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Emerging Spelling: Stages and Teaching Strategies

Chapter 12

Stages ofSpelling Development

Stage 1: Emergent Spelling

Stage 2: Letter-Name Spelling

Stage 3: Within-Word Spelling

Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Spelling

Stage 5: Derivational Relations Spelling

Stage 1: Emergent Spelling

This stage is typical of 3- to 5-year old children who learn these concepts:

The difference between drawing and writingThe direction of writing on a pageSome letter-sound matchesThe formation of letters

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Stage One: Emergent Spelling

Characteristics of Writing Use scribbles, letters, letter-like forms,

numbers. Show no understanding of phoneme-

grapheme (letter-sound) relationships. Show a preference for uppercase letters. Write from left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-

bottom, or randomly on the page. Know that the print carries the message.

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Emergent Spelling:Teaching StrategiesDevelop interest in print: Read aloud

daily, create a print-rich environment, spend time with books.

Encourage children to write. Use LEA and teacher/student

modeling.Teach letter names with letter forms.

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Emergent Spelling:Teaching Strategies, cont.

Introduce concepts and terms: letter, beginning/ending sounds, word, sentence.

Begin developing understanding of letter sounds, concept of rhyming.

Discuss and model directionality. Discuss spelling with children & family

members. Find an appreciative audience.

Stage 2: Letter-Name Spelling

Spellers are usually 5- to 7-year old children who learn these concepts:

The alphabetic principle

Short vowel sounds

Consonant sounds

Consonant blends and digraphs

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Letter Name Spelling:Characteristics of Writing

Sometimes have not developed directionality: write from left to right, top to bottom.

Use letters to represent sounds. Use abbreviated 1, 2, 3 letter spellings; omit

some important letters in words. Use letter-name strategy for spelling.

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Letter Name Spelling:Teaching Strategies

Encourage attempts at writing.Continue to develop phoneme-

grapheme correspondence.Do LEA, asking for help with spelling.Model writing.Read daily.Brainstorm words (& spelling) to make

word banks prior to writing (sometimes).

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Letter Name Spelling:Teaching Strategies, cont.

Encourage children to write by representing sounds in the order they hear them.

Display words used frequently in writing.

Let children see what other children write.

Discuss developmental spelling with children and family members.

Stage 3: Within-Word Spelling

Spellers are usually 7- to 9-year old children who learn these concepts:

Long-vowel spelling patterns

Complex consonant patterns

r-controlled vowels

Diphthongs

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Within-Word Spelling:Characteristics of Writing

Select letters on basis of sound alone.

Spelling represents all essential sound features.

Spelling is readable (more or less).

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Within-Word Spelling:Teaching Strategies

Read daily.Model writing and encourage children

to write.Develop awareness of correct

spelling, emphasizing visual features of words.

Expose children to word families, spelling patterns, word structure.

Teach students how to study a word.

Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Spelling

Spellers are usually 9- to 11-year old children who learn these concepts:

Inflectional endingsHomophonesSyllabicationPossessives

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Syllables and Affixes Spelling:Characteristics of WritingInclude a vowel in each syllable. Apply many spelling rules; may

overgeneralize.Spelling resembles English

spelling.Spelling is easily read.

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Syllables and Affixes Spelling: Teaching Strategies Teach how to divide words into syllables /

rules fir inflectional endings Teach schwa sound / spelling patterns Teach homophones, contractions, compound

words, possessives Sort two-syllable words / homophones Students make words using letter cards Teach proofreading skills

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Stage 5: Derivational Relations Spelling

Spellers are usually 11- to 14-year old students who learn these concepts:

Consonant and vowel alternations

Greek affixes and root words

Latin affixes and root words

Etymologies

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Derivational Relations Spelling:Characteristics of WritingHave internalized the alphabetic

principle.Have learned basic spelling words.Spell words according to adult

standards.

Derivational Relations Spelling: Characteristics of Writing Teach root words / derivational affixes Make clusters with root word in center and

related words on rays Teach students to identify words in English,

Latin, and Greek spellings Sort words according to roots or language of

origin Have students check etymologies of words in

dictionary

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Analyzing Spelling Development

Example of a first grader’s spelling – p. 403

Example of a fifth grader’s spelling – p. 405

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References

Some of the examples of student writing are from Temple, C., Nathan, R., Temple, F., & Burris, N. (1993). The beginnings of writing (3rd edition). New York: Allyn and Bacon.