WHY TEACH

SPELLING?

TIMOR PSOCTOBER, 2009

WALK AND TALK

Is spelling important?

WHAT IS A ‘GOOD’ SPELLER?

Record 3 characteristics.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE SPELLERS

Use a variety of spelling strategies Automatically recall words Continually build vocabulary Understand the English

orthographic system Understand and apply spelling

generalisations Self monitor and generate

reasonable alternative spellings for unknown words

First Steps

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ‘GOOD’ SPELLER AND A

‘SAFE’ SPELLER?

TURN AND TALK

WRITING SAMPLES

One day I went to daycuer and I brot two benebabs.One was a rabit and one was a duk.I poot them in my bacpac and then when I cam bac to my bacpac they wer gon.I lookt evrewer.The techer poot up a sin a bat my benebabs. Thay wer mising.

I had a cat. I like my cat. My cat is fat. My cat is good.

Who would you

rather teach?

Learning spelling separately from writing is like learning music theory

without playing music.

What’s the point and where’s the enjoyment?

SUPPORTIVE CONDITIONS FOR

WRITING… Time Choice Response Demonstration Expectation Routines Evaluation

Brian Cambourne

BuildingLeadershipCapacityMoral

Purpose

ProfessionalLearning

Pre

cision

Per

sonal

isat

ion

‘Breakthrough Framework’Breakthrough- Fullan, Hill & Crevola

Precision

Assessment Data

Daily Instructio

n

Personalisation

Readiness to learn

Appropriate pedagogical experiences

Professional LearningFocused daily learning of teachers; individually and

collectively

NAPLAN DATA - 2009

Year 3 First Name Surname READING WRITING SPELLING NUMERACY GRAMMAR

JESSE CASH 0.7 0.79 0.88 0.94

LOCHELAND MILLER 0.89 1.85 1.84 2.47 1.5

BROOK MILLER 0.95 1.3 0.54 0.75 0.77

RAYMOND MAES 0.95 1.85 0.54 0.95 1.4

CHRYSTAL WEISE 1.27 1.85 1.34 0.69 1.72

JACK BARTLETT 1.52 1.85 2.12 1.49 2.36

NICHOLAS CLARK 1.64 1.85 1.52 1.96 1.5

JUSTIN ROBERTS 1.87 1.66 1.34 1.96 0.89

ZACK SOUPE 2.32 1.48 1.34 0.89 1.29

Year 5 DESIREE SOUPE 2.78 3.11 3.31 1.98 2.59

MITCHELL BARTLETT 2.52 2.47 1.96 1.98 2.79

SHAYLEY CORNWILL 2.87 2.89 2.59 1.98 3.01

DON’T BURY YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND

What can we do??

A WHOLE SCHOOL SPELLING APPROACH

Spelling Investigations

Student Centred Spelling- Personal Words

Class Words

SPELLING INVESTIGATIONS

Students learn how to spell using a discovery process in which they then express

their application in their own writing.

SPELLING INVESTIGATIONS

Articulate the focus to students. Make a link to students’ writing. “ I’ve noticed in your writing....

that people are confusing there and their;that people are having difficulty with ‘ed’

endings;that words with more than 3 syllables are

giving people trouble.”

1. STATING THE FOCUS

Use familiar reading materials to collect examples of words.

May be ongoing across subject areas and lessons.

2. COLLECTING WORDS

Collate class list of words. Ask students to clearly articulate why

they chose the words. Encourage discussion and justification.

3. CLASS LIST

Students identify ways to group words. Students group words accordingly

(whole class or small group). Share categories. Display on word wall for future additions.

4. GROUP WORDS

Students form generalisations for groupings.

Students verbalise and write their understandings.

Reflect on how new understandings can be applied to writing & reading.

5. DISCOVERING GENERALISATIONS

Students demonstrate new learning during independent writing time.

Teacher reinforces new learning during shared and interactive writing when the opportunities arise.

Anchor charts are developed and are effectively used as referral points by both students and teacher.

6. APPLICATION

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Collect words with a ‘shun’ sound.

attention

musicianpartition

sheep

cushion

wish

charade

ashamed

YOUR TASK Identify a common spelling need. Conduct a spelling investigation with

your class. Make generalisations. Produce a class chart to display. Invite students to add to the chart

during their independent reading and writing time.

Share at next meeting.