1. Presented by: Ruth, Rhea & Danielle

2. ‘Those who set out to remember every letter of every word never make it.
Those who try to spell by sound alone will be defeated. Those who learn
how to walk through words with sensible expectations, noting sound,
pattern and meaning relationships will know what to remember, and they
will learn English.’
As cited by Tompkins, Campbell, & Green, 2012, p. 155

4.  Stretches across every aspect of the curriculum
 Essential for oral and
written language

5.  “Spelling is the process of representing language by
means of a writing system” ( National Council of Teachers of English, 1996. p.
51).
 “Students need to learn to spell words conventionally
so that they can communicate effectively through
writing” (Tompkins, G., Campbell, R. Green, D., 2012. p. 169)
 Poor spelling skills associated with poor writing skills
 Standardized writing tests: NAPLAN

6.  “Spelling strategies, punctuation conventions,
handwriting and word-processing skills should be
taught across all years of schooling. There should be a
strong early focus on establishing strategies and a
knowledge of conventions that can be consolidated
and extended in the later years. Beginning to use a
common vocabulary for these strategies and
conventions is a prerequisite for consolidation and
extension” ( Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. 2009. p7)
 “Sometimes they spell a word the way it sounds (that
is, applying their knowledge of phonics), while at
other times they spell a word the way they recall
seeing it. These writing/spelling strategies draw
children’s attention to the conventions of print,
enabling them to begin to read like writers”. (National Council
of Teachers of English, 1996. p5)

7.  ‘Crack the code’ of English language:
 Phonemic Awareness: sounds and syllables
 Graphophonic Knowledge: letter names and sounds
 Morthemic Awareness: meaning of words
 Visual Awareness: what words look like
 Spelling Strategies:
 Adding suffixes/prefixes to known base words
 Sounding out
 Apply spelling strategies in reading
 Expanding vocabulary

8.  Weekly spelling tests:
 Assumed to expand vocabulary
 Controversial
 “Rote learning for spelling is not a useful technique for
encouraging students to spell, basically because words out of
context are difficult to remember”
 Words need to be actively utilised in the classroom and
students’ writing
 Parents like the evidence of spelling being taught
 Spelling is best practised indirectly through reading
and writing in other learning areas
 Mini-Lessons more effective than whole lessons on
spelling

9.  Identify strengths and weaknesses
 Adapt a learning plan for that specific student’s needs
 Point out which spelling strategies would be suited
for student

11.  In the past, primarily taught through rote learning by
adhering to certain rules (Templeton & Morris, 1999,
p. 102).
 Traditional method: studying and learning words in
lists as presented in commercially published ‘spellers’
(Wallace, 2006, p. 269).

12.  Some even believe that explicit spelling instruction is
not necessary, and immersing students in reading and
writing is adequate (Winch, 2002, p. 224).
 Templeton and Morris (1999, p. 108) state that,
‘although word knowledge is best developed through
contextual reading and writing, many students
require careful teacher guidance and much practice if
they are to internalize foundational spelling patterns’.

13.  The spelling system not only represents sound; it
represents meaning as well (Templeton, 2003).
 Teacher directed: guide students to an understanding
of how particular spelling features and patterns
operate (Templeton & Morris, 1999).
 Focus on spelling patterns, not individual words -
though these may be added if necessary (Templeton &
Morris, 1999)

14.  According to most literacy experts, spelling is a
developmental process (Tompkins et al., 2012, p. 155;
Westwood, 1999, p. 7).
 As suggested by Wallace (2006, p. 273), when teachers
understand that spelling is developmental, they will
structure their teaching differently, and give students
word lists that suit their individual need.

15. Typic
Developmental Children learn these
Stage
al Characteristics
Age concepts:
Stage 1 - Random strings of scribbles or letters - Distinction between drawing and writing
Emergent Spelling or 2-5 - Letters or marks have no relationship with - How to make letters
pre-phonemic years sounds/phonemes - Direction of writing on a page
- Some letter-sound matches
Stage 2 - Learn to represent phonemes with letters, - The alphabetic principle
Letter name-alphabetic 5-7 creation of invented spellings as they attempt - Consonant sounds
spelling or early years to write words - Short vowel sounds
phonetic - Consonants are used more than vowels - Consonant blends and digraphs
Stage 3 - Making more accurate use of sound-symbol - Long-vowel spelling patterns
Within-word pattern relationships, but may confuse spelling patterns - R-controlled vowels (e.g. Car/cat)
7-9
spelling or phonetic - Become better able to identify sounds within - More complex consonant patterns
years more complex words - Diphthongs and other less common vowel
- Experiment with less frequent vowel patterns patterns
Stage 4 -Apply what they have learned about one - Inflectional endings
Syllables and affixes 7-10 syllable words to spell longer words - Rules for adding inflectional endings
spelling or transitional years - Learn rules about inflectional endings and - Syllabication
consonant doubling - Homophones
Stage 5 - Focus on morphemes and meaning - Consonant alternations
Derivational relations 9-14 - Invented spelling reflects their increased and - Vowel alternations
spelling or years developed understandings, and evidence of - Latin and Greek affixes and root words
independence strategies they have learnt being utilised - Etymologies
 Adapted from Tompkins, Campbell, & Green, 2012, p. 157, and Westwood, 1999, p. 7-10

16.  It is important for teachers to realise that they may
have children spelling at various stages in the one
year level (Templeton, 2003, p. 49; Westwood, 1999,
p. 7).
 Students must be dealing with words at their
developmental level, not their ‘frustration’ level
(Templeton & Morris, 1999, p. 107).

17.  Phonology – how words sound
 Sight – how words look in print or writing
 Morphemes – how words are constructed from
meaningful elements
 Etymology – how words are derived; word origins
 Taken from Winch, 2002, p. 223

18.  Both Winch (2002, p. 224) and Westwood (1999, pp.
12-15) give several strategies by which students learn
spelling:
 By sight (how it appears printed/written)
 By hearing (how it sounds: phonemic awareness)
 By speaking (articulation)
 By meaning and analogy (thinking and problem
solving)

19.  Word sorts
 Board/card games – only effective if focusing on word
groups that reflect spelling patterns
 Word wheels
 Flip charts
 Word slides
 Templeton & Morris, 1999, p. 109

21.  General capabilities of literacy.
 Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2012

22.  On page 7 it states:
 On page 9 it states:
 Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2009

24. Year
(Age)
Australian Curriculum (ACARA) Stage of Development
- Know that one syllable words are made of letters which Letter name alphabet spelling (ages 5-7)
correspond to sounds heard Students learn to represent phonemes in words with letters, concepts learnt:
1 - Use visual memory to write high frequency words •alphabetic principle
Age 6 - Recognise sound letter — matches including common •consonant sounds
vowel and consonant digraphs and consonant blends •short vowel sounds
•consonant blends and digraphs
- Recognise most sound letter matches (inc. Silent letters,
vowel/consonant digraphs and many less common
phonemes)
- Use digraphs, long vowels, blends and silent letters to
2 spell words
Age 7 Within word pattern
- Use morphemes and syllabification to break up words
- Visual memory to write irregular words spelling (ages 7-9)
Syllables and affixes spelling
- Recognise prefixes and suffixes and how they change Students learn these concepts:
(ages 7-10)
meaning. •long vowel spelling patterns
Students apply what they have
R-controlled vowels
- Recognise high frequency sight words learnt about one syllable words
•More complex consonant
3 - Use phonemes (diphthongs and other vowel sounds), patterns
to spell longer words.
Age 8 Students learn these concepts:
knowledge of spelling rules, compound words, prefixes, •Diphthongs and other less
•Inflectional endings
suffixes and morphemes common vowel patterns •Rules for adding inflectional
Use strategies for spelling words, phonological knowledge endings
4 (long vowel patterns and consonant clusters) knowledge •Syllabication
Age 9 of morphemic word families, spelling generalisations and •Homophones
other combinations
Derivational Relations
spelling (ages 9-14)
- Understand that spelling of words have histories Students explore the
5 - Use banks of known words (dictionaries) relationships between spelling
Age 10 - Words that are changed for gender (policeman to and meaning.
policewoman) Children learn these concepts:
•Consonant and vowel
Use words origins, base words, suffixes and prefixes,
morphemes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn alternations
6 to spell new words. •Latin and Greek affixes and
Age 11 root words
•Etymologies
Use spelling rules and origins, base words, suffixes,
7 prefixes, spelling patterns and generalisations to spell new
Age 12 words

25.  NCTE states that “all students must have the
opportunities and resources to develop the language
skills they need to pursue life’s goals and to
participate fully as informed, productive members of
society”.
 (National Council of Teachers of English, 1996)

27.  Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.(2009a). Shape of the Australian Curriculum.
Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/curriculum.html
 Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.(2009b). Shape of the Australian Curriculum:
English. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Australian_Curriculum_-_English.pdf
 Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.(2012). General Capabilities in the Australian
Curriculum. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/General%20capabilities.pdf
 Bush, H. (2008). The Classroom Spelling Program: More than Learning Words. Practically Primary, 13(2),
26-28.
 National Council of Teachers of English.(1996). Standards for the English Language Arts. Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/StandardsDoc.pdf
 Templeton, S. (2003). Spelling: Best ideas = Best Practices. Voices From the Middle, 10(4), 48-49.
 Templeton, S., & Morris, D. (1999). Theory and Research into Practice: Questions Teachers Ask about
Spelling. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1), 102-112.
 Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2012). Literacy for the 21st Century. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson
Australia.
 Wallace, R. (2006). Characteristics of Effective Spelling Instruction. Reading Horizons, 46(4), 267-278.
 Westwood, P. (1999). How do children acquire spelling skills? Spelling: Approaches to Teaching and
Assessment. (pp. 7-17). Victoria: The Australian Council for Educational Research.
 Winch, G. (2002). Writing skills in the classroom: handwriting and spelling. Literacy: Reading, Writing and
Children's Literature. (pp. 217-243). Australia: Oxford University Press.