Spelling it Out, by Maryann Manning

There are five types of spellers in our classrooms – find out which types you're teaching this year

Long ago I abandoned the practice of every student studying the same list of spelling words in favor of a more individualized program. My philosophy changed as a result of reading, listening to other teachers and, most of all, seeing that weak students at the beginning of the year were still weak at the end of the year. I wasn't meeting the needs of all students with one spelling list.

My students improved considerably when I moved from a prescribed list to thinking of spelling growth as a function of the reading and writing workshop and other literacy activities. This month, I'd like to share my ideas about teaching spelling.

What kinds of spellers?
The first challenge in planning your spelling curriculum is to determine the types of spellers you have in your class. Asking students to write lots of words is the only way to determine this. Choose spelling lists that are constructed around patterns such as /oo/, /ou/, /ea/, /u/ and word categories such as contractions, prefixes, suffixes, plurals, compounds and homophones.

Before we begin, I tell students, "I'm going to ask you to spell some words today. You won't know how to spell them all, but I know you'll do your best." Assuring them that you aren't grading the tests helps. Older children can correct their own words but, in order to preserve the egos of students who may have missed many words, I don't have the students exchange papers.

I only record the words that are misspelled. Most students can help with the recording – your students may maintain a personal book with words they misspell and words they want to remember. I study the spellings that aren't conventional to determine the types of spellers I have.

The five types of spellers
After doing this exercise in many classrooms, you'll find the following types of spellers.

Type V. All age-appropriate words are spelled conventionally.

Type IV. Almost all age-appropriate words are spelled correctly with only an occasional misspelled word. Often there are only a few spelling patterns that challenge the speller.

Type III. Some age-appropriate words are spelled in a conventional manner, but many spelling patterns are not established.

Type II. Many age-appropriate words are misspelled and there is no apparent pattern revealed when analyzing the words.

Type I. Words contain no vowels other than letter name vowels, there is little sound symbol correspondence or there are simply letter strings. Most students in second grade write in invented spelling that can be read.

Spellers of types V, II and I are easy to find. Spellers at levels III and IV pose a challenge because you're searching for the patterns that are not established. Usually the older the student, the more likely they are type IV and V spellers. With assessments behind you, the hardest job has been completed. Now on to the spelling curriculum you wish to design for each type of student.

Type V spellers
These students should continue to read and write because they will continue to spell conventionally the words they use. Sometimes sloppiness in spelling occurs but self and peer editing during publishing will take care of that. Studying the origins of words is often interesting for good spellers.

Type IV spellers
Sometimes all that's necessary is to make the type IV student aware of the spelling patterns that are creating challenges for him or her. You can conduct mini-lessons on those patterns for the students who have the same problems.

Type III spellers
Conduct mini-lessons on word patterns that are in word families. Encourage peer conferencing about spelling on written work as well as during writing workshop. Adding to personal word lists during editing can help decrease problem words.

Type II spellers
I've found that helping the student listen for sounds in the middle of words benefits the type II speller. Try making lists of rhyming words and play with word families. Help the student notice the difference between sounds and spelling patterns in words. Every couple of months, study misspelled words to see if problem patterns are emerging and to observe improvements.

Type I spellers
You may want to conduct daily demonstrations such as daily news to help the student establish correct sound/symbol relationships. Help the student listen for beginning and final sounds of words during interactive writing. Engage the student in as much authentic writing as possible. Use picture dictionaries and word walls to draw attention to specific words.

Suggestions for parents
We know there are several classroom practices that help all spellers. We can pass this information along to students' parents, and let them know that whenever a student engages in reading, spelling will improve. The same is true of engaging in writing, especially in the writing process when attention shifts from content to mechanics.

I try to help parents understand that spelling is developmental. When children draft written pieces, not all words will be spelled correctly and this is normal. I also share the results of spelling assessments with parents. Knowing a child has received a certain letter grade isn't as helpful as knowing that certain vowel patterns are often misspelled.

Professional reading suggestions
Some of the spelling authorities I like to read are Faye Bolton, Wendy Bean, Chris Bouffler, Richard Gentry, Diane Snowball and Sandra Wilde.

Maryann Manning is on the faculty of the School of Education, the University of Alabama at Birmingham.