Session 5 objectives: Spelling. More than just ‘i’ before ‘e’
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By the end of this session you will be able to:
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Task 1a: Look at the questions below. Have you ever asked yourself these questions
about your learners?
1. Why do they have difficulty spelling?
2. What spelling patterns will help my
learners?
3. How should learners' spelling be assessed?
4. What information will help me plan my
lesson?
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Task 1b: Compare your answers to those suggested in
this short article about English spelling by David Crystal:
Why is English spelling so bizarre?
(Adapted from: Crystal, D. (2013) Why Is English
Spelling So Bizarre? Available at <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-crystal/spell-it-out_b_ 3491037.html>. Accessed on 18th
October 2013.
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Blame the alphabet.
English alphabet consists of 26
letters and has 44 sounds. Sometimes
there is a direct relationship between spelling and sound (man, cat, pen) and
at other times one sound can have many spellings (the ‘sh’ sound in station,
special, charades). Consider the
variety of ways in which ‘ough’ is pronounced (thorough, dough, hiccough,
thought, through, rough, plough, cough).
This can create enormous problems for our learners and being aware of
this can help us to empathise.
Blame the range of language
processing skills needed to spell accurately
For example, we need to be able
to:
·
hear sounds correctly
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pronounce sounds correctly
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remember the correct order of
letters in a word (e.g. was and saw)
·
tell the difference between
letters that look similar (e.g d-p-b-q/m-w/n-h/n-u,t-f)
·
recognise the letters of the
alphabet and know the sounds they represent
·
recognise common spelling
patterns (e.g re/tion/sion/est/er/ed/con/de)
·
copy words directly from
another source
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remember the word’s phonemes in
the correct order (e.g capable v cabaple)
Sometimes, there are additional
problems. Learners may have to learn
to read from a different direction (learners who have Arabic, Japanese,
Hebrew and Chinese read from right to left).
Learners with dyslexia, attention deficit and other memory-related
problems face further challenges.
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How should learners be assessed?
Try
to test learners on the spelling patterns you provide them with rather than a
‘disjointed’ list of words. In this way,
if they hear an unfamiliar word they can use their knowledge of the pattern to
spell it out. Keep it short and snappy - set weekly assessments of around 8 –
12 words depending on your class.
Motivate and encourage whenever possible.
What
information will help me plan my lesson?
Here is a short
list of elements you can consider when planning:
- The profile of individual learner’s spelling strengths and weaknesses.
- Spelling patterns which they have mastered and those which still present challenges.
- Varied activities to help maintain focus and interest.
- Differentiated tasks to help accommodate different learner needs.
- Records of assessments to chart progress.
** Try to build
up your learners’ confidence and knowledge by providing them with clues about
the spelling patterns.
Question you can ask:
- Is it a short or long vowel affecting the spelling pattern? (pin-pine/pan-pane)
- Does the position of the new spelling pattern need to be considered? (words never end in qu)
- Is there a silent letter (l, b)? is it accompanied by another letter (walk, lamb, calm, would)
Develop your own knowledge about
spelling patterns and build up your stockpile of questions.
Top tips for
helping with spelling!
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1
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Teach one new spelling pattern a week.
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2
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Test the weekly spelling pattern soon after teaching it.
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3
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Don’t forget to keep reviewing patterns on a regular basis.
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4
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Test 8 – 12 at a time.
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5
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Reward good work.
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6
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Encourage learners to keep a separate notebook for spelling.
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7
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Teach common exceptions along with the rule.
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8
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Maintain motivation and interest. Encourage learners to see the value of good
spelling.
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9
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Encourage learners to keep a record of their own progress.
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10
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Teach learners strategies/games/memory techniques for
remembering spelling patterns.
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Over to you: Using the activity sheet (http://tinyurl.com/ESOL-lit5-1) to
give you some ideas, design a worksheet or activity to help your learners with
a spelling pattern. You can use one of
those from this session or do some research to find out more about other
patterns. Use the task with your
learners and reflect on how effectively it helped them to learn a new spelling
pattern. Share it with a colleague. Good luck!
Further reading
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic-group/spelling The BBC’s Skillswise website has lots of great, interactive materials that can both help your own spelling and give you ideas about how you can help your learners.
- Crystal, D. (2012) Spell it out. London: Profile Books
- Shemesh, R. & Waller, S. (2000) Teaching English Spelling. Cambridge: CUP
