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Navan Education Centre, Thursday 21 st May, 2009. Helping the Struggling Speller. Brendan Culligan, Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, Dublin, 9. What it says on the Tin!. Examine the skills needed to become a competent speller Profile spelling in relation to other curricular areas
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Navan EducationCentre, Thursday 21st May, 2009 Helping the Struggling Speller Brendan Culligan, Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, Dublin, 9
What it says on the Tin! • Examine the skills needed to become a competent speller • Profile spelling in relation to other curricular areas • Profile the ‘struggling’ speller • Show how to create an IEP for the struggling speller Reading, Phonics & Writing
Is the standard improving???? • Media?
Spelling & Reading • Two different skills • Spelling is much more demanding • Progress in reading doesn’t mean progress in spellings • Spelling variation is not acceptable
Spelling & Phonics • Phonics for spelling is very unreliable • Important but not sufficient • ‘Children who rely on sound for spelling will be defeated’ (Henderson, 1990)
Spelling as a skill • Written • Visual • Associative • Hand / eye activity • ‘All-or-nothing’ activity
Is this good spelling? Group B • biarey • swowd • jhrt • nitt • pilpe • cark Group A • brigde • sownd • turend • fritend • peace • trafick
How do you measure progress?
We should not be concerned with the number of spelling mistakes a child makes… • We should be concerned with the type of mistakes being made
What is the function of Spelling? • The function of spelling is to represent meaning • Its function is not to represent sound !
What the child should use to spell • Sound • Vision • Meaning • Etymology
What the Teacher should do • Understand the process of spelling development • Provide strategies TEACH
Phonetic Stage • They use phonics to invent spelling, i.e., they assign letters strictly on the basis of sound • Show evidence of word separation • Great difficulty with vowels • ‘wos’‘laf’‘thay’ • No regard for letter strings/patterns
Visual perception of word not used • Huge divergence of inventions • Bizarre / random attempts • Sometimes no consistency
Note: • For some children this stage will not be an ‘interim measure’ • The worst spellers are those ‘hoo yous fonix too spel’
How to help at this stage • Train them to look for visual patterns/strings • Identify the critical features of words (troublesome word time)
Use meaning as a strategy • Develop word banks • Provide spelling strategy • Introduce proof reading
Transitional Stage • Moving away from reliance on sound • Develop visual strategies • Still have difficulty judging if a word looks right (checking in word bank)
Are aware what letter strings go together • They begin to use visual analogy and meaning • They become more responsible *
Transitional stage Note: • It may take a long time to get through this stage • Those struggling will require assistance
Questions for Consideration • Despite the spelling mistakes, is it an effective piece of writing? • What are the child’s strengths? • Are there many spelling mistakes?
Questions for Consideration cont’d • Would you correct them all? • If no, which ones would you correct? • What are the most pressing needs of the child?
Spelling Misspelling • secondsan • classcass • went (x4) with • our rar • schoolsclool • tour tarer • raining ran • morning mien • playedpary • game gas • of a • soccersinsr • rockroak • climbingcailn • canoeingcian
Spelling Misspelling • lakelasg • somesarm • swimmingsaim • boughtboth • sweetssias • shopsoph • picnicpicin (?) • lunchlach • great gat
(Address specific needs) • Present correct version & compare** • List words that are correct • Use analogies with known words • Build on letter strings (Stile prog.) • Provide a strategy • Begin/continue with cursive writing