Spelling Strategies

Ways to teach spelling words to your whole class.

1.  Manipulatives:  Use manipulatives to create spelling words before spelling on paper. For digraphs, diphthongs, and other combinations use one manipulative.  It makes 1 sound and therefore only receives one manipulative.  However, the manipulative will get more than one tap for each letter it represents.

2.  Cross-out and start again:  When students misspell a word, have them cross through the word and spell the word again orally.

(this helps the brain to create a new image for this word instead storing the incorrect image that was spelled incorrectly.  When a student corrects a mispelled word by simply adding in the missing letter(s) or erasing a wrong letter(s) and correcting within the word, the brain is not able to create a new image of the word. Instead it holds the incorrect image in the brain and most likely the student will spell the word the same way again the next time.)

3.  Out-loud: Have students spell the words orally as they are using the maniplulatives and writing on paper.

4. Reinforce the spelling rules: After spelling the word, ask the child why they spelled it the way they did.

(This will help reinforce the spelling rules to the child.)

    Example:  stake -   Teacher:  "How did you spell /a/ in the word stake?"  student : " a consonant e"  teacher: "why do we need an e?"  student: "to make the a long"

                    Cow - Teacher: "How did you spell /ou/ in cow?"  student:  "o-w"