How to Learn Spellings

One of the reasons that many children struggle to learn spellings or use the words in their own writing is that their learning is PASSIVE rather than ACTIVE.

Copying a word 3 times as many children are expected to do when they make spelling error in their own work is a passive activity.  Often the child is barely thinking about the word but merely copying a string of letters. The same can be true when learning a list of words with the same letter pattern. Children will remember all the words have 'ai' for example and then passively write each word in the list just remembering to put an 'ai' in the middle and not really thinking about the words. The result is when asked to write the word 'brain' in a sentence in class they will not recall it is an 'ai' word and spell it 'bran'

While words with the same letter pattern should be learnt together more needs to be done if a child it really going to know a pattern and use it for themselves. Excellent phonic programmes like Read, Write, Inc do a lot to encourage children to actively learn and use new letter patterns, children both blend and segment words with a particular letter pattern. Units of Sound computer program and Alpha to Omega also make these letter patterns explicit and ensure plenty of ACTIVE practice.

For a child to remember spellings they need to INTERACT with the words. Magnetic letters are great for encouraging this interaction particularly at home. When learning spellings at home say the word aloud and ask your child to count the sounds in word with their fingers (not the number of letters). For example 'dish' - d-i-sh, 3 sounds, 3 fingers. Then encourage the child to pick out the letters to match each sound. When 2 letters make one sound prompting may be needed - which 2 letters make the 'sh' sound.  If the child is unsure give them a choice rather than telling them.  For further practice, the letters can then be muddled up and the children can put the letters in order again. Alternatively, a letter can be taken away and the child can think of which one is missing.  Once they have practiced several times with magnetic letters, the child can practice writing the word, saying the sounds as they do so.  Writing practice can be done in a variety of ways by using a sand or salt tray, air writing - big and small, using white boards and gel boards.  Finally the words should be used in a sentence, a dictation sentence containing only words the child can already confidently spell with one new word works best. Alpha to Omega student book can be a very useful source of word lists and sentences. Children should expected to mark their spellings themselves, this requires further interaction with the word and encourages the child to look carefully at the letter sequence.

The importance of the Early Years

Many people do not realise how crucial the early years are in determining a child's future development.

Professor Allan Schore of UCLA has found that eighty percent of the brain cells that a person will ever have are manufactured during the first 2 years of life. Brain scans of children who have been neglected compared to a 'typical' child show huge differences in the size of the brain. The interaction between the child and their main care givers at this time is crucial. The neuro pathways on which further learning is based are being laid down from 0 to 2, the foundations for language development, coordination, motor skills, visual skills, listening skills and focus are all being put in place.

It is not about 'hot housing' children or forcing them to do activities they are not ready for but being aware that play and interaction are important right from the start.


If you observe and interact with a group of pre-school children of 3 - 4  years of age the difference in the range of skills some children have compared to others is already huge.

Much as many people hate to say it, the advantage some children have at this stage will stay with them all throughout school.   The differences between children are partly genetic and partly due to their environment.  Of course nothing is straightforward, children all develop at different rates.  Some children are 'late bloomers' and some children have learning difficulties and developmental issues to deal with.  But stimulating and interacting with our baby and toddler will always make a difference to their later skills and ability to learn.

If you take a typical nursery or kindergarten class and ranked them in terms of language development, motor skills, focus and readiness to learn.  Then you looked at the attainment in reading and maths for the same group of children at the end of primary school at 11 years old you would find the order is pretty much the same.  It is not to say that schools and parents do not make any difference but they can only build on the foundation that is already there.

The purpose of this article is not make any one feel bad about their child or their parenting but just to raise the awareness that those first 2 years can make a real difference.  Many parents are unaware of what they can do to encourage and nurture their child at this early stage.  Many educators and parents are increasingly concerned about range and level of skills of children coming into school. But the answer is not to do more in pre-school or bring educational goals lower and lower.  The answer is in supporting parents and other caregivers and their children before pre-school.

So what can we do?

Many people still think that a quiet baby is a good baby and while we can not change a child's temperament we can encourage all children to interact and respond to their environment.

1. Talk
Talking to your baby as much as possible is important for future language development.  Some people think that because the baby can not understand you, that it is not important to talk to them. But the baby can pick up on the rhythm and sound patterns right from the beginning.  They recognise tone of voice, they recognise their care giver/s voice/s above others.  It is also not necessary to use baby talk, if you use the correct words you will find that when a child is ready to talk they will use these words too. Reading and sharing books right from the beginning is also a great way to introduce children to a whole range of vocabulary and the world beyond their own experience. Most children it love too!

2. Movement and curiosity
Encouraging your baby to reach for objects and touch things is also important. Let them have plenty of time out of their pram or cot to explore what is around them. Let them look at and touch everyday objects (as long as it is safe). We don't need fancy toys; as we all know at Christmas, when the baby or toddler plays with the box as much as the toy inside!  Encourage curiosity as much as possible, let your baby or child watch you do all the everyday things that need to be done - cooking, cleaning, shopping.  Lying on their tummy for some time each day, as well as their back helps to strengthen muscles and helps later coordination.  When they are ready to crawl let them go and explore, try not to contain them much as practical.  Babies experience to world through all their senses and we should encourage this as much as possible.

3. Play
Play, play and more play! Play is how we are meant to learn the boundaries of our environment and ourselves. It is how we learn cause and effect, how we learn to problem solve and focus.  Many of the 'traditional' toys are best - building blocks, shape sorters, jigsaws, matching games. We also want a balance between adult directed play and child directed play.  We don't always need to show a child how to do something 'properly' they can learn a lot by playing with a toy or game the 'wrong' way and then working out what to do.  Messy play with water, mud, sand or paint are all fun and hugely beneficial.

'Play' is currently a hot topic terms of pre-school, school curriculum and education but the point is play is important right from the beginning.

See https://www.zerotothree.org/espanol/brain-development video clips and great practical tips.

Also take a look at https://www.education.com/reference/article/infants-toddlers-ages-zero-two/  for further reading on early development.

My top 10 dyslexia resources

Here are my top ten resources for dyslexic learners
1. Stile Trays
A very versatile resource which allows 
children to practice their skills without writing. They are self checking so a child can work independently. This can be a real confidence boost!

                                                                           

2. Alpha to Omega  
A structured spelling programme best used with the alphabet arc and magnetic letters.  Children work systematically through letter patterns and only write words that they have already practiced with magnetic letters.  The dictation sentences are carefully constructed to allow children to aim for accuracy and success.

 




         

3. Units of Sound computer program. A very effective way of systematically learning and practicing letter patterns or 'units of sound'. It constantly revisits previous letter patterns helping them to be retained.  There are memory and dictation sections which help to develop memory skills. It is now available online which allows it to be used at home as well as at school.

 4. Toe by Toe
This is still the most effective way to improve the reading skills of anyone who is struggling.  Best used everyday for 5 -10 minutes (3 times a week can still be effective.) It systematically works through letter patterns starting with alphabet sounds and 3 letter words building up to polysyllabic words. At every stage the phonic skills are practiced with nonsense words and in carefully constructed sentences.

 5. Smart Phonic magnetic letters
These magnetic letters are joined together to make common digraphs particularly vowel digraphs. Many dyslexics learn best in a kinaesthetic way and these letters make letter patterns explicit.  Great for word building and making sets of words with the same pattern. They can be used to make Alpha to Omega word lists.

 6. Gel Boards seem to be an under used resource. Many dyslexics find letter formation and pencil control difficult. Gel boards are an excellent and fun way to practice handwriting patterns and letter formation. If you press too hard the marks do not show properly so it is a good way of training children not to use too much pressure when they write.

 7. Word Shark
Great interactive games which can be set to match the letter pattern a child is working on.
Children can work on 3 letter words right up to more complex prefixes and suffixes.

 8. Nessy Learning, Hairy Phonics and Hairy Words
Really fun interactive games and apps. The Nessy Learning Programme can form the central part of any intervention plan. It has a reading and spelling challenge to set the correct level. It then provides memorable video animations for each letter pattern. There are games and worksheets to allow practice in lots of different ways.

 9. Wellington Square Books
Many teachers think that these books are a bit outdated, but in my experience the children who read them really enjoy them. Aimed at Junior age children who are still in the early stages of learning to read. All the books are carefully graded to only introduce a few new words at a time (in a similar way to Oxford Reading Tree).  The support materials are excellent and provide a wide range of activities to support early comprehension skills.

 10. Active Literacy Kit
A little known resource available from Dyslexia Action.  It is excellent at pinpointing weaknesses in children who are slow to develop their literacy skills. Each child has their own combination of activities to strengthen their skills. It works on the alphabet sequence, auditory discrimination, reading fluency and spelling. Very easy for both teaching assistants and teachers to use.

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