Games can boost executive function skills that can be generalized towards academic tasks. This post includes how this can happen and 6 picks for older kids.
Read MoreThe Keys to Spelling Success: Part 3
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In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I discussed the first six keys to spelling success that I ensure to integrate into my instruction:
This post will be about the ways in which multi-sensory practice, new concept reading, dictation, and mnemonic devices play roles in supporting spelling knowledge and fluency.
MULTI-SENSORY PRACTICE
Multisensory learning doesn’t just mean writing in sand or shaving cream! While these activities can be fun and engaging for certain purposes, there are a wide range of activities that can be multisensory AND low prep for all grade levels and content matter.
Multi-sensory instruction is the delivery of information through different sensory modalities. A multimodal approach is highly beneficial for all learners in order to maximize successful instruction. In fact, it has been confirmed with neuro imaging studies that following instruction that is multisensory, there is increased activity in the brain’s information processing as opposed to receiving input that engages only one modality. (Willis).
These are the three different modalities students can engage in to receive multi-sensory practice.
Visual. Visual practice is learning by seeing. Examples of visual instructional practice include using photographs, illustrations, charts & graphs, diagrams & maps, video, cues, and flashcards during instructional practice.
Auditory. Auditory practice is learning by hearing. Examples of auditory instructional practice includes conversations, retelling, mnemonic devices, storytelling, singing & rhythms, rhymes, and read alouds.
Kinesthetic & Tactile. Kinesthetic and tactile instruction is learning by doing. Instructional practice within this modality incorporates textures, writing, manipulatives, and movement.
NEW CONCEPT READING
When students are introduced to a new concept, it is important to practice reading that new concept at both the word and sentence levels. New concept reading is decodable for them and focuses only on the new spelling pattern(s) and previously taught ones. To free up cognitive desk space, decodable texts are imperative so students are not expending energy trying to figure out other spelling patterns in the sets.
DICTATION
In addition to reading new concepts in words and sentences, dictation at the word and sentence levels must also be an integrated part of acquiring and retaining new spelling patterns.
mnemonic devices
A mnemonic device is a method that helps to recall and retain information. It’s a memory tactic. While spelling should not be taught through rote memorization, sometimes a mnemonic device can prove helpful. Here are a few examples:
The words HERE and HEAR are homophones. The second one can be easily remembered because the word EAR is in the word, and we HEAR with our EAR.
The word COMFORT can be tricky because of the r-controlled vowel sound that sounds like /er/. What do I tell my students? I ask them to think about the most comfortable piece of furniture in their house besides their bed. They usually guess the couch! Then I ask, “What do lots of little kids like to build using the couch cushions?” Many times, they answer, “A fort!” The word FORT is in COMFORT.
When remembering the spellings for could, would, and should, a fun way to remember them is to say the first sound its corresponding letters followed by “o u lucky duck!”
It is usually the silliest mnemonic devices that stick, and it’s a good start to getting students in the habit of thinking about these memory techniques to help them along the way in many academic areas.
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The Keys to Spelling Success: Part 2
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In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the the first three keys of spelling success I ensure to integrate into my spelling instruction:
This post will be about the ways in which homophones, morphology, and etymology play a role in supporting spelling knowledge and fluency.
homophones
Coming from the Greek words meaning “same” and “sound”, homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. These are words like your/you’re; to/too/two; and it’s/its. Homophones can cause great confusion when it comes to spelling and have a valuable place in spelling instruction. Students can learn to differentiate between homophones with practicing writing them in context and studying how and why they are constructed. And sometimes, mnemonic devices can play a role in helping students keep them straight. When a student uses spell check, the computer may not always identify homophones when they are misused. The top nine homophones that I focus on first at the upper elementary level include:
Accept / Except
Hear / Here
It's / Its
Passed / Past
Than / Then
Their / There / They're
To / Too / Two
Who's / Whose
You're / Your
For some fun combining homophone practice while acknowledging seasons and holidays, check out these seasonal and holiday homophone worksheets.
Morphology
Morphology is the study of how words are formed. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning. It can be a root or base, a prefix, or suffix. The word distraction has three morphemes: dis + tract + ed. Practice with understanding the meaning of specific morphemes will greatly aid not only vocabulary but improved spelling.
Morphology instruction can begin as early as kindergarten and first grade when students learn about the plural S and identifying base words, and then moving on to more advanced prefixes and suffixes as students advance into second and third grade. By fourth grade, morphology should be heavily woven into the curriculum. You can find a free download here for introducing the prefixes uni-, bi-, and tri-.
Using building bricks like these in the image below is a hands-on way to engage students in visualizing how morphemes work. For more Greek and Latin root activities featured in the bottom right image , click here.
Etymology
Etymology is the study of a word’s origin. The etymology of a word can teach us about how the word has changed over time influencing both spelling and pronunciation. It can help us make meaning of certain words with spellings that stump us.
Let’s look at the word Wednesday. Has that D ever stumped you? Once upon a time, the days of the week were given by the Romans. Sunday and Monday were named for the sun and moon, and the other days were named for the planets which were also Roman gods: Tuesday - Mars; Wednesday - Mercury; Thursday - Jupiter; Friday - Venus; and Saturday - Saturn.
In Nordic countries, the days were then given names after their gods which closely resembled traits of each Roman god. In Norse mythology there was a well-known god named Odin, or Woden, and it was he who was most like Mercury. So today we we have Woden’s Day -- or what we know as Wednesday.
Next time the spelling of a word causes confusion, look into its etymology!
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The Keys to Spelling Success: Part 1
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I’m often asked, “Why does it seem that my child can read well but struggles with spelling?” The short answer is that reading is a task that requires recognition, but spelling is one that requires production.
The best way for students to learn how to produce a written word is by teaching them about language so that words can be permanently stored in their long-term memories. Students learn best through knowledge of language, not rote memorization.
This means that we cannot supply students with lists we expect to be memorized. We must make learning about language an integral part of spelling instruction to maximize successful outcomes. Spelling instruction should be packed with many key components to grow strong spellers.
Here are three of the ten (the next six coming in upcoming posts) components I ensure to integrate into my spelling instruction.
Phoneme-grapheme correspondence
This means making sure that students can match a grapheme (one or more letters) with the sound it makes. For example, the short e sound can be represented by the grapheme “e” as in echo or the grapheme “ea” as in bread. An important part of phonemic-grapheme correspondence within spelling is the ability to segment a word or syllable into individual sounds and knowing that each of those sounds is represented by a grapheme. I often use this portable sound wall as a reference to support and discuss phoneme-grapheme relationships. Remember, a phoneme is a sound and a grapheme is one or more letters that represents that phoneme. Some sounds have only one representation while others have many more.
Syllable types
There are six syllable types: open, closed, magic E, r-controlled, vowel team / diphthong, and consonant + LE. Syllable types matter in spelling because students have to know that each syllable must have a written vowel. When segmenting the sounds of a word — or syllables of a multisyllabic word — it is helpful for students to think about the type of syllable they are writing to ensure the appropriate vowel placement. The word PURPLE is a prime example. If a student segments this word they have to think hard about the two syllable types in order to get the vowel placement accurately. In the first syllable, they will know it’s an r-controlled syllable type and the vowel will come before the R. For the second syllable, they recognize this as a c + le syllable type and know that the two syllables together spell PUR/PLE.
Rules and generalizations
The English language certainly has its share of rules and generalizations; however, when we explicitly teach them in a systematic and simplified way, they can aid enormously in one’s spelling ability. Some of these rules include each syllable having a vowel, when to use CK vs. K for a final /k/ sound, when to drop a final E, when to double a consonant, and the many hats worn by the silent finale E.
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