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6. Effective classroom practices

The following practices and activities are examples which may be used in
the classroom to reinforce the four forms of spelling knowledge and
encourage students to integrate and use these strategies in the appropriate
contexts.

As demonstrated in the pathway on pages 7-15, students at different

stages in their spelling development will benefit from an emphasis on
different forms of knowledge. Most of these strategies would first be
modelled by the teacher, then used in guided practice for groups with
similar needs, before students would be expected to use them
independently.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory triggers which are useful for learning high
frequency words which are difficult to remember, or easily confused with
others. Examples of mnemonics are:
There is a rat in separate.
You hear with your ear.
You’ll always be my friend to the end.
The Principal is my main pal.
Share some of your favourites with students, encouraging them to use
those which help them to remember tricky words. Encourage students to
create their own simple mnemonics. Make sure students understand the
meaning of the mnemonic, as misunderstanding could cause confusion,
especially for ESL students.

Using spell checker software

Model the use of a spell checker with a brief text at the appropriate level.
Students can assist in
(a) identifying words which are possible errors
(b) locating and using a spell checker function
(c) discussing the fact that it offers other possible spellings and does not
spell the words for you
(d) discussing types of errors which are not “fixed” or recognised by a
spell checker, such as:
• words missed because of incorrect grammatical position e.g. their/
there

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• words not recognised by the computer, so no alternatives are

suggested e.g. Parramatta
• Americanisations e.g. center
• typographical errors e.g. from/form.

Emphasise that a spell checker is an extra tool which does not replace
the need to have a wide range of spelling knowledge and strategies.
Students can then use the spell checker in pairs or individually to assist
with editing.

Word webs

Word webs can be constructed around morphemes or topic words, to build

up lists of words based on a particular form of spelling knowledge. The
webs can be added to over days or weeks, as additional examples are
experienced in reading.

For example:

Etymological Morphemic
from the Greek “aer” meaning air
running hoping
aeronaut aeroplane
jumping ing trying
aerodrome aeronautics
aero seeing being
aerobics aerodynamics

aerosol aerospace

This can be adapted at later stages by the use of a dictionary or thesaurus

for checking or finding additional words.

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Word sort

Use words which have been collected for particular reasons, e.g. KLA
topic words, words previously used in guided or independent sessions or
high frequency words. Give groups of students a set of word cards to sort
into categories, based on the group’s negotiated criteria, e.g. number of
syllables, initial letter, nouns. All logical criteria are acceptable, and the
debate and justification can be added to by the teacher modelling another
way that they could be classified.

This strategy can be adapted to reinforce particular forms of knowledge,

or left open-ended.

Dictation

Writing a dictation based on previously treated words is one way of

assessing memory. It is most beneficial if early feedback is given. The
dictation passage can be given when the words are introduced, with the
words underlined or in bold, so that meaning within the context of other
words can be made explicit.

After writing a dictation, students should be encouraged to proofread

their work.

Words to learn

Students can be encouraged to look carefully at a word in order to identify

which types of knowledge and strategies would be the most useful in
helping them learn to spell the word. This encourages the thoughtful
integration of knowledge and strategies.

For example, the following knowledge and strategies would be helpful in

learning to spell the following words:

Morphemic understanding of two words making a compound word:

cupboard = cup + board

Morphemic generalisation of words ending in -y where y changes to i

before an ending is added e.g. happiness, happily

Phonological knowledge: kangaroo

Etymological knowledge from the root “octo” meaning eight: octopus

Phonological and visual knowledge to spell slight.

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Activities to support phonologic knowledge

The following activities are particularly useful in supporting phonological

knowledge.

Alliteration and tongue twisters

Sentences in which all or most words begin with the same sound help
students to hear and articulate the sounds in words, for example: Betty
Botter bought some bitter butter. Old favourites (at an appropriate level)
may be used before encouraging students to make up their own. In early
stages they may be purely oral.

Rhyming tag

In pairs students take turns to say words which rhyme, e.g. bear, share,
fair, wear. The player who says the last word is the winner. In later stages
discussion could follow as to the different ways in which these rhyming
words are spelt, drawing attention to patterns, for example the words
play, stay, weigh, may, gate, train.

Rimes/digraph matches

Rimes and digraphs are chunks of letters which commonly occur in English
words. Familiarity with them supports students in their reading and
spelling.

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Rimes refer to the last section of single-syllable words, consisting of

consonants or consonant blends preceded by a vowel. Many hundreds of
words can be built around the most common rimes which include:

ack ap ell ink op

ail ash est ip ock
ain at ice ir ug
ake ate ide ight ump

Digraphs make a single sound from a cluster of two letters. They may
include consonants and vowels. Some examples are:

th, sh, qu, ai, au, ay, ea, ie, ei, ph, wh

A game based on making as many words as possible with a particular

rime can be modelled by the teacher. Another game involves cards for
each rime being shuffled and matched with single letter cards. This assists
students to spell by analogy.

For students in later stages, a similar game can be played with digraphs,
where students race each other to make up words including a particular
digraph, e.g.

th: the, then, there, thick, their, with, froth.

The cards could then be displayed as a class chart of words spelled by

using phonological knowledge.

Clapping sounds

Hearing the sounds within words is an important first step for spelling
and reading. In early stages, students can be assisted to hear the sounds
within words by clapping once for each syllable heard, starting with
one- and two-syllable words and moving on to three- and four-syllable
words, e.g.

pup-py chil-dren gar-den com-pu-ter tel-e-vi-sion

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Activities to support visual knowledge

The following activities are particularly useful in supporting visual

knowledge.

Compound word snap

Students print components of compound words on cards to be used to

play snap in an independent spelling session. Any two words making a
compound word can be “snapped”. Words should be at an appropriate
level and may be from previous modelled or guided sessions. Examples of
suitable words are:

back, ground, play, work, home, land, ship, friend.

Playing the game may lead to dictionary checking of those words which
are compound and those which are not joined e.g. “home page”.

Silent partners

In modelled reading sessions, with text in big books or on an OHP, the

teacher masks silent letters in words e.g. The road si-n was -nocked over.
Students are asked to supply the missing letter or letters that complete
the word. Younger students may be given plastic letters to select from in
order to complete the words. The teacher can record words on cards for
follow-up games in guided and independent sessions.

Crosswords on computer

Using a small number of known words, model how a simple crossword is

constructed, including the notion of down and across words intersecting.
Early stages may use pictorial cues; later stages can introduce simple
definitions or clues with numbers. Model how to use a simple computer
crossword program, built around high frequency words.

In guided sessions, words being treated for a particular form of spelling

knowledge can be used by pairs to construct crosswords for other members
of the group to solve. Save these on disks as an independent spelling
activity for the group.

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Have-a-go sheets

These sheets encourage students to take risks but also to reflect on the
type of spelling knowledge or strategies useful for particular words. A
page is divided into columns as shown in the work sample.

Have-a-go book
The have-a-go book provides a practical link between the student’s
writing and his or her spelling program.

The first two columns on the page are used by the student and the
teacher to attempt the spelling of words and to develop strategies
for conventional spelling. The book may be used throughout the day
when the student is writing, and when draft copies of writing have
been edited and corrections are being made.

After the first attempt the student is encouraged to use the

information gained from the spelling conference to write the word
with conventional spelling. The third column is used to write the
word after checking the conventional spelling with an authoritative
source e.g. a book, personal dictionary, dictionary, teacher, peer.

The fourth column is used to record the use of a word in a weekly

spelling list.

Example

The teacher may provide support by ticking correct letters or

reinforcing useful strategies noted in early attempts. Words may
then be included in personal lists.

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Look, say, cover, write, check

This approach is useful when particular words need to be learned

automatically, e.g. high frequency words, technical terms for a particular
topic, or a student’s own nominated errors. A folder or pad can be kept
with the words on the left-hand side and attempts made on the right
side.

The student looks at the word, says it (perhaps s-t-r-e-t-c-h-ing it out to

help articulate sounds), covers it up, writes an attempt and then checks
carefully against the original. Repeat this process if the word is incorrect
the first time.

The “look, say, cover, write, check” folder

The left-hand pad of paper is used for the student to enter words to be
learnt during the week. The right-hand pad is used for the student’s
attempts at spelling the words during the week.

The student’s writing “errors” (i.e. unconventional attempts) form the

basis of the spelling lists. Words from the student’s have-a-go-book provide
the source of the word bank for making up weekly lists.

Not all errors or words entered in the have-a-go book become spelling
words; it is not reasonable always to assume that, because a student
wishes to communicate a thought through writing, he or she will also be
able to master all the spelling conventions necessary. The degree of
difficulty of the words chosen for weekly lists is determined by the
student’s level of competence and confidence with conventional spelling,
not by his or her grade. The teacher and student work together and make
decisions about which words to include in weekly lists. A draft list is
written out by the student before a conference is held with the teacher.

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Patterns

Visualising the shape of a word can help students to remember correct

spelling.
First, the teacher explicitly models how box shapes can show the pattern
of letters e.g.

l e t t e r h a p p y b i r t h d a y

Students can then make up the patterns for words they are currently
studying, then match shapes with words in the list.

Activities to support morphemic knowledge

The following activities are particularly useful in supporting morphemic

knowledge.

Finding rules

This activity is useful in guided spelling sessions after it has been

modelled. Rather than giving students a rule to learn, ask them to attempt
a generalisation about a group of words with a similar pattern. Display
these generalisations in the classroom and adapt them, as more examples
or exceptions are found over time, for example the rule for adding -ing:
hope + ing = hoping.

Compound word race

Pairs or groups race to make up as many compound words as possible

from a given base word (noun). Award points for correct words. Discuss
compound, hyphenated and separate words and check with authoritative
sources. e.g.

water: waterfall, backwater, watercourse, watershed, watertight,

waterwheel, underwater.

Activities to support etymological knowledge

The following activities are particularly useful in supporting etymological

knowledge.

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Mapping words

Students write words related to a topic on small cards and place them on
a wall map of the world to indicate their origin. For example, on the topic
food: sushi, omelette, quiche, tagliatelle, naan; or in a discussion of
students’ names: Michelle, John, Dimitri, Tran, Kim.

A dictionary or other reference book, such as a cookbook, could be used as

an authoritative source to check spellings.

Derivation charts

After a modelling session where the teacher makes explicit the derivation
of words from other languages, set up around the room charts which
students may add to as they find suitable words. Words suitable for this
activity come particularly from Classical Greek, Latin and French.

For example the Greek root photo, meaning light, is the base for
photograph, photogenic, photostat, photosynthesis, telephoto.

The ending -age often indicates a French noun e.g. garage, montage, triage,
collage.

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Acronym and abbreviation hunt

The study of acronyms and abbreviations often encourages students’

curiosity about the derivation of words.

The teacher can model with traditional examples such as ANZAC,

QANTAS and RADAR, then encourage students to look for more current
ones such as EFTPOS, VDU, NASA, ASAP and WYSIWYG.

The difference between acronyms and abbreviations, and which are more
effective, can be discussed. Look for examples in government departments,
media and advertising. Students can make up simple and amusing
acronyms for local use.

Students in this Year 1 class use word bank books

and their have-a-go sheets in their writing.

Teaching spelling K–6