Spelling

•  An Individual Word Bank is a very useful tool. Use a small strong book with an alphabetic index and write in problematic words as they arise. Use colours to remember the “tricky bits” and include mnemonics (auditory devices to help remember words – for example “there is a rat in separate”) and diagrams if appropriate. Keep this book with you at all times.

• Focus on the teaching of Spelling Rules. This includes an understanding of syllables, base words, prefixes, suffixes and word families. Become a “word detective” looking for the consistencies in English spelling rules and then find the exceptions.

o    A good resource for the rules is Signposts for Correct Spelling by J Bullus and P Coles and it is part of the Smart Words Series. A book that is a reference for homophones (e.g. there/their/they’re) is Which Word is Witch? by Judy Frost (Key Publications)

• Increase general word knowledge as a way to improve spelling. This implies:

o    Expanding knowledge of word meanings (e.g. Use of prefixes and suffixes), word derivations (e.g. Chemist or Christmas is spelt with an initial ch because it comes from the Greek spelling of K); and grammatical function within a sentence (e.g. final-ly is an adverb, so ly is added to the root word “final” resulting in two l’s)

o    Expanding knowledge of different phonic combinations used for particular sounds at different times. For example, when writing the “k” sound, he needs to learn that: a c could be used at the beginning or middle of a word, (except if the next letter after c is an i or an e, e.g. cigar, cement, cell); a “ck” might be used, but only at the end of a word (never at the beginning); and, a “ch” might be used in cases where there is a foreign derivation (e.g. chemist) but otherwise it always says “tch”;

o    Expanding knowledge of homophones (i.e. words that sound the same but are written differently) – hear / here; there / their; sum / some etc.

o    Expanding knowledge of  grammatical function within a sentence (eg. final-ly is an adverb, so ly is added to the root word “final” resulting in two l’s);

o    Spelling, rules need to be systematically taught. For example, when to write (-s or – es or -ies).  Doubling l after the short vowel (tell, till, tall) but not after a long vowel.

• The CHIMP (Chunks-Investigate-Memory-Practice) method (see attached) may be useful to help remember correct spelling. This technique utilises multisensory methods to aid memory.

STRATEGIES

•  A good way of expanding this knowledge is word study, where a selected word is closely examined and investigated. For example, what sounds are in the word? What other words sound like that word?  See the attached Wonderful Words flyer for an example of how this can be done.

• Focus first on learning how to spell your personal 'demons', those words you consistently have trouble with, and on learning key words which are important in your field of study. Pronounce the word very carefully, emphasising each syllable. For example, hos-pi-tal.

• Say the word aloud, pronouncing even the letters which are normally not pronounced. For example, gov-ern-ment

• Break the word into syllables and carefully sound each syllable. Those not used to this strategy may need to learn to count and 'beat' out or clap the syllables

• Think of words as occurring in families with common parts. For example, tele-- means far, and is spelt the same way in words such as telescope, telephone and television.

• Compare the problem word with a similar word you can already spell easily. For example, if you have trouble remembering how to spell who, but no trouble remembering why, say the phrase Who is he and why is he there? to remind yourself that both words start with wh-.

• Understanding the origin of a word can help you recall how to spell it. For example, sensation and sense come from the French word sens (= feeling).

• Keep the Macquarie Spelling Guide beside the computer or on your homework desk. It lists the correct spelling of all the different forms of a word.