Most good spellers aren't born; they are made.
Good spellers are those people who learn the most effective spelling strategies and apply them on a routine basis. If your children master effective spelling strategies, spelling will be much easier for them.
There are four main categories of spelling strategies: phonetic, rule-based, visual, and morphemic. A successful and effective spelling program uses all four strategies.
Phonetic Spelling Strategies
When a person listens for each sound in a word and then attempts to represent those sounds with a letter or letter combination, he's using a phonetic spelling strategy. You can teach this spelling strategy by teaching the basic phonograms.
Rule-Based Spelling Strategies
It isn't efficient or effective to spell with phonograms only. Rule-based spelling strategies include recognizing the rules and generalizations of the English language. For example, if your child knows that the /ch/ sound is spelled "tch" when it follows a short vowel, he or she has a better chance of spelling the word kitchen correctly.
Visual Spelling Strategies
Word banks that focus on a single concept, such as the /j/ sound spelled as “dge,” help the child remember words related to that concept. Visual memory strategies also come into play when dealing with homophones (words that sound alike but are spelled differently). Extensive reading and word games are two more good ways to help your child develop visual spelling strategies.
Morphemic Spelling Strategies
Morphemic strategies are based on the knowledge that the meaning of a word influences its spelling. A spelling program that teaches morphemic spelling strategies may teach Greek and Latin roots, how to add prefixes and suffixes to base words, and how to form compound words and abbreviations.
As spellers grow and mature, they become more competent at using these effective spelling strategies. Eventually, the strategies become automatic and the student uses them subconsciously.
Other Spelling Strategies
Many spelling programs rely only on visual strategies, such as looking at a word list or repetitive writing. Others rely only on phonetic strategies, which work well at the beginning level but don't hold out through the learning cycle.
It is best to provide a balanced approach to spelling strategies. In addition to the four main spelling strategies, teach a number of other useful strategies, including:
- How to look up words in an electronic spell-checker or dictionary to verify spelling
- How to be on the lookout for unfamiliar words and how to retain that spelling
- How to identify which words are "troublemakers" and recognize the tricky parts
- Applying a limited number of mnemonic devices
- How to build a personal resource list of words the student tends to misspell
Loading ...
Comments are closed.