Words Their Way Classroom © 2019 Stages of Spelling

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Words Their Way Classroom © 2019 Stages of Spelling Development

Words Their Way Classroom © 2019 Stages of Spelling Development Introduction

Hi, and welcome to My Savvas Training.

In this tutorial, we’ll learn about the stages of spelling development.

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Three Layers of English Orthography

There are three layers of orthography, or spelling, in the English language—the alphabet layer, the pattern layer, and the meaning layer.

Students' understanding of the layers progresses through five predictable stages of spelling development.



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Alphabet Layer

The alphabet layer represents a one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds. In this layer, students use the sounds of individual letters to accurately spell words.



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Pattern Layer

The pattern layer overlays the alphabet layer, as there are 42 to 44 sounds in English but only 26 letters in the alphabet.

In this layer, students explore combinations of sound spellings that form visual and auditory patterns.



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Meaning Layer

The meaning layer is when students learn that groups of letters can represent meanings directly.

Examples of these units or groups of letters are prefixes, suffixes, and Greek and Latin roots. These units of meaning are called morphemes—the smallest units of meaning in language.



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Stages of Spelling Development

Within each layer, students learn generalizations that apply to words in a predictable sequence of stages.

The stages include the following: • Emergent• Letter Name—Alphabetic• Within Word Pattern• Syllables and Affixes, and• Derivational Relations

These developmental stages map to the layers of the English language and are determined by analyzing student writing and by using a Qualitative Spelling Inventory.



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Emergent Stage

During the Emergent Stage, students are introduced to the alphabet and each letter’s sound. Young children first write with letter-like scribbles but transition to letters as they learn the alphabet.

This stage typically covers Pre-Kindergarten to early Grade 1.

To move to the next stage, students must understand that letters represent sounds in systematic ways. Part of that understanding will come as students acquire phonemic awareness—an understanding that words consist of a series of sounds that can be isolated and examined.



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Letter Name—Alphabetic Stage

During the Letter Name—Alphabetic Stage, students learn to use letters to represent the sounds of words through their understanding of phonics. Readers in this stage read slowly, often pointing to words to keep their place on the page.

This stage typically covers Kindergarten to early Grade 2.

As students acquire sight words, their pace may increase. By the end of this stage, students learn the short vowel consonant-vowel-consonant pattern.



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Within Word Pattern Stage

During the Within Word Pattern Stage, the idea of patterns becomes increasingly important. In the early parts of this stage, students start to recognize the common patterns of vowels and consonants.

This stage typically covers late Grade 1 to middle of Grade 4.

As students progress through this stage, they learn more complex patterns. They master single-syllable words in reading and fluency progresses. This stage can last for quite a long time because there is so much to learn about the vowel pattern system in the English language.



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Syllables and Affixes Stage

The Syllables and Affixes Stage begins with the study of how single-syllable patterns combine in multisyllabic words. Students are ready to examine different syllable patterns, and they develop the skill of knowing where to look to divide the word into syllables.

This stage typically covers Grades 3 to 6. By the end of this stage, the meaning of words becomes increasingly important and crucial to vocabulary development.



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Derivational Relations Stage

During the Derivational Relations Stage, students examine the functions and spellings of meaning-bearing parts of words. They begin to understand that word endings work grammatically and semantically. Students also examine how words can be derived from a single root word.

This stage typically covers Grades 5 and up. In the late part of this stage, students begin to understand that words related in meaning are often related in spelling as well, despite changes in sound.



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Apply Your Knowledge

Take a moment to review what you just learned. Match each stage with its correct description.



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Closing

Thank you for watching this tutorial.

In this tutorial, we learned about the stages of spelling development.

For additional Words Their Way tutorials, visit MySavvasTraining.com.



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Words Their Way Classroom © 2019 Stages of Spelling