words, you will know they are on their way to knowing the correct spelling of words.
for word studies.
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