Whether your child is learning in school or at home, if your student is a unique learner, a large portion of your time is spent choosing your battles. What do you need to focus on? What can you drop? What are your child's most important needs, and how can you help to meet them?
I understand that spelling is not always a priority, and I understand why it might not be a priority for your student. Here are three reasons why you might want to hold off on formal spelling instruction:
1. If your student is still learning to read, you might want to focus your time in reading instruction. Many wonderful programs teach reading first, then they tackle spelling.
(Note: There are also many wonderful reading programs that teach reading and spelling in tandem. This is my preferred way to teach reading and spelling, but this is a personal preference. Use what works for your student.)
2. If your student is content to write using assistive devices (voice to text, Google, Siri) and can clearly get his or her thoughts on paper, formal spelling may not be needed.
3. If your student has had a bad experience with a spelling program and the thought of a formal spelling program gives him or her anxiety, you might want to wait a bit for spelling.
On the other hand, I believe that there are some important reasons why you might want to choose spelling to be a priority for your student.
1. If your student is struggling with self esteem because of weak spelling, teach your student to spell.
Spelling is personal. Whether we like it or not, whether it is right or not, whether it is conscious or not, some people judge others by their ability to spell. Weak spellers sometimes need the written word to communicate. This is different (and as I said, more personal) than being a weak math student. Most people don't send each other math problems as a means of communication, but we need the written word. I realize that we live in a changing world. Texting abbreviations are becoming more acceptable on paper. We have spell check, Siri, and Google at our fingertips. There are adaptations for weak spellers. And I'm thankful for them. But there are still many times when students need to write. And if weak spelling causes students to think they are not smart, we need to help them.
I am dyslexic. My first grade teacher told me I was the stupidest child she had ever met. I believed her. I believed her for years. I believed her when I was in high school. I thought there was no possible way I could be in accelerated classes because I was stupid. Because I couldn't spell. Those beliefs ran deep for a very long time. I have met many young students who think like I did. I am passionate about teaching children to spell because I believe it is a confidence builder. Many weak spellers and students with dyslexia have such creative minds, and spelling gives them the words to share their ideas with the world.
2. If your student is struggling to get thoughts on paper, teach your student to spell.
Some students use inventive spellings beautifully. They have big thoughts and they write them on paper without a care in the world that they can't spell those thoughts correctly. (I was one of these students.) Writing and spelling are two different skills, and most experts suggest to not worry about spelling in the first draft of a composition. Students can fix the spelling mistakes in the editing process. This works for many weak spellers. But it didn't work for my daughter. My daughter couldn't read her inventive spelling. The spellings were so off that she had no idea what the words were supposed to say. And so she tried to recall the spellings of words she had studied in her spelling classes. But that didn't work either. She couldn't retrieve the words she needed, which frustrated her. And by the time I helped her, she had forgotten what she wanted to say. It was this tearful cycle that inspired me to write a different kind of spelling program for my daughter.
3. If your current spelling program is not effective, teach your student to spell.
Most spelling programs expect students to memorize a list of 20 + words each week, retain them, and then repeat the process over and over again. The problem with this traditional method is two fold: 1. Twenty words are too many for weak spellers, and 2. One week is not enough time for students to master the words. This system is setting up weak spellers for failure.
Another issue that many students face is that many very popular spelling programs teach one rule or spelling pattern per list. For example, the words might all end in a silent e: "hope, tame, cute." These words all follow a spelling rule. Or the words might all use the "ea" phonogram "dream, eat, bread." Research shows us that students do well on spelling tests with these kinds of lists. I'll tell you why: Many students mindlessly add an "e" to the end of the words or an "ea" phonogram in the middle of every word. They might pass the test. They might even ace the test. But most weak spellers will promptly forget the spelling of these words as soon as the test is over. Again, this system is setting some students up for failure. (I realize that there are weak spellers who thrive with this kind of spelling program. If it works for your student, great! There are some wonderful spelling options that fit in this category.)
Many weak speller have gained confidence with Automatic Spelling's spiral review system. Theses students are finally learning to spell.
Want to know more? Watch these information videos.
You can purchase Automatic Spelling here.
Spelling may not be your priority, and that's ok. I've dropped spelling for a season, too. But if you think your student might benefit from a different kind of spelling program, consider Automatic Spelling.
