Why Spelling Fluency is the Best Method for Teaching Students to Spell
Why is it important to teach the “rule breakers?”
Spelling follows the rules. Except when it doesn’t.
Five spelling principles rule over 90% of the English language. Successful spellers understand and follow these rules. But spelling rules need to be taught, and they can’t all be taught at once. Then there’s that other 10% - words whose spelling doesn’t follow the rules.
Students need a method for learning words that break the rules and words that follow rules they’ve yet to learn, including - and even especially - high frequency words.
Students who achieve automaticity with sight word spelling are able to write with greater fluency. They have a larger vocabulary of words at their disposal, allowing them to write stronger, more richly detailed sentences, paragraphs, and essays.
Today I’m going to talk to you about a method that does just that. Spelling Fluency practice is incredibly effective in teaching students to spell. Even better - It works with ANY program you use to teach spelling!
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Can one tool effectively teach spelling in any grade?
My first teaching position was in a school for “bright students who learn differently.” Most students were dyslexic and many had an additional “difference.” Some had ADD or autism while others dealt with chronic health concerns or simply hadn’t been successful in a traditional school setting.
Every teacher received training in multisensory, multimodal instructional practices including Orton Gillingham (OG) for reading and spelling. Foundational content blocks, such as reading and math, were structured by ability rather than grade. That meant my OG block consisted of students ranging from second to seventh grade!
It was a unique experience - both fabulous and difficult. I was tasked with improving all of my students’ spelling abilities. I doubted any one tool could work effectively for both a seven-year-old and a twelve-year-old.
I was wrong.
What is Spelling Fluency?
Research shows when multiple areas of the brain are engaged at the same time, stronger connections are made. Learners experience the information more deeply. This is why multisensory instruction has such a tremendously positive effect on students’ abilities to retain new information.
Multisensory instruction is effective for any type of content.
It’s especially important when teaching abstract concepts - including how to spell words that don’t follow the rules - and for students who learn differently. Current statistics show as many as 1 in 5 people are dyslexic. This means any classroom contains students who would not only benefit from multisensory instruction, but who need it to succeed.
Spelling Fluency is a multisensory approach to learning “rule breakers,” referred to as “red words” in Orton Gillingham. These words don’t follow the rules but do appear frequently in students’ reading and writing. In order to read and write fluently, students must memorize these words.
This approach can be used with any aged student – from young students learning sight words for the first time to older students who need remedial help.
Sight words are typically used in Spelling Fluency practices. You may have words selected for you by your building or district. In my classroom, I pulled words from both Fry and Dolch sight word lists as well as the Dolch nouns.
Each student is assessed in order to obtain a baseline. Students then receive a personalized spelling list of words to master. Spelling Fluency practices are completed with a partner of similar ability.
Students benefit from using supplementary resources like Personal Spelling Dictionaries. This resource, available in my store, helps students retain the words they’ve mastered throughout the school year. Include this follow up step to ensure students keep the knowledge they’ve gained. Rather than asking you, “How do you spell…?” students refer to their own collection of words when they write.
What makes Spelling Fluency so effective? It incorporates personalized spelling lists with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic practices. Student retention of information increases dramatically when all three of these senses are involved.
Why should you include spelling fluency?
Spelling Fluency was a game changer in my classroom. I want you and your students to experience this same incredible success.
I watched students’ spelling abilities skyrocket from the beginning of the year to the end. Through the use of Spelling Fluency practice, my struggling seventh-grade student was able to surpass her second-grade classmates and move to a more grade-appropriate class the following year. Imagine the boost in confidence she experienced!
I created a Spelling Fluency kit that is available in my TPT store. This kit is perfect for use in any classroom. It includes materials for 220 of the most frequently used words, including those “rule breakers” and high frequency words. Spelling Fluency and this kit can be used with any reading and spelling program.
Closing Note…
Spelling Fluency wasn’t the only thing that contributed to my students’ impressive gains that year. It was, however, the one consistent factor that helped all of my students finally master those rule breakers. They’re tricky. They’re high frequency. And in order to read and write fluently and well, they simply must be mastered.
I tried many methods and resources over the years to help my students achieve spelling success. Nothing else was as effective as Spelling Fluency practices. When students combined Spelling Fluency practices with a Personal Spelling Dictionary, that success transferred to their writing.
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