Suggestions-for-teaching-spelling-step-1

Many tutors have identified that their learners need additional help to progress with their spelling skills. The suggestions here follow the steps in the spelling progression. Some have been adapted from material available at http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/sflcurriculum

Learners at the 1st step

Learners need to have a bank of high-frequency words they can spell automatically and accurately. Also, they must be able to use regular sound-symbol patterns and some irregular spelling patterns.

Suggested activities

• Within the context of their writing tasks, the learners practise spelling personal and highfrequency words by using the “Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check” routine.
• Help learners to find familiar spelling patterns within the words they know and build up lists of words with those patterns (air in chair, hair, airline; ch in chair, chicken, which).
• Introduce the learners to the computer spell check.
• Learners can practise spelling key personal words from a high-frequency word list. Many websites provide lists of such words (see for example, http://www.english-zone.com/ reading/dolch.html; http://www.literacyconnections.com/Dolch1.php).
• Choose words for practice that can be used in an authentic situation (for example, to write a message to you or a friend).