Chapter 12 is about spelling. I think that spelling instructor is particularly important because the English language can be so difficult to understand. Kids (and some adults) just don’t understand why ‘phone’ doesn’t start with an ‘F’ when it sounds like an ‘F’. It’s amazing when you can find resources, tools, and different ways to help them learn to spell! Spelling is something that my 6th grade mentor teacher (for science/social studies internships) talks about a lot! She has been teaching for almost 30 years and claims that kids’ spelling is getting worse each and every year. She told me that she doesn’t think that it is due to lack of instructor, but rather due to kids’ becoming lazier (her words, not mine!). It does make sense though because so many of the kids these days are used to using BICS form of language (slang/relaxed). They also are extremely use to spelling like they do when they are texting or writing on social websites like Facebook.
I agree with you Kristle, that I think teaching spelling is becoming more and more important and difficult. Since kids are so used to using slang, they do not have the motivation to learn how to spell words correctly because spelling is not something they apply outside of school. I find it frustrating that some kids do not understand the importance of spelling! Like you said, the English language is already difficult enough to understand, but that does not give students the excuse to not learn to spell!
Kristle - I couldn't agree with you more. I have a four year old niece who is one of those students who simply doesn't understand why words are not spelled they way they sound. It is so important for educators to know how to relate to these students and help them understand the English language.
I agree that the English language is difficult to learn, as I said I am not a great speller at all. With the technology we have these days; students feel that they do not have to learn how to spell the technology will do it for them. There is technology out there that helps with learning how to spell so that makes technology worth it. If English speaking students have difficult I can not even begin to imagine what it is like for English Learners.
-Spelling is the topic of chapter 12. Under the “Developmental Stages of Spelling” section, I like that each stage is defined by what the children are doing and activities that should be done to assist the children. For example, in the emergent spelling stage children make scribbles or letter-like shapes and understand that writing proceeds from left to write. To help children, labels can be put up around the classroom or you can lay “I Spy” by asking students to point to a letter or word on the page of the book you just read. Spellers in this stage need lots of practice examining letters and hearing letter sounds. A strategy to help students in the alphabetic spelling stage is to spell the words out loud as you write them. To assist students in the word pattern spelling stage, it can be as simple as writing the rime of a phonogram on a flip chart and asking students to provide the onsets to create as many words as possible. In the syllable and affixes spelling stage, it is our goal to help students recognize chunks within words and help them spell them. In the derivational relations spelling stage, it is important to encourage students to check each other’s papers for spelling errors. -I do not have any questions at this time. -Something I was not familiar with was how you should teach English learners during the letter name-alphabetic stage. If the English learners are not literate in their native language during this stage, you should teach the sounds of the alphabet as you would with English-speaking students. If the English learners are literate in their native language, you should explain how the English alphabet differs from their native alphabet and, if possible, point out common letters in the two languages. -I remember being given a list of spelling words at the beginning of the week. There were activities in the book that we were supposed to do on each day of the week. Then, we had a practice test on Thursday. If we received a 100% on the test on Thursday, then we did not have to take the test on Friday. This method does give everyone the same list of words and I’m sure makes giving instructions easier for the teacher, but like the chapter said no thought is given to the individual needs of each of the students. Advanced students are not challenged, and struggling students are not given the help they need.
I also was not familiar with teaching English learners who are literate in their native language the letter-name alphabetic stage. People (children and adults alike) are going to struggle more if they are already used the letters and sounds in their own alphabet. Its definitely do-able though. I love playing the I-spy game with my son at home (he is 4). He plays it with me too. He also is recognizing that words are made up of letters and sounds and is always asking me to spell things. We have made up songs for the words mom, dad, lexie (his sister), and papa and he can not only spell them but he can read them when he sees them also. I love watching his little mind expand as he is learning and having fun!
I also had the similar vocab spelling activity. We got spelling words at the beginning of the week and took a practice test on Thursday and if you got so many right you did not have to take the test on Friday.
Chapter 12 about spelling has really hit home for me. As many of my peers and educators know spelling was a struggle for me as a young educator. Spelling is so important to teach at a very young level and as a teacher you are going to have to adapt the way you teach so that all of your students have a chance to learn to spell. My Favorite portion of the chapter was the “Developmental Stages of Spelling.” In this section it listed and defined each stage described what the student would be doing and activities that should be done to assist the students. This will be extremely useful to me when I am out in the field teaching several different students spelling.
One thing that our book stated that I was unaware of was teaching English learners to spell who are not literate in their native language during this particular stage you teach them just like you would and English speaking student. This worries me when it comes to different cultures and parents beliefs you would have to be extremely careful not to upset the child parents.
Many of the internships I have been in students are given spelling words and the beginning of the week. Then they have several activities with these spelling words throughout the entire week and finally they are given a spelling quiz at the end of the week. I really enjoy this way of teaching spelling words because it gives every child multiple interactions with each spelling word.
I like you, also was and still and a terrible speller. I'm sure glad for some of the technology that we have in today's society. I didn't think about ESOL students until the chapter mentioned it. I feel that its hard to teach the ESOL because our language isn't always spelled the way that is sounds, this makes it very confusing for and English Language Learner.
I agree! I like the repetition and the various activities that students can participate in each week to "learn" their words. With today's technological means, students can be given a wide variety of opportunities to exhibit their comprehension. Additionally, if students have clickers available to them, they can work on "texting" their spelling words!
Chapter 12 is about spelling, there are five stages of spelling. These five stages are emergent spelling stage, alphabetic spelling stage, within word pattern spelling stage, syllable and affixes spelling stage, and derivational relations spelling stage. English learners’ stages include emergent stage, letter name- alphabetic stage, within word pattern stage, syllable and affixes stage, and derivational relations stage. This chapter goes on to give ideas for assessment of spelling, then finally strategies and activities. I have no questions. I have never been that great at spelling, but I believe that this give me an advantage on how to help struggling spelling learners.
In response to Carrie's post, I really enjoy reading and learning about developmental stages in students. Learning these stages really enables me to understand what students are able to learn at what stages developmentally. It helps me have the ability to back up my own thinking and teach more in stages that build up to a goal.
This chapter really opened my eyes because I've only gone through the 'typical' teaching of spelling. I think the stages are interesting and give a lot of insight on how we should be teaching our students. I hope that we can start a new way of teaching spelling because I think that the trends need to change in this area of education.
After reading the short chapter twelve covering the topic of spelling instructional strategies, I came away with a better understanding of what strategies need to by implemented for students with difficulties in spelling and how to increase the skills of students that are already skilled at spelling. The book stated, " teaching children how to spell, not what to spell." This statement means that teachers need to go above and beyond just requiring students to learn the typical list of spelling words we all remember from our schooling days. This method does not challenge good spellers and poor spellers just memorize for the test. Students need to be taught how to look for patterns in words to become proficient spellers. Students learn spelling in developmental stages and can be assessed using many different tests that can supply teachers a base line of the students spelling skills.
My experience with spelling in my internships is observing the students receive a spelling list at the beginning of the week, and then are required to take a test of Friday over the words. In my schooling years about 20 years ago, my memories are of the same type of teaching strategies with the spelling list. I am sure more spelling skills were taught when we turned in writing assignments also. That is just what I recall. In my tutoring class, I am excited to implement some of these activities listed in this chapter. For example, the anagrams with alphabet cereal and wheel of fortune activities will be fun activities to reinforce these spelling skills.
I agree it doesn't seem that spelling lessons have changed a lot since we were elementary students. I have had the opportunity to watch spelling lessons in the classroom, and I hope to incorporate some more active hands on approaches in spelling as well. This will be a great resource for creating those lessons.
1. Analysis of reading/issue. Chapter 12 discusses spelling. It includes how to teach it properly so students learn to spell words and look for patterns instead of just giving them a list and they memorize the words. Developmental stages are also included in the discussion as well as what makes a good speller. Assessments are discussed and it includes fun activities to do to help the students learn to spell. 2. Questions/contradictions about the reading issues. I don’t have any questions at this time. 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently. All these years, I knew there were activities to do with kids to help them learn how to spell better. After reading this chapter, there’s more to teaching spelling than some activities and a list to be memorized. I know I will work harder to help students learn how to spell when I am a teacher! 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. When I was in school, we always had lists and we’d go over them some in class, have pretests, and have a final test unless you had a 100% on the pretest. That’s how I learned to spell most of the words in my life. I also learned some of them from my reading or seeing the word and then remembering that’s how I need to spell that later. Usually, I am able to sound out the word and figure it out as well.
I learned to spell the same way you did, my mom would spend countless hours each week helping me go over the dreaded "list". It is one of my high priorities to find fun strategies to aid in student spelling abilities. This chapter had some great activities!
Katie W, I believe this is probably how a lot of learned how to spell because it sounds very similar to how I learned. I remember my mom teaching practicing words with the night before so basically I was just cramming. It makes so much sense to relate spelling words with words that are introducing in science and social studies. This way students can actually learn the words through hands on activities.
Chapter 12 is a very informative chapter over the developmental stages of spelling. Understanding these stages will enhance the effectiveness of spelling instruction. Moreover, this chapter compares the patterns of English spelling versus Spanish spelling. With today’s diverse society the knowledge of these differences in spelling can help build the background knowledge and create analogies that can connect students to their spelling.
You know that there are many students who do not receive positive feedback about spelling at home. I am curious as to what types of spelling instruction is effective to help struggling students remember how to spell the words, for instance, on a spelling test.
Within the activities provided in the book, I would implement magnetic letters as a reading station in a first through second grade classroom. Even now with tutoring the students would benefit from this strategy. A strategy I would also incorporate into a third through fifth grade classroom would be Wheel of Fortune, I have never seen this strategy implemented before and I think it would be a lot of fun!
I also found the comparisons of the stages of spelling helpful. Not only was I given the native English speaking student progression of stages, but also the stages of spelling for English learners was provided. The students go through the same stages yet there are some slight differences. As always the suggestions on activities to use to enhance instruction gave a lot of insight.
It’s interesting to read this chapter because it brings back so many memories of when I was in grade school. I remember always having assigned lists of words that I was going to be tested on later that week. Usually, there would be one or two words that were difficult and the rest were very simple. This chapter states the teachers must develop background knowledge about the developmental stages of spelling, the orthographic patterns of words and the complexities of English spelling. Depending on which researcher you’re looking at spelling can have 5, 6, or 7 stages. I think the majority of the researchers have picked 5 stages to represent the developmental stages of spelling. The first stage being emergent spelling stage which is when children begin to make scribbles but understand writing proceeds from left to right. The next stage is the alphabetic spelling stage where students are aware of the initial sounds of words. In this stage it also states children think they’re as many words as syllables in a word. This interests me because my first graders definitely know there initial sounds but if I asked them how many syllables were in a given word they would have no idea. The next stage is all about introducing patterns within words. You can do this by introducing rimes to children and have them make as many words as they can. We do this quite often during my tutoring sessions. The next stage is all about helping students recognize chunks within words, prefixes, suffixes, and root words. In the final stage children are already spelling most words correctly so students can begin checking each others work. I have never heard of the word orthography which means letters and their sequence in words. In order for students to spell unknown words they must be able to use phonemic, visual, morphemic, and analogy strategies. Basically, it’s way more effective to teach children these strategies then to give them a list of words and teach them a few rules. I think it will be very helpful to know the similarities between Spanish and English when it comes to spelling. Being able to connect anything to their prior knowledge is very useful. I will definitely else phonemic, visual, morphemic, and analogy strategies. Basically, it’s way more effective to teach children these strategies then to give them a list of words and teach them a few rules. I think it will be very helpful to know the similarities between Spanish and English when it comes to spelling. Being able to connect anything to their prior knowledge is very useful. I will definitely be marking booking figure 12.6 in my book. It shocked me that word searches were one of the activities in the back of the book because I always thought they were just busy work.
Andrea, in my subbing experience I have given several of those tests like the ones you mentioned you had to take as a child. The students usually know which words are coming next before I even give them. I always wonder what the point of such tests are. I agree with you that teaching spelling strategies is a more effective and beneficial way to teach spelling than the word lists.
My question is if giving an assigned list of words and testing later isn't effective why do so many teachers still do it? In a third grade classroom the teacher gives a spelling test weekly, which have no connection or relationship to anything being taught in the classroom at the time (which the textbook suggests by having the words have some sort of meaning so memorization isn't the skill students use).
One of the ideas presented in this chapter that stood out to me was having students in the within word pattern spelling stage write words the way they think they should be spelled and then having them check their spelling by finding the word in a book or somewhere in the room. This is a great way to help students be responsible for their own learning while helping them improve their spelling skills. While reading this chapter it occurred to me that the common thread amongst many of the activities and strategies is comparing and contrasting words, sounds, and letters constantly. One thing that surprised me was the suggested use of magnetic letters for students in grades 1 through 5. I have seen this used for younger students, but I would have thought older students would be turned off by such a babyish activity.
I really liked that idea in the book to. I struggled with my tutoring student because she was spelling words completely wrong. I wasn't sure how to address this but I think this activity would be very helpful. I'm wondering though, with this teach how to spell better or will it just show them the right spelling. There has got to be some type of an extension students could do after the activity to then reflect on the words they spelled wrong. I think it would help them learn if they had to then critically reflect on why the spelled the words wrong that they did. As far as the magnetic letter activity I see your point. It may be hard to get fifth grade students interested in an activity that can seem so babyish. But, I think educators can get creative and make it appealing for them. An educator do some kind of competition with the magnetic letter boards, this may appeal to the older kids. Good post!
This chapter was incredibly useful. One thing I always wonder about is how to teach spelling in a way that the students benefit. I also noticed the textbook stated that giving a word list on Monday and testing students on Friday does not typically help the students much. If there is evidence that this is not effective, why do so many teachers do this? In the third grade class I interned in during the fall semester the words never had to do with the unit or theme that week. The least a teacher could do is make it valuable for students.
I enjoyed reading about the different stages of spelling for both native English students and English language learners. Although they progress through the same stages there were some differences between the two groups of students. There were also several suggestions that were helpful as to how a teacher can enhance and encourage students in each particular stage to help them get more in terms of spelling instruction.
I wonder the same thing. Why do teachers use the least effective method to test children? I think as developing teachers its important that we show the world a different way of doing things. Spelling can really be a child's worst enemy unless you teach them to do it correctly.
Chapter twelve is all about spelling and it’s something I really needed to read. One of my tutoring students has an extreme struggles with spelling. One of the first statements in the chapter really caught my attention when it said, “Good spelling instruction is teaching children how to spell, not what to spell”. For as long as I can remember, in my own schooling and now in interning, spelling was taught by the example given in the text. By assigning a list of words at the beginning of the week and then having a test on those words later in the week. When I would study for a spelling test as a younger child I would study that list and try to memorize the spellings. It didn’t occur to me until now that this technique is not really helping students learn how to spell, it is just telling them what to spell. Another statement in the beginning of the chapter caught my attention when it mentioned that there is no one spelling list for all students. I remember last semester Dr. Walizer mentioned having individualized spelling lists in class instead of a one fits all list. This seems like more work but it makes perfect sense. An educators job is not to just tell the students the information they need to know, they need to teach them how to utilize it. To do this, individualized instruction must occur! With individual spelling lists the teacher can focus the list on the problem areas for the students, they can target the instruction. To individualize my instruction for the tutoring student who struggles with spelling I moved back to the alphabetic spelling stage so she would become familiar with the different sounds consonants can make. We moved through within word pattern spelling and now I’m focusing on the syllable and affixes stage. I’ve been helping her recognize chunks in words during reading and we’re trying to bring that over for spelling and writing as well. Her regular education teacher has informed me that she has seen a great improvement lately with her spelling and was very impressed. This made me feel good and like I was doing something right! I think I still plan on doing so prefix and suffix activities with her until she is really strong in that area of spelling. I learned a lot from this chapter. I was wondering if any of you have had mentors or teachers who used individual spelling lists. If so, I'm wondering how that all worked and what they based the lists off of.
I was also going to mention Dr. Walizer explaining about giving individualized spelling words. I think this idea is so great and because it relates to each student. I think this experience makes it more meaningful to the students and allows them to relate the words to their real lives. I know that when I was in school the teacher always gave us a list of 10 words that had nothing to do with anything we were studying and the only time we used them was during spelling time. I spent each week memorizing the word for the test and than forgot about them. This did not help me with my spelling skills, but if I learned words that I used in my writing or ones that I read about I think i would have focused on them a little bit more.
Chapter 11 covers the topic of spelling. This chapter is so me, I’m terrible at spelling. Spelling is a very important part of reading I feel. Spelling starts at a very young age. The section of this chapter that stuck out to me the best was the “Developmental Stages of Spelling.” I feel I will use this as a future teacher. Teaching ESOL students can be difficult for the reason our language doesn’t always match how things are spelled. For example photo sounds like it should start with an “f”. Our language is very confusing for and ESOL student. I didn’t have any questions over the chapter at this time. Throughout my internships, I have seen many of the students have spelling list even at kindergarten. During the internships I have seen the kids take home papers to help their parents even get involved. Many students feel that they don’t need to learn how to spell because of all the technology, however knowing the basic to spelling is important.
I think that ESOL may be a huge challenge for us as teachers because languages do vary so much. It is also very hard to learn English because it doesn't always follow the rules. This can confuse children.
Megan - I agree that teaching ESOL students would be very difficult - for both the student AND the teacher. The student may not have ever been introduced to the vowels and patterns of the English language. Especially for Spanish speaking students, the vowels would present a huge difficulty as they are totally different sounds! The teacher, on the other hand, really has to know about the Spanish language in order to help that student make the language transition.
I honestly think there are so many cool spelling activities you can do in the classroom. Not only does spelling help children read and write it also helps them with their vocabulary. Spelling words are a good way to introduce vocabulary words. I find it interesting that a child can be a terrific reader but a terrible speller. I love that it says assigning spelling words and then testing them at the end of the week does not ensure good spellers. Poor spellers usually memorize the word and then forget it. It is important the students recognize patterns in spelling words. This will help them succeed. This chapter gives a lot of great spelling activities for students to do. I have also seen a lot of spelling online activities for students. Where the student can take a practice test, learn the definitions and play games with their words for the week. I think that exposing them to more than just pencil and paper words is great. Children will be more excited for spelling if it is fun. We always did a spell down game in spelling which made us pay attention and spell correctly. For younger children I love the idea of magnetic letters because it is hands on. I know that my first graders used bendable wires to spell words.
Spelling does have a direct tie into vocabulary. From there, it builds into fluency and comprehension. So you can say that spelling is a definite building block in the learning process for us all!
Chapter 12 talks about spelling. This is such an important concept to grasp, as it truly connects the aspects of reading and writing. Some students can read extremely well, but not be very strong at writing. A cause for this may be that they are struggling with spelling.
I enjoyed looking at the examples of the spelling stages in Figure 12.3 on page 326. It is pretty easy to distinguish between the stages, as there is not much "gray area" between them.
Starting on page 329, the chapter goes into detail of explaining what makes English such a hard language to understand, and in turn spell. It is so difficult because just when you get the concept of what each letter sounds like, when two letters are put together it may make a totally different sound altogether. This can then directly affect spelling.
Another figure, Figure 12.7 points out different traits of students that struggling with spelling, as well as those who do not struggle. This is a good list to know I believe, so teachers can spot those traits when they are looking at how to help students.
I enjoyed the figures as well, they were very helpful in distinguishing the differences in spelling stages. I have always heard the English is a hard language and now that I have been trying to teach students and leaning all of the ins and outs, I can really see exactly how hard English is.
1. Analysis of the reading/issue: Chapter 12 did a great job of explaining the process of how students are taught spelling skills and how their development dictates what they learn at different ages. I like that the text says spelling is teaching students “HOW to spell, not what to spell”. Students learn how to spell by following a progression of steps that starts with scribbling as they learn letter shapes and names, the sounds of those letters, patterns of sounds/letters, and then more complicated things like syllabication, suffixes, affixes, and “cheater” words. Also, just as we find in reading preferences, students are more likely to want to spell words correctly if they are interested in what they are writing about and who will be reading their writing. This also helps to build their vocabulary as they become interested in new words and their meanings. I feel that if students are taught spelling based on this progression, they begin to recognize the sounds, patterns, and then meanings of unknown words. Prefixes or root words, for example, will signal meaning for a student which then allows them to figure out unknown words because they were able to recognize a part of that unknown word. As students’ spelling and vocabulary skills advance, they even begin to notice the origin of certain words (ex: Latin, German, or French). All of these factors work to build a comprehensive understanding of the English language, which is really a collaboration of several cultures and languages. It’s a very complex language to “figure out” due to all of its exceptions and rules. A good teacher, however, can really make the difference in how students learn spelling skills. 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I had no questions during this chapter.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? As someone who has very little trouble with spelling (although my typing might suggest otherwise sometimes!), I really appreciated that the text pointed out what good spellers do. I do these things automatically: “generate sensible written alternatives”, “understand the writing process”, and recognizing spelling errors. It’s good to know what these things are so that I can strive to help every student develop these things in their own spelling skills. Assessments really can give an instructor a good picture of a student’s thinking process in regards to spelling. Once you test students with any of the assessments listed in the text, you really can see a pattern or patterns emerge as to what they need to work on. For some, it make be the CVC words and for others it might be the double consonant in words or suffixes. I LOVE giving assessments and seeing exactly what I can do to help a student become a better speller or reader. Again, the text does an excellent job of providing examples of assessments that we can use in our own classrooms. 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience: Ah….spelling! People hate it when I say this, but I love spelling. I get a certain satisfaction from knowing how to spell things correctly. My mother and mother-in-law call me often to ask me how to spell things! I don’t really remember what strategies or techniques were used by my elementary teachers, but I do remember my teachers expecting us to spell things correctly. Some of the rules like “i before e except after c” and “change the y to i and add –es” are things that stuck in my head from those elementary lessons, though. Even the “School House Rock” cartoons on Saturday mornings helped, I think. (Boy, I’m dating myself there, aren’t I?!) What I have found to be true is the fact that once a student has a firm grasp on the “rules”, root words, affixes, suffixes, exceptions, etc, spelling just kind of falls into place for some students. For others who don’t make those connections at an early age, those students really struggle to figure out how to spell things correctly even into adulthood. Spelling and vocabulary will be two of the things I will really stress in my future classroom.
The topic of Chapter 12 is spelling. It discusses the different developmental stages of spelling, instructional practices and comparisons between English and Spanish spelling, and assessments for spelling. It discusses various strategies to be implemented in aiding students with difficulties in spelling. Along with strategies for students with a higher skill of spelling. The book stated that it is important to teach students 'how' to spell and not just 'what' to spell. This really stood out at me. When we teach an individual information it should be in a way for them to use or associate with later in the future and not just at that moment. We gain more as individuals with this process. I wish this stood out more for instructors and schools to not just teach to the test but teach for the test and other life/school experiences. I have no questions. I was not familiar with the various stages of spelling. Did not realize that they incorporate toddlers scribbles with stages of writing and spelling. I have learned and like the process of giving students words at the beginning of the week and incorporating them within various activities throughout the week, providing them with test at the end of the week. I enjoyed this process and think giving them an opportunity of two test can help the students. It gives them a good opportunity to do well and may also drive them to learn the words and do good the 1st time so do not have to take the 2nd test.
I too didn't realize that there were several stages of spelling and that students have developmental stages that they go through. I think reading and spelling stages were very similar. I enjoyed the strategies at the end of the book, they are great ways to make spelling more fun.
1. Analysis of the reading/issue. Chapter 12 is a short chapter that discusses spelling. According to the chapter students begin spelling correctly when they care about what they are writing. Just as there were stages to writing there are stages to spelling. There were several listed in the text one example was Bear’s stages: 1) Emergent spelling, 2) Alphabetic spelling, 3) Within word pattern spelling, 4) Syllable and affixes spelling, and 5) derivational relations spelling. Using Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development can help teachers understand the development of spellers. A good speller understands orthography (this was a new word for me). It really just means that they understand the letters and the sequence of the letters in words. Spelling words in parts, is something that I have used and still use with my son. I think the word search and anagrams with cereal are great ways for student to work on spelling, and it is more fun than just writing their words five times. 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. If students don’t really learn to spell from a list of words, then why do teachers still use a list of words every week? 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? After reading this chapter I have found that there are several ways to help students to learn to spell, not just using a list of words each week. I hope that I get to teach in a school where I can use some of these techniques. 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. As a child and even still as an adult I am not the best speller. I have improved over the years. However when I was in school elementary all the way through high school, I had a really hard time passing spelling test. I just dreaded them. In fact when I was in 8th grade it was a requirement that we had to pass a huge spelling test. It took me several times to pass it. I am so thankful that my son is a good speller and I hope my daughter will be as well.
There are so many different instructional outlets for educators to use and even create to allow students to learn their spelling words. There are paper pencil activities, electronic for SmartBoards and Active Expressions, in addition to an unlimited availability of internet options. Teachers must analyze each student and come up with a program that best suits each student and their learning style. I personally enjoy mixing each day up! It isn't just teaching them how to spell, it has to be about what this word means, how it works and how to use it properly. Teachers just need to be as creative as the students they are educating.
I agree that teachers need to be creative. Unfortunately the schools that I have worked in just give students a list of words and then test them on Fridays.
I think that finding creative ways of teaching spelling is very important for teachers to do. I know when I "studied" for a spelling test in grade school I just simply wrote the word over and over and over to memorize the word long enough to regurgitate it back on paper for the test.
When reading Chapter 11, I was immediately placed back into the time in which I was in grade school and working on Spelling. I remember the weekly lists! I also remember the numerous writing activities that we used to do that incorporated our spelling words. Perhaps my favorite, and a favorite of students still today, is the game Sparkle; it’s so much more fun than just a spelling bee! Regardless, times have not changed and teachers are still presenting students with these master lists on Mondays, testing on Wednesday s and Fridays. One difference that I see when reading this chapter is that many publishers are in fact relating the weekly “vocabulary list” to the literature reading that the teachers are presenting. The company that our local school district utilizes is the Scott Foresman publication. Each week is detailed for simple preparation for educators. It implements graphic organizers, several associated level readers and emphasizes the vocabulary (they use vocabulary instead of spelling it seems) exercises and when to complete associated materials. Even though this is a program that is specific in the information and supplemental it presents, it is a great aide to assist in planning, however, our district uses it only as a tool for guidance. It has come to the building administrators’ attention through the years that the wording and speed of the context does not allow educators to have students prepared for the reading section of the State Assessments. Teachers are now using these materials as guidelines, opposed to the only literary material presented.
Keeping in mind that each student learns in their own unique way, I believe that an educator should be able to guide students through the various levels of learning to spell and then focus on each student’s weakness. One instructional element that I was introduced to in a second grade classroom was their Purple Dictionary. Every day the students would be introduced to three new words. With these words they would write the word, define the word and then draw the word in action (think of a 3x3 boxed graphic organizer). Then, any time the students were given a writing assignment and needed assistance spelling a word, the teacher always referred them to their dictionaries. If they still did not have the word located, the teacher would provide them with the correct spelling and the students would go to the back of their book, put the word in alphabetical order, and recreate a 3x1 box of the newly discovered word. Is this an interesting tool, yes, did she actually work with the students on how to spell and memorize the word? No. She simply gave them another tool they can utilize to locate the word; essentially giving them the basics on how to operate a dictionary.
Spelling is a tricky element to education. The key is to cater to your students and find a program or instructional mean that works best for them.
This week we read chapter 12, over spelling. I think the sentence that I related most to was “effective readers may be poor spellers.” This describes me so well; I am a horrible speller but am able to read fluently. Thank goodness for spell check; sadly it probably makes my spelling worse because I don’t focus on the skill like I should. I know that there is a controversy over if spell-check helps or hinders students spelling abilities and if it is as necessary to focus on spelling with all of the technology available to students. For me I think it hinders my spelling abilities and I still think it is very important to teach spelling just as much as before. I like how the book explains why giving students a spelling list on Monday and testing them over it on Friday is not a productive way of teaching spelling. I think it is important for every teacher to know this because such a large number of educators use this practice. The chapter discusses that there are stages for learning to spell. These stages are very similar to the stages that we have learned. I like that it explains how the stages can be different for ESOL students. Finally like always the last section of the chapter has many different activities to help students with spelling strategies. The one that caught my eye was word searchers. I have always been told that word searches are just busy work. But I never thought that it could help with spelling and vocabulary, plus most students like to do these activities.
I agree that effective readers may be poor spellers, as that is something that I noted in my response when I administered a "pop" spelling test (same as pop quiz?) I just wanted to see where my students were coming from in all areas of reading and writing, and was surprised that many of them spelled phonetically (which I also discussed in my response to the chapter below). I also agree that spell check can hinder spelling ability rather than aiding in the success. I have noticed that when I spell something incorrectly on any website, document, etc. I can right click on my mouse and it will provide recommendations for the correctly spelled word - not sure if this is something to do with my operating system on the computer or not. Although I find it helpful, I also feel lazy for doing that and not having to go through the actual effort of getting a dictionary.
I know that all through elementary, we used the Monday - Friday spelling method, and I never struggled with it, because every day we did the same activity with our spelling lists from week to week. For example, on Monday we would get the list and we would write each word three times, on Tuesday we would create sentences for each word, on Wednesdays we would get word searches, on Thursday we would review in class and Friday would be the test. Isn't it amazing that I still remember that like it was yesterday? I found those methods to be helpful, but I also realize that not every student learns the same way as I do and realize that it can be ineffective for some, especially with the mainstreaming of students with special services into the regular education classroom more than in previous years. I think it was important for the text to note that it is not an effective method because teachers should not simply rely on that method, but become creative and have students actively engaged in the learning process.
Rebecca- I agree with you and the book saying that is not productive to give the students a list of words at the beginning of the week and test them over the words at the end. I think that the games given in the text would be great tools for helping students learn to spell.
Chapter 12 focused on spelling, which has always come natural to me, and I am sure thanks to the hard work of my parents and elementary school teachers. I found it interesting that spelling doesn’t just occur with rote memorization, which is how I always learned it, but that spelling has to be a meaningful process. I suppose the meaningful process to me was the intrinsic rewards of spelling a word correctly and knowing I was capable of doing so but many students need to feel extrinsically rewarded. On a side note here, I think that our society is placing far too much extrinsic rewards on students – what ever happened to the old-fashioned “good job?” Ok, off the soapbox. Spelling is a large issue for my tutoring group, as I gave them a spelling test just to see what they are capable of doing, and many of them spell phonetically, which as the text implies – only about 46% of English words are spelled phonetically. However, their spelling deficit does not directly seem to impact their reading ability, because they could read the words that were going to be administered on the spelling test perfectly prior to having to spell the words. Perhaps that is why it is so important to teach students to spell using patterns, rules, and a variety of other methods.
One particular activity that was listed in the text that I would like to do is the prefix, root word, suffix activity using different colored strips and writing prefixes, root words, and suffixes on them (then laminate them) and have students discover the combinations of words that they can create and the root word’s meaning.
It is wonderful to hear someone give praise to their parents and teachers for helping them become a good speller. I agree, a good job should be enough for a student to receive after a job well done on a spelling test or any other school project. Our English language is confusing at times but it is nice to know we have the tools to teach out students how to decode words and process through those tough words.
Chapter 12 is about spelling. As we know spelling is a very important skill for students to learn for writing. As future teachers we should have a solid knowledge of the different stages children go through in mastering spelling and be prepared to guide them from one stage to another. These stages are emergent spelling, alphabetic spelling, within word pattern spelling, syllable and affixes spelling, and derivational relations spelling. I found the section on spelling and technology interesting. Personally, I feel that over time the availability of word-processing and spell checking tools have harmed my ability to spell. I find that when writing by hand, I sometimes have to take extra care. The other problem is that students and teachers must remember that spell checkers are not without imperfections. We must still proof our work and make sure that words are still being spelled correctly and that the spell checker is correcting words to reflect what we want to say.
I agree that it is important as teachers for us to understand the different stages that children go through when learning to spell. I was not aware of these stages before reading this chapter. I also like that the chapter listed the different stages for ELL students as well. I think this is especially important when working with these students and is very important to know as well.
Chapter 12 discusses spelling, which is an area that I probably need more experience in. The first part of the chapter discusses the developmental stages of spelling which helped give me a much better idea of where kids should be spelling at a certain point in time. I also found the pictures helpful, which showed the progression of a child’s spelling through the stages. I also liked that this chapter discussed the stages for English Learners as well and the differences between English and Spanish alphabets and spellings. I think understanding this difference is key in helping English Learners with both spelling and pronunciation of words. I can see myself referring back to this portion of the text in the future when working with ELL students. I also liked the “Traits of Good Spellers” in figure 12.7 on page 332. I think by being aware of these differences I am better able to understand the areas of opportunity for students who are not good spellers. The text also discussed different assessments for spelling which I was not aware of before reading. Lastly, I liked the spelling activities that were discussed in the chapter. I have seen the magnetic letters used before, but was not aware of some of the other activities, but may try to use them in the future. Overall, a very informative chapter!
I really like using playdoe because kids can learn to spell and have to use manipulating their hands. I have also seen where you take the word and cut it up and they have to put the word back together. During Easter we took the sight words written on tiles and put in eggs. They would open the egg and put the word together and then write it on a numbered line sheet.
I want to say first off I am terrible at spelling and I don’t remember any fun activities that really got me involved in spelling. I remember writing over and over and over again. The beginning passage “The road to success is often under construction” I think of a bridge and spelling. If the word isn’t spelled correct just like a bridge that isn’t built correct, it won’t work right. Knowing that there are similarities between English and Spanish spelling patterns helps me out with the children I work with right now; one letter can sound for more than one sound and one phoneme can be represented by more than on letter. I have copied the chart on page 331. This book is so great it gives things a teacher can do in each stage. My favorite is the color cards for prefix, suffix, and root word. I like how now we do such fun stuff with spelling; actions with the spelling, putting a picture with it so we can attach meaning. I think the phonemic awareness cards that Dr. Walizer gave us really help spelling.
I remember writing over and over AND over again in school. That was no fun at all! I am glad that things have changed and that teachers realized that there are fun ways to teach the spelling of words. The phonemic cards are very helpful. I am glad that Dr. Walizer gave us them!
Chapter 12 talks about the different spelling areas. I have never been a very good speller and can relate to the technique described at the beginning of the chapter. This technique was that students simply memorized how to spell the words for the test and many times forget how to spell the words after the test. I had no idea about the different stages of spellers and how students use the first letter of the word to represent the rest of the word in their beginning stages of spelling.
When the text talks about if English language learners are not fluent in their own language it is easier to explain the English sounds rather than if they are fluent in the other language.
When teaching how to spell and sound out words it is important that we teach students the patterns of the sounds. An example of this would be that gh never is a f sound at the beginning of the word. This chapter had a lot of great information that will help in the future of teaching my students how to spell and also help me with my own spelling techniques.
Chapter 12 goes into detail about the area of spelling. I have always been a pretty good speller as a child in school. I find it interesting how others spell other words differently by the way the sound. I can understand how and why they spelled the words incorrectly (figure 12.1 was interesting). I think spelling would be difficult to teach because of all the rules in the English language, especially to the students that are esl. I can somewhat relate to how it would feel to be spell words in an unfamiliar language. As I was learning Spanish in school, I always refer back to the rules of the English language. Which did not help to much fro me. I had not realized until reading this chapter that there are so many different developmental stages of spelling. I found it interesting that the stages are different for all students. Spelling is definitely not simple to teach. The book mentioned how spelling is often taught that is not the best way. Which is giving the students a list to memorize; I figured this would be the only effective way to teach ALL students (since this is how it was done when I was in school). The activities that were listed in the chapter are fun activities and I would love to implement them in my teaching. I am all about making learning fun. Teaching spelling, I think, would be fun to teach for students. There are so many great learning activities that could be done to teach spelling. I have no questions at this time. My only questions would be regarding students with disabilities, but I guess that would be more into the special education area of things.
I added a spelling element to my lesson plans this week. The game is called Knockout Spelling Basketball. The idea is to play this game with 3-4 students. The teacher gives a spelling word, a student shoots the basketball, if the student misses the shot then they have to spell the spelling word, if they make it then the next student shoots.... ans so on. Although chapter 12 states that good spelling instruction is "teaching children how to spell, not what to spell" I think this game is a fun way to practice spelling words. I am currently a para and have played this game while on recess duty with students. I have learned about the different stages of learning from this chapter. Our English language is complex and at times does not make sense. I can remember my teacher just telling me "You just have to memorize how to spell." Now I know that there is a reason most words are spelled the way they are spelled, as a future teacher I don't want to tell my students to just memorize words. Rather I want to teach them the reason the words are spelled the way they are spelled. Figure 12.9 is a great example of how to organize a classroom to check for spelling standards. This chapter is short but it is packed with a punch of information for future educators and gives wonderful examples of spelling teaching ideas on pages335-338.
Jena--I absoluely loved how you incorporated your spelling lesson into a physical education lesson. I also work as a para and we have played different math games with the basketball but never spelling words. Awesome idea!! I really enjoyed the activities they provided for each stages of spelling, I believe these will come in very handy when trying to get students interested in this subject. Thanks for sharing!
Chapter 12 was over spelling. This chapter was filled with great information over this subject. I really enjoyed the section over the Developmental Stages of Spelling, which included: emergennt, alphabetic, within word patter, syllable and affixes, and derivational relations spelling stages. I really enjoyed this section because it did a great job breaking each stage down and defining it so readers could understand. It also provided diffferent methods and activities you could use to teach with in each stage. I do not have any major questions or contradictions but I do have one worry. After reading this chapter, I now know how important spelling is to the curriculumn and I just hope I will be able to implement it effectively in my classroom. As far as experieces go, I do work at a school district and one class I work in receives a spelling list at the beginning of the week and each day of the week they are assigned an assignment pertaining to their spelling words whether it be to write them in sentences, abc order, vocabulary worksheeet, etc. This is exactly what I plan to do when I have a classroom of my own and even more so now that I have read this chapter. I will definitely take this information and given resources to use in my classroom in the near future!
I like the use of abc order, sentences, and vocabulary worksheets instead of writing them 10 times to learn your spelling words. I too hope that I am able to implement spelling effectively in my classroom. I see too many times in the classrooms where spelling is a second thought and only done if there is time permitting. At my school, some of the teachers do teach spelling, but only designate 10 minutes for learning. How can this be effective? I enjoyed reading your post!
Chapter 12 has a lot of good information on how to teach spelling. Unfortunately, this is one area that I see being left behind in the first grade class that I am a para for. Very rarely this year did they work on their spelling. I like in the beginning of the chapter the use of the CAFE sheet for Mindy's words. This is a good way to know where their weaknesses are in spelling so that you can create lessons to target those areas. Also, the chapter discusses how many of the schools use the traditional way of learning spelling and how this is an ineffective method. I totally agree! In the five states I have lived in, only one school did spelling tests the correct way and it made a world of difference for my child. When we lived in Tennessee, the fourth grade teacher had each spelling test individually made for each student. She would have parent helpers come in and give each student their test on Thursday and Fridays. Using this method, the students who were great spellers were challenged and the low spellers got the help they needed. After seeing that done, I always said I would love to use that method in my classroom. It does take extra work on the teachers part, but it made a difference. Figure 12.2 was very helpful in learning the different spelling stages. I also liked the Traits of good and poor spellers. The assessment part of the chapters are always helpful, since that is an area I am still weak in. Next week, I may try to determine my first graders spelling stage by using the two inventories in the back of our Devries book for practice. I also have a small group I take for word work that I can use the CAFE word writing assessment with. Figure 12.8 and 12.9 will be something I put in my toolbox for future use. I wish there had been more activities for spelling at the end of the chapter for me to experiment with since spelling is one of the challenges for many of our first graders. Lots of great information!
I like the idea of having an individual spelling list. I see too little emphasis placed on spelling as well and I think that it can affect the way a student see words. I know a boy in my sons freshman class that still can not spell well and I think this is a shame. When my youngest was in the 1st grade he brought home a spelling test and the word microwave was listed as a bonus and he spelled it miker wave because that is what he heard. It was really cute and I saved it but I know high schoolers who still spell that way, they spell exactly what they hear and have never been taught the write way.
Chapter 12 is about spelling and this is a subject that I have wondered about with tutoring. Several of my 3rd grade students do not spell very well and I wondered if this could affect their ability to read. The first paragraph answered that for me on pg. 323 where it says effective readers may be poor spellers. I also agree with the statement that teaching spelling in a way that students are given lists to study and then test to take will ensure that they are spelling correctly when writing. I agree with this because with my own children they have spelled words wrong in journals that I know they have had on spelling tests. To me spelling tests are just another way of getting the students to memorize the information to be able to do well on the test and then move on. This chapter will definitely come in handy when I have my own classroom and am deciding on how I will teach spelling.
Chapter 12 is about spelling. I think that spelling instructor is particularly important because the English language can be so difficult to understand. Kids (and some adults) just don’t understand why ‘phone’ doesn’t start with an ‘F’ when it sounds like an ‘F’. It’s amazing when you can find resources, tools, and different ways to help them learn to spell! Spelling is something that my 6th grade mentor teacher (for science/social studies internships) talks about a lot! She has been teaching for almost 30 years and claims that kids’ spelling is getting worse each and every year. She told me that she doesn’t think that it is due to lack of instructor, but rather due to kids’ becoming lazier (her words, not mine!). It does make sense though because so many of the kids these days are used to using BICS form of language (slang/relaxed). They also are extremely use to spelling like they do when they are texting or writing on social websites like Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kristle, that I think teaching spelling is becoming more and more important and difficult. Since kids are so used to using slang, they do not have the motivation to learn how to spell words correctly because spelling is not something they apply outside of school. I find it frustrating that some kids do not understand the importance of spelling! Like you said, the English language is already difficult enough to understand, but that does not give students the excuse to not learn to spell!
DeleteKristle - I couldn't agree with you more. I have a four year old niece who is one of those students who simply doesn't understand why words are not spelled they way they sound. It is so important for educators to know how to relate to these students and help them understand the English language.
DeleteI agree that the English language is difficult to learn, as I said I am not a great speller at all. With the technology we have these days; students feel that they do not have to learn how to spell the technology will do it for them. There is technology out there that helps with learning how to spell so that makes technology worth it. If English speaking students have difficult I can not even begin to imagine what it is like for English Learners.
Delete-Spelling is the topic of chapter 12. Under the “Developmental Stages of Spelling” section, I like that each stage is defined by what the children are doing and activities that should be done to assist the children. For example, in the emergent spelling stage children make scribbles or letter-like shapes and understand that writing proceeds from left to write. To help children, labels can be put up around the classroom or you can lay “I Spy” by asking students to point to a letter or word on the page of the book you just read. Spellers in this stage need lots of practice examining letters and hearing letter sounds. A strategy to help students in the alphabetic spelling stage is to spell the words out loud as you write them. To assist students in the word pattern spelling stage, it can be as simple as writing the rime of a phonogram on a flip chart and asking students to provide the onsets to create as many words as possible. In the syllable and affixes spelling stage, it is our goal to help students recognize chunks within words and help them spell them. In the derivational relations spelling stage, it is important to encourage students to check each other’s papers for spelling errors.
ReplyDelete-I do not have any questions at this time.
-Something I was not familiar with was how you should teach English learners during the letter name-alphabetic stage. If the English learners are not literate in their native language during this stage, you should teach the sounds of the alphabet as you would with English-speaking students. If the English learners are literate in their native language, you should explain how the English alphabet differs from their native alphabet and, if possible, point out common letters in the two languages.
-I remember being given a list of spelling words at the beginning of the week. There were activities in the book that we were supposed to do on each day of the week. Then, we had a practice test on Thursday. If we received a 100% on the test on Thursday, then we did not have to take the test on Friday. This method does give everyone the same list of words and I’m sure makes giving instructions easier for the teacher, but like the chapter said no thought is given to the individual needs of each of the students. Advanced students are not challenged, and struggling students are not given the help they need.
I also was not familiar with teaching English learners who are literate in their native language the letter-name alphabetic stage. People (children and adults alike) are going to struggle more if they are already used the letters and sounds in their own alphabet. Its definitely do-able though. I love playing the I-spy game with my son at home (he is 4). He plays it with me too. He also is recognizing that words are made up of letters and sounds and is always asking me to spell things. We have made up songs for the words mom, dad, lexie (his sister), and papa and he can not only spell them but he can read them when he sees them also. I love watching his little mind expand as he is learning and having fun!
DeleteI also had the similar vocab spelling activity. We got spelling words at the beginning of the week and took a practice test on Thursday and if you got so many right you did not have to take the test on Friday.
DeleteChapter 12 about spelling has really hit home for me. As many of my peers and educators know spelling was a struggle for me as a young educator. Spelling is so important to teach at a very young level and as a teacher you are going to have to adapt the way you teach so that all of your students have a chance to learn to spell. My Favorite portion of the chapter was the “Developmental Stages of Spelling.” In this section it listed and defined each stage described what the student would be doing and activities that should be done to assist the students. This will be extremely useful to me when I am out in the field teaching several different students spelling.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that our book stated that I was unaware of was teaching English learners to spell who are not literate in their native language during this particular stage you teach them just like you would and English speaking student. This worries me when it comes to different cultures and parents beliefs you would have to be extremely careful not to upset the child parents.
Many of the internships I have been in students are given spelling words and the beginning of the week. Then they have several activities with these spelling words throughout the entire week and finally they are given a spelling quiz at the end of the week. I really enjoy this way of teaching spelling words because it gives every child multiple interactions with each spelling word.
I like you, also was and still and a terrible speller. I'm sure glad for some of the technology that we have in today's society. I didn't think about ESOL students until the chapter mentioned it. I feel that its hard to teach the ESOL because our language isn't always spelled the way that is sounds, this makes it very confusing for and English Language Learner.
DeleteI agree! I like the repetition and the various activities that students can participate in each week to "learn" their words. With today's technological means, students can be given a wide variety of opportunities to exhibit their comprehension. Additionally, if students have clickers available to them, they can work on "texting" their spelling words!
DeleteChapter 12 is about spelling, there are five stages of spelling. These five stages are emergent spelling stage, alphabetic spelling stage, within word pattern spelling stage, syllable and affixes spelling stage, and derivational relations spelling stage. English learners’ stages include emergent stage, letter name- alphabetic stage, within word pattern stage, syllable and affixes stage, and derivational relations stage. This chapter goes on to give ideas for assessment of spelling, then finally strategies and activities. I have no questions. I have never been that great at spelling, but I believe that this give me an advantage on how to help struggling spelling learners.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Carrie's post, I really enjoy reading and learning about developmental stages in students. Learning these stages really enables me to understand what students are able to learn at what stages developmentally. It helps me have the ability to back up my own thinking and teach more in stages that build up to a goal.
DeleteThis chapter really opened my eyes because I've only gone through the 'typical' teaching of spelling. I think the stages are interesting and give a lot of insight on how we should be teaching our students. I hope that we can start a new way of teaching spelling because I think that the trends need to change in this area of education.
DeleteAfter reading the short chapter twelve covering the topic of spelling instructional strategies, I came away with a better understanding of what strategies need to by implemented for students with difficulties in spelling and how to increase the skills of students that are already skilled at spelling. The book stated, " teaching children how to spell, not what to spell." This statement means that teachers need to go above and beyond just requiring students to learn the typical list of spelling words we all remember from our schooling days. This method does not challenge good spellers and poor spellers just memorize for the test. Students need to be taught how to look for patterns in words to become proficient spellers. Students learn spelling in developmental stages and can be assessed using many different tests that can supply teachers a base line of the students spelling skills.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with spelling in my internships is observing the students receive a spelling list at the beginning of the week, and then are required to take a test of Friday over the words. In my schooling years about 20 years ago, my memories are of the same type of teaching strategies with the spelling list. I am sure more spelling skills were taught when we turned in writing assignments also. That is just what I recall. In my tutoring class, I am excited to implement some of these activities listed in this chapter. For example, the anagrams with alphabet cereal and wheel of fortune activities will be fun activities to reinforce these spelling skills.
Alison,
DeleteI agree it doesn't seem that spelling lessons have changed a lot since we were elementary students. I have had the opportunity to watch spelling lessons in the classroom, and I hope to incorporate some more active hands on approaches in spelling as well. This will be a great resource for creating those lessons.
1. Analysis of reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter 12 discusses spelling. It includes how to teach it properly so students learn to spell words and look for patterns instead of just giving them a list and they memorize the words. Developmental stages are also included in the discussion as well as what makes a good speller. Assessments are discussed and it includes fun activities to do to help the students learn to spell.
2. Questions/contradictions about the reading issues.
I don’t have any questions at this time.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently.
All these years, I knew there were activities to do with kids to help them learn how to spell better. After reading this chapter, there’s more to teaching spelling than some activities and a list to be memorized. I know I will work harder to help students learn how to spell when I am a teacher!
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
When I was in school, we always had lists and we’d go over them some in class, have pretests, and have a final test unless you had a 100% on the pretest. That’s how I learned to spell most of the words in my life. I also learned some of them from my reading or seeing the word and then remembering that’s how I need to spell that later. Usually, I am able to sound out the word and figure it out as well.
I learned to spell the same way you did, my mom would spend countless hours each week helping me go over the dreaded "list". It is one of my high priorities to find fun strategies to aid in student spelling abilities. This chapter had some great activities!
DeleteKatie W, I believe this is probably how a lot of learned how to spell because it sounds very similar to how I learned. I remember my mom teaching practicing words with the night before so basically I was just cramming. It makes so much sense to relate spelling words with words that are introducing in science and social studies. This way students can actually learn the words through hands on activities.
DeleteChapter 12 is a very informative chapter over the developmental stages of spelling. Understanding these stages will enhance the effectiveness of spelling instruction. Moreover, this chapter compares the patterns of English spelling versus Spanish spelling. With today’s diverse society the knowledge of these differences in spelling can help build the background knowledge and create analogies that can connect students to their spelling.
ReplyDeleteYou know that there are many students who do not receive positive feedback about spelling at home. I am curious as to what types of spelling instruction is effective to help struggling students remember how to spell the words, for instance, on a spelling test.
Within the activities provided in the book, I would implement magnetic letters as a reading station in a first through second grade classroom. Even now with tutoring the students would benefit from this strategy. A strategy I would also incorporate into a third through fifth grade classroom would be Wheel of Fortune, I have never seen this strategy implemented before and I think it would be a lot of fun!
I also found the comparisons of the stages of spelling helpful. Not only was I given the native English speaking student progression of stages, but also the stages of spelling for English learners was provided. The students go through the same stages yet there are some slight differences. As always the suggestions on activities to use to enhance instruction gave a lot of insight.
DeleteIt’s interesting to read this chapter because it brings back so many memories of when I was in grade school. I remember always having assigned lists of words that I was going to be tested on later that week. Usually, there would be one or two words that were difficult and the rest were very simple. This chapter states the teachers must develop background knowledge about the developmental stages of spelling, the orthographic patterns of words and the complexities of English spelling. Depending on which researcher you’re looking at spelling can have 5, 6, or 7 stages. I think the majority of the researchers have picked 5 stages to represent the developmental stages of spelling. The first stage being emergent spelling stage which is when children begin to make scribbles but understand writing proceeds from left to right. The next stage is the alphabetic spelling stage where students are aware of the initial sounds of words. In this stage it also states children think they’re as many words as syllables in a word. This interests me because my first graders definitely know there initial sounds but if I asked them how many syllables were in a given word they would have no idea. The next stage is all about introducing patterns within words. You can do this by introducing rimes to children and have them make as many words as they can. We do this quite often during my tutoring sessions. The next stage is all about helping students recognize chunks within words, prefixes, suffixes, and root words. In the final stage children are already spelling most words correctly so students can begin checking each others work. I have never heard of the word orthography which means letters and their sequence in words. In order for students to spell unknown words they must be able to use phonemic, visual, morphemic, and analogy strategies. Basically, it’s way more effective to teach children these strategies then to give them a list of words and teach them a few rules. I think it will be very helpful to know the similarities between Spanish and English when it comes to spelling. Being able to connect anything to their prior knowledge is very useful. I will definitely else phonemic, visual, morphemic, and analogy strategies. Basically, it’s way more effective to teach children these strategies then to give them a list of words and teach them a few rules. I think it will be very helpful to know the similarities between Spanish and English when it comes to spelling. Being able to connect anything to their prior knowledge is very useful. I will definitely be marking booking figure 12.6 in my book. It shocked me that word searches were one of the activities in the back of the book because I always thought they were just busy work.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, in my subbing experience I have given several of those tests like the ones you mentioned you had to take as a child. The students usually know which words are coming next before I even give them. I always wonder what the point of such tests are. I agree with you that teaching spelling strategies is a more effective and beneficial way to teach spelling than the word lists.
DeleteMy question is if giving an assigned list of words and testing later isn't effective why do so many teachers still do it? In a third grade classroom the teacher gives a spelling test weekly, which have no connection or relationship to anything being taught in the classroom at the time (which the textbook suggests by having the words have some sort of meaning so memorization isn't the skill students use).
DeleteOne of the ideas presented in this chapter that stood out to me was having students in the within word pattern spelling stage write words the way they think they should be spelled and then having them check their spelling by finding the word in a book or somewhere in the room. This is a great way to help students be responsible for their own learning while helping them improve their spelling skills. While reading this chapter it occurred to me that the common thread amongst many of the activities and strategies is comparing and contrasting words, sounds, and letters constantly. One thing that surprised me was the suggested use of magnetic letters for students in grades 1 through 5. I have seen this used for younger students, but I would have thought older students would be turned off by such a babyish activity.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI really liked that idea in the book to. I struggled with my tutoring student because she was spelling words completely wrong. I wasn't sure how to address this but I think this activity would be very helpful. I'm wondering though, with this teach how to spell better or will it just show them the right spelling. There has got to be some type of an extension students could do after the activity to then reflect on the words they spelled wrong. I think it would help them learn if they had to then critically reflect on why the spelled the words wrong that they did. As far as the magnetic letter activity I see your point. It may be hard to get fifth grade students interested in an activity that can seem so babyish. But, I think educators can get creative and make it appealing for them. An educator do some kind of competition with the magnetic letter boards, this may appeal to the older kids. Good post!
This chapter was incredibly useful. One thing I always wonder about is how to teach spelling in a way that the students benefit. I also noticed the textbook stated that giving a word list on Monday and testing students on Friday does not typically help the students much. If there is evidence that this is not effective, why do so many teachers do this? In the third grade class I interned in during the fall semester the words never had to do with the unit or theme that week. The least a teacher could do is make it valuable for students.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the different stages of spelling for both native English students and English language learners. Although they progress through the same stages there were some differences between the two groups of students. There were also several suggestions that were helpful as to how a teacher can enhance and encourage students in each particular stage to help them get more in terms of spelling instruction.
I wonder the same thing. Why do teachers use the least effective method to test children? I think as developing teachers its important that we show the world a different way of doing things. Spelling can really be a child's worst enemy unless you teach them to do it correctly.
DeleteChapter twelve is all about spelling and it’s something I really needed to read. One of my tutoring students has an extreme struggles with spelling. One of the first statements in the chapter really caught my attention when it said, “Good spelling instruction is teaching children how to spell, not what to spell”. For as long as I can remember, in my own schooling and now in interning, spelling was taught by the example given in the text. By assigning a list of words at the beginning of the week and then having a test on those words later in the week. When I would study for a spelling test as a younger child I would study that list and try to memorize the spellings. It didn’t occur to me until now that this technique is not really helping students learn how to spell, it is just telling them what to spell. Another statement in the beginning of the chapter caught my attention when it mentioned that there is no one spelling list for all students. I remember last semester Dr. Walizer mentioned having individualized spelling lists in class instead of a one fits all list. This seems like more work but it makes perfect sense. An educators job is not to just tell the students the information they need to know, they need to teach them how to utilize it. To do this, individualized instruction must occur! With individual spelling lists the teacher can focus the list on the problem areas for the students, they can target the instruction. To individualize my instruction for the tutoring student who struggles with spelling I moved back to the alphabetic spelling stage so she would become familiar with the different sounds consonants can make. We moved through within word pattern spelling and now I’m focusing on the syllable and affixes stage. I’ve been helping her recognize chunks in words during reading and we’re trying to bring that over for spelling and writing as well. Her regular education teacher has informed me that she has seen a great improvement lately with her spelling and was very impressed. This made me feel good and like I was doing something right! I think I still plan on doing so prefix and suffix activities with her until she is really strong in that area of spelling. I learned a lot from this chapter. I was wondering if any of you have had mentors or teachers who used individual spelling lists. If so, I'm wondering how that all worked and what they based the lists off of.
ReplyDeleteI was also going to mention Dr. Walizer explaining about giving individualized spelling words. I think this idea is so great and because it relates to each student. I think this experience makes it more meaningful to the students and allows them to relate the words to their real lives. I know that when I was in school the teacher always gave us a list of 10 words that had nothing to do with anything we were studying and the only time we used them was during spelling time. I spent each week memorizing the word for the test and than forgot about them. This did not help me with my spelling skills, but if I learned words that I used in my writing or ones that I read about I think i would have focused on them a little bit more.
DeleteChapter 11 covers the topic of spelling. This chapter is so me, I’m terrible at spelling. Spelling is a very important part of reading I feel. Spelling starts at a very young age. The section of this chapter that stuck out to me the best was the “Developmental Stages of Spelling.” I feel I will use this as a future teacher.
ReplyDeleteTeaching ESOL students can be difficult for the reason our language doesn’t always match how things are spelled. For example photo sounds like it should start with an “f”. Our language is very confusing for and ESOL student.
I didn’t have any questions over the chapter at this time.
Throughout my internships, I have seen many of the students have spelling list even at kindergarten. During the internships I have seen the kids take home papers to help their parents even get involved. Many students feel that they don’t need to learn how to spell because of all the technology, however knowing the basic to spelling is important.
I think that ESOL may be a huge challenge for us as teachers because languages do vary so much. It is also very hard to learn English because it doesn't always follow the rules. This can confuse children.
DeleteMegan - I agree that teaching ESOL students would be very difficult - for both the student AND the teacher. The student may not have ever been introduced to the vowels and patterns of the English language. Especially for Spanish speaking students, the vowels would present a huge difficulty as they are totally different sounds! The teacher, on the other hand, really has to know about the Spanish language in order to help that student make the language transition.
DeleteI honestly think there are so many cool spelling activities you can do in the classroom. Not only does spelling help children read and write it also helps them with their vocabulary. Spelling words are a good way to introduce vocabulary words. I find it interesting that a child can be a terrific reader but a terrible speller. I love that it says assigning spelling words and then testing them at the end of the week does not ensure good spellers. Poor spellers usually memorize the word and then forget it. It is important the students recognize patterns in spelling words. This will help them succeed. This chapter gives a lot of great spelling activities for students to do. I have also seen a lot of spelling online activities for students. Where the student can take a practice test, learn the definitions and play games with their words for the week. I think that exposing them to more than just pencil and paper words is great. Children will be more excited for spelling if it is fun. We always did a spell down game in spelling which made us pay attention and spell correctly. For younger children I love the idea of magnetic letters because it is hands on. I know that my first graders used bendable wires to spell words.
ReplyDeleteSpelling does have a direct tie into vocabulary. From there, it builds into fluency and comprehension. So you can say that spelling is a definite building block in the learning process for us all!
DeleteChapter 12 talks about spelling. This is such an important concept to grasp, as it truly connects the aspects of reading and writing. Some students can read extremely well, but not be very strong at writing. A cause for this may be that they are struggling with spelling.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at the examples of the spelling stages in Figure 12.3 on page 326. It is pretty easy to distinguish between the stages, as there is not much "gray area" between them.
Starting on page 329, the chapter goes into detail of explaining what makes English such a hard language to understand, and in turn spell. It is so difficult because just when you get the concept of what each letter sounds like, when two letters are put together it may make a totally different sound altogether. This can then directly affect spelling.
Another figure, Figure 12.7 points out different traits of students that struggling with spelling, as well as those who do not struggle. This is a good list to know I believe, so teachers can spot those traits when they are looking at how to help students.
Overall, a very helpful chapter!
I enjoyed the figures as well, they were very helpful in distinguishing the differences in spelling stages. I have always heard the English is a hard language and now that I have been trying to teach students and leaning all of the ins and outs, I can really see exactly how hard English is.
Delete1. Analysis of the reading/issue: Chapter 12 did a great job of explaining the process of how students are taught spelling skills and how their development dictates what they learn at different ages. I like that the text says spelling is teaching students “HOW to spell, not what to spell”. Students learn how to spell by following a progression of steps that starts with scribbling as they learn letter shapes and names, the sounds of those letters, patterns of sounds/letters, and then more complicated things like syllabication, suffixes, affixes, and “cheater” words. Also, just as we find in reading preferences, students are more likely to want to spell words correctly if they are interested in what they are writing about and who will be reading their writing. This also helps to build their vocabulary as they become interested in new words and their meanings. I feel that if students are taught spelling based on this progression, they begin to recognize the sounds, patterns, and then meanings of unknown words. Prefixes or root words, for example, will signal meaning for a student which then allows them to figure out unknown words because they were able to recognize a part of that unknown word. As students’ spelling and vocabulary skills advance, they even begin to notice the origin of certain words (ex: Latin, German, or French). All of these factors work to build a comprehensive understanding of the English language, which is really a collaboration of several cultures and languages. It’s a very complex language to “figure out” due to all of its exceptions and rules. A good teacher, however, can really make the difference in how students learn spelling skills.
ReplyDelete2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I had no questions during this chapter.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? As someone who has very little trouble with spelling (although my typing might suggest otherwise sometimes!), I really appreciated that the text pointed out what good spellers do. I do these things automatically: “generate sensible written alternatives”, “understand the writing process”, and recognizing spelling errors. It’s good to know what these things are so that I can strive to help every student develop these things in their own spelling skills. Assessments really can give an instructor a good picture of a student’s thinking process in regards to spelling. Once you test students with any of the assessments listed in the text, you really can see a pattern or patterns emerge as to what they need to work on. For some, it make be the CVC words and for others it might be the double consonant in words or suffixes. I LOVE giving assessments and seeing exactly what I can do to help a student become a better speller or reader. Again, the text does an excellent job of providing examples of assessments that we can use in our own classrooms.
ReplyDelete4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience: Ah….spelling! People hate it when I say this, but I love spelling. I get a certain satisfaction from knowing how to spell things correctly. My mother and mother-in-law call me often to ask me how to spell things! I don’t really remember what strategies or techniques were used by my elementary teachers, but I do remember my teachers expecting us to spell things correctly. Some of the rules like “i before e except after c” and “change the y to i and add –es” are things that stuck in my head from those elementary lessons, though. Even the “School House Rock” cartoons on Saturday mornings helped, I think. (Boy, I’m dating myself there, aren’t I?!) What I have found to be true is the fact that once a student has a firm grasp on the “rules”, root words, affixes, suffixes, exceptions, etc, spelling just kind of falls into place for some students. For others who don’t make those connections at an early age, those students really struggle to figure out how to spell things correctly even into adulthood. Spelling and vocabulary will be two of the things I will really stress in my future classroom.
The topic of Chapter 12 is spelling. It discusses the different developmental stages of spelling, instructional practices and comparisons between English and Spanish spelling, and assessments for spelling. It discusses various strategies to be implemented in aiding students with difficulties in spelling. Along with strategies for students with a higher skill of spelling. The book stated that it is important to teach students 'how' to spell and not just 'what' to spell. This really stood out at me. When we teach an individual information it should be in a way for them to use or associate with later in the future and not just at that moment. We gain more as individuals with this process. I wish this stood out more for instructors and schools to not just teach to the test but teach for the test and other life/school experiences.
ReplyDeleteI have no questions.
I was not familiar with the various stages of spelling. Did not realize that they incorporate toddlers scribbles with stages of writing and spelling.
I have learned and like the process of giving students words at the beginning of the week and incorporating them within various activities throughout the week, providing them with test at the end of the week. I enjoyed this process and think giving them an opportunity of two test can help the students. It gives them a good opportunity to do well and may also drive them to learn the words and do good the 1st time so do not have to take the 2nd test.
I too didn't realize that there were several stages of spelling and that students have developmental stages that they go through. I think reading and spelling stages were very similar. I enjoyed the strategies at the end of the book, they are great ways to make spelling more fun.
Delete1. Analysis of the reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter 12 is a short chapter that discusses spelling. According to the chapter students begin spelling correctly when they care about what they are writing. Just as there were stages to writing there are stages to spelling. There were several listed in the text one example was Bear’s stages: 1) Emergent spelling, 2) Alphabetic spelling, 3) Within word pattern spelling, 4) Syllable and affixes spelling, and 5) derivational relations spelling. Using Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development can help teachers understand the development of spellers. A good speller understands orthography (this was a new word for me). It really just means that they understand the letters and the sequence of the letters in words. Spelling words in parts, is something that I have used and still use with my son. I think the word search and anagrams with cereal are great ways for student to work on spelling, and it is more fun than just writing their words five times.
2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue.
If students don’t really learn to spell from a list of words, then why do teachers still use a list of words every week?
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
After reading this chapter I have found that there are several ways to help students to learn to spell, not just using a list of words each week. I hope that I get to teach in a school where I can use some of these techniques.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
As a child and even still as an adult I am not the best speller. I have improved over the years. However when I was in school elementary all the way through high school, I had a really hard time passing spelling test. I just dreaded them. In fact when I was in 8th grade it was a requirement that we had to pass a huge spelling test. It took me several times to pass it. I am so thankful that my son is a good speller and I hope my daughter will be as well.
There are so many different instructional outlets for educators to use and even create to allow students to learn their spelling words. There are paper pencil activities, electronic for SmartBoards and Active Expressions, in addition to an unlimited availability of internet options. Teachers must analyze each student and come up with a program that best suits each student and their learning style. I personally enjoy mixing each day up! It isn't just teaching them how to spell, it has to be about what this word means, how it works and how to use it properly. Teachers just need to be as creative as the students they are educating.
DeleteI agree that teachers need to be creative. Unfortunately the schools that I have worked in just give students a list of words and then test them on Fridays.
DeleteI think that finding creative ways of teaching spelling is very important for teachers to do. I know when I "studied" for a spelling test in grade school I just simply wrote the word over and over and over to memorize the word long enough to regurgitate it back on paper for the test.
DeleteWhen reading Chapter 11, I was immediately placed back into the time in which I was in grade school and working on Spelling. I remember the weekly lists! I also remember the numerous writing activities that we used to do that incorporated our spelling words. Perhaps my favorite, and a favorite of students still today, is the game Sparkle; it’s so much more fun than just a spelling bee! Regardless, times have not changed and teachers are still presenting students with these master lists on Mondays, testing on Wednesday s and Fridays. One difference that I see when reading this chapter is that many publishers are in fact relating the weekly “vocabulary list” to the literature reading that the teachers are presenting. The company that our local school district utilizes is the Scott Foresman publication. Each week is detailed for simple preparation for educators. It implements graphic organizers, several associated level readers and emphasizes the vocabulary (they use vocabulary instead of spelling it seems) exercises and when to complete associated materials. Even though this is a program that is specific in the information and supplemental it presents, it is a great aide to assist in planning, however, our district uses it only as a tool for guidance. It has come to the building administrators’ attention through the years that the wording and speed of the context does not allow educators to have students prepared for the reading section of the State Assessments. Teachers are now using these materials as guidelines, opposed to the only literary material presented.
ReplyDeleteKeeping in mind that each student learns in their own unique way, I believe that an educator should be able to guide students through the various levels of learning to spell and then focus on each student’s weakness. One instructional element that I was introduced to in a second grade classroom was their Purple Dictionary. Every day the students would be introduced to three new words. With these words they would write the word, define the word and then draw the word in action (think of a 3x3 boxed graphic organizer). Then, any time the students were given a writing assignment and needed assistance spelling a word, the teacher always referred them to their dictionaries. If they still did not have the word located, the teacher would provide them with the correct spelling and the students would go to the back of their book, put the word in alphabetical order, and recreate a 3x1 box of the newly discovered word. Is this an interesting tool, yes, did she actually work with the students on how to spell and memorize the word? No. She simply gave them another tool they can utilize to locate the word; essentially giving them the basics on how to operate a dictionary.
Spelling is a tricky element to education. The key is to cater to your students and find a program or instructional mean that works best for them.
This week we read chapter 12, over spelling. I think the sentence that I related most to was “effective readers may be poor spellers.” This describes me so well; I am a horrible speller but am able to read fluently. Thank goodness for spell check; sadly it probably makes my spelling worse because I don’t focus on the skill like I should. I know that there is a controversy over if spell-check helps or hinders students spelling abilities and if it is as necessary to focus on spelling with all of the technology available to students. For me I think it hinders my spelling abilities and I still think it is very important to teach spelling just as much as before. I like how the book explains why giving students a spelling list on Monday and testing them over it on Friday is not a productive way of teaching spelling. I think it is important for every teacher to know this because such a large number of educators use this practice. The chapter discusses that there are stages for learning to spell. These stages are very similar to the stages that we have learned. I like that it explains how the stages can be different for ESOL students. Finally like always the last section of the chapter has many different activities to help students with spelling strategies. The one that caught my eye was word searchers. I have always been told that word searches are just busy work. But I never thought that it could help with spelling and vocabulary, plus most students like to do these activities.
ReplyDeleteRebecca -
DeleteI agree that effective readers may be poor spellers, as that is something that I noted in my response when I administered a "pop" spelling test (same as pop quiz?) I just wanted to see where my students were coming from in all areas of reading and writing, and was surprised that many of them spelled phonetically (which I also discussed in my response to the chapter below). I also agree that spell check can hinder spelling ability rather than aiding in the success. I have noticed that when I spell something incorrectly on any website, document, etc. I can right click on my mouse and it will provide recommendations for the correctly spelled word - not sure if this is something to do with my operating system on the computer or not. Although I find it helpful, I also feel lazy for doing that and not having to go through the actual effort of getting a dictionary.
I know that all through elementary, we used the Monday - Friday spelling method, and I never struggled with it, because every day we did the same activity with our spelling lists from week to week. For example, on Monday we would get the list and we would write each word three times, on Tuesday we would create sentences for each word, on Wednesdays we would get word searches, on Thursday we would review in class and Friday would be the test. Isn't it amazing that I still remember that like it was yesterday? I found those methods to be helpful, but I also realize that not every student learns the same way as I do and realize that it can be ineffective for some, especially with the mainstreaming of students with special services into the regular education classroom more than in previous years. I think it was important for the text to note that it is not an effective method because teachers should not simply rely on that method, but become creative and have students actively engaged in the learning process.
Rebecca-
DeleteI agree with you and the book saying that is not productive to give the students a list of words at the beginning of the week and test them over the words at the end. I think that the games given in the text would be great tools for helping students learn to spell.
Chapter 12 focused on spelling, which has always come natural to me, and I am sure thanks to the hard work of my parents and elementary school teachers. I found it interesting that spelling doesn’t just occur with rote memorization, which is how I always learned it, but that spelling has to be a meaningful process. I suppose the meaningful process to me was the intrinsic rewards of spelling a word correctly and knowing I was capable of doing so but many students need to feel extrinsically rewarded. On a side note here, I think that our society is placing far too much extrinsic rewards on students – what ever happened to the old-fashioned “good job?” Ok, off the soapbox. Spelling is a large issue for my tutoring group, as I gave them a spelling test just to see what they are capable of doing, and many of them spell phonetically, which as the text implies – only about 46% of English words are spelled phonetically. However, their spelling deficit does not directly seem to impact their reading ability, because they could read the words that were going to be administered on the spelling test perfectly prior to having to spell the words. Perhaps that is why it is so important to teach students to spell using patterns, rules, and a variety of other methods.
ReplyDeleteOne particular activity that was listed in the text that I would like to do is the prefix, root word, suffix activity using different colored strips and writing prefixes, root words, and suffixes on them (then laminate them) and have students discover the combinations of words that they can create and the root word’s meaning.
It is wonderful to hear someone give praise to their parents and teachers for helping them become a good speller. I agree, a good job should be enough for a student to receive after a job well done on a spelling test or any other school project. Our English language is confusing at times but it is nice to know we have the tools to teach out students how to decode words and process through those tough words.
DeleteChapter 12 is about spelling. As we know spelling is a very important skill for students to learn for writing. As future teachers we should have a solid knowledge of the different stages children go through in mastering spelling and be prepared to guide them from one stage to another. These stages are emergent spelling, alphabetic spelling, within word pattern spelling, syllable and affixes spelling, and derivational relations spelling. I found the section on spelling and technology interesting. Personally, I feel that over time the availability of word-processing and spell checking tools have harmed my ability to spell. I find that when writing by hand, I sometimes have to take extra care. The other problem is that students and teachers must remember that spell checkers are not without imperfections. We must still proof our work and make sure that words are still being spelled correctly and that the spell checker is correcting words to reflect what we want to say.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important as teachers for us to understand the different stages that children go through when learning to spell. I was not aware of these stages before reading this chapter. I also like that the chapter listed the different stages for ELL students as well. I think this is especially important when working with these students and is very important to know as well.
DeleteChapter 12 discusses spelling, which is an area that I probably need more experience in. The first part of the chapter discusses the developmental stages of spelling which helped give me a much better idea of where kids should be spelling at a certain point in time. I also found the pictures helpful, which showed the progression of a child’s spelling through the stages. I also liked that this chapter discussed the stages for English Learners as well and the differences between English and Spanish alphabets and spellings. I think understanding this difference is key in helping English Learners with both spelling and pronunciation of words. I can see myself referring back to this portion of the text in the future when working with ELL students. I also liked the “Traits of Good Spellers” in figure 12.7 on page 332. I think by being aware of these differences I am better able to understand the areas of opportunity for students who are not good spellers. The text also discussed different assessments for spelling which I was not aware of before reading. Lastly, I liked the spelling activities that were discussed in the chapter. I have seen the magnetic letters used before, but was not aware of some of the other activities, but may try to use them in the future. Overall, a very informative chapter!
ReplyDeleteI really like using playdoe because kids can learn to spell and have to use manipulating their hands. I have also seen where you take the word and cut it up and they have to put the word back together. During Easter we took the sight words written on tiles and put in eggs. They would open the egg and put the word together and then write it on a numbered line sheet.
DeleteI want to say first off I am terrible at spelling and I don’t remember any fun activities that really got me involved in spelling. I remember writing over and over and over again. The beginning passage “The road to success is often under construction” I think of a bridge and spelling. If the word isn’t spelled correct just like a bridge that isn’t built correct, it won’t work right. Knowing that there are similarities between English and Spanish spelling patterns helps me out with the children I work with right now; one letter can sound for more than one sound and one phoneme can be represented by more than on letter. I have copied the chart on page 331. This book is so great it gives things a teacher can do in each stage. My favorite is the color cards for prefix, suffix, and root word. I like how now we do such fun stuff with spelling; actions with the spelling, putting a picture with it so we can attach meaning. I think the phonemic awareness cards that Dr. Walizer gave us really help spelling.
ReplyDeleteI remember writing over and over AND over again in school. That was no fun at all! I am glad that things have changed and that teachers realized that there are fun ways to teach the spelling of words. The phonemic cards are very helpful. I am glad that Dr. Walizer gave us them!
DeleteChapter 12 talks about the different spelling areas. I have never been a very good speller and can relate to the technique described at the beginning of the chapter. This technique was that students simply memorized how to spell the words for the test and many times forget how to spell the words after the test. I had no idea about the different stages of spellers and how students use the first letter of the word to represent the rest of the word in their beginning stages of spelling.
ReplyDeleteWhen the text talks about if English language learners are not fluent in their own language it is easier to explain the English sounds rather than if they are fluent in the other language.
When teaching how to spell and sound out words it is important that we teach students the patterns of the sounds. An example of this would be that gh never is a f sound at the beginning of the word. This chapter had a lot of great information that will help in the future of teaching my students how to spell and also help me with my own spelling techniques.
Chapter 12 goes into detail about the area of spelling. I have always been a pretty good speller as a child in school. I find it interesting how others spell other words differently by the way the sound. I can understand how and why they spelled the words incorrectly (figure 12.1 was interesting). I think spelling would be difficult to teach because of all the rules in the English language, especially to the students that are esl. I can somewhat relate to how it would feel to be spell words in an unfamiliar language. As I was learning Spanish in school, I always refer back to the rules of the English language. Which did not help to much fro me. I had not realized until reading this chapter that there are so many different developmental stages of spelling. I found it interesting that the stages are different for all students. Spelling is definitely not simple to teach. The book mentioned how spelling is often taught that is not the best way. Which is giving the students a list to memorize; I figured this would be the only effective way to teach ALL students (since this is how it was done when I was in school). The activities that were listed in the chapter are fun activities and I would love to implement them in my teaching. I am all about making learning fun. Teaching spelling, I think, would be fun to teach for students. There are so many great learning activities that could be done to teach spelling. I have no questions at this time. My only questions would be regarding students with disabilities, but I guess that would be more into the special education area of things.
ReplyDeleteI added a spelling element to my lesson plans this week. The game is called Knockout Spelling Basketball. The idea is to play this game with 3-4 students. The teacher gives a spelling word, a student shoots the basketball, if the student misses the shot then they have to spell the spelling word, if they make it then the next student shoots.... ans so on. Although chapter 12 states that good spelling instruction is "teaching children how to spell, not what to spell" I think this game is a fun way to practice spelling words. I am currently a para and have played this game while on recess duty with students.
ReplyDeleteI have learned about the different stages of learning from this chapter. Our English language is complex and at times does not make sense. I can remember my teacher just telling me "You just have to memorize how to spell." Now I know that there is a reason most words are spelled the way they are spelled, as a future teacher I don't want to tell my students to just memorize words. Rather I want to teach them the reason the words are spelled the way they are spelled.
Figure 12.9 is a great example of how to organize a classroom to check for spelling standards. This chapter is short but it is packed with a punch of information for future educators and gives wonderful examples of spelling teaching ideas on pages335-338.
Jena--I absoluely loved how you incorporated your spelling lesson into a physical education lesson. I also work as a para and we have played different math games with the basketball but never spelling words. Awesome idea!! I really enjoyed the activities they provided for each stages of spelling, I believe these will come in very handy when trying to get students interested in this subject. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteChapter 12 was over spelling. This chapter was filled with great information over this subject. I really enjoyed the section over the Developmental Stages of Spelling, which included: emergennt, alphabetic, within word patter, syllable and affixes, and derivational relations spelling stages. I really enjoyed this section because it did a great job breaking each stage down and defining it so readers could understand. It also provided diffferent methods and activities you could use to teach with in each stage. I do not have any major questions or contradictions but I do have one worry. After reading this chapter, I now know how important spelling is to the curriculumn and I just hope I will be able to implement it effectively in my classroom. As far as experieces go, I do work at a school district and one class I work in receives a spelling list at the beginning of the week and each day of the week they are assigned an assignment pertaining to their spelling words whether it be to write them in sentences, abc order, vocabulary worksheeet, etc. This is exactly what I plan to do when I have a classroom of my own and even more so now that I have read this chapter. I will definitely take this information and given resources to use in my classroom in the near future!
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DeleteI like the use of abc order, sentences, and vocabulary worksheets instead of writing them 10 times to learn your spelling words. I too hope that I am able to implement spelling effectively in my classroom. I see too many times in the classrooms where spelling is a second thought and only done if there is time permitting. At my school, some of the teachers do teach spelling, but only designate 10 minutes for learning. How can this be effective? I enjoyed reading your post!
Chapter 12 has a lot of good information on how to teach spelling. Unfortunately, this is one area that I see being left behind in the first grade class that I am a para for. Very rarely this year did they work on their spelling. I like in the beginning of the chapter the use of the CAFE sheet for Mindy's words. This is a good way to know where their weaknesses are in spelling so that you can create lessons to target those areas. Also, the chapter discusses how many of the schools use the traditional way of learning spelling and how this is an ineffective method. I totally agree! In the five states I have lived in, only one school did spelling tests the correct way and it made a world of difference for my child. When we lived in Tennessee, the fourth grade teacher had each spelling test individually made for each student. She would have parent helpers come in and give each student their test on Thursday and Fridays. Using this method, the students who were great spellers were challenged and the low spellers got the help they needed. After seeing that done, I always said I would love to use that method in my classroom. It does take extra work on the teachers part, but it made a difference. Figure 12.2 was very helpful in learning the different spelling stages. I also liked the Traits of good and poor spellers. The assessment part of the chapters are always helpful, since that is an area I am still weak in. Next week, I may try to determine my first graders spelling stage by using the two inventories in the back of our Devries book for practice. I also have a small group I take for word work that I can use the CAFE word writing assessment with. Figure 12.8 and 12.9 will be something I put in my toolbox for future use. I wish there had been more activities for spelling at the end of the chapter for me to experiment with since spelling is one of the challenges for many of our first graders. Lots of great information!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having an individual spelling list. I see too little emphasis placed on spelling as well and I think that it can affect the way a student see words. I know a boy in my sons freshman class that still can not spell well and I think this is a shame. When my youngest was in the 1st grade he brought home a spelling test and the word microwave was listed as a bonus and he spelled it miker wave because that is what he heard. It was really cute and I saved it but I know high schoolers who still spell that way, they spell exactly what they hear and have never been taught the write way.
DeleteChapter 12 is about spelling and this is a subject that I have wondered about with tutoring. Several of my 3rd grade students do not spell very well and I wondered if this could affect their ability to read. The first paragraph answered that for me on pg. 323 where it says effective readers may be poor spellers. I also agree with the statement that teaching spelling in a way that students are given lists to study and then test to take will ensure that they are spelling correctly when writing. I agree with this because with my own children they have spelled words wrong in journals that I know they have had on spelling tests. To me spelling tests are just another way of getting the students to memorize the information to be able to do well on the test and then move on. This chapter will definitely come in handy when I have my own classroom and am deciding on how I will teach spelling.
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