Spelling can be defined in its simplest form as arranging a group of letters in their agreed order to form a word. Spelling is important because a reader may not understand what is written if the spelling is incorrect. The desired meaning may not be conveyed.

Unfortunately, spelling can produce anxiety for some as it is viewed as hard and falsely linked with intelligence. For many adults, a lack of confidence in their spelling often makes them reluctant writers.

The written English language has a very complex history and origin. English is made up from all the languages of England's invaders: Vikings, Anglo Saxons, Romans, Normans, etc. Add to this a touch of French, Latin, Greek and the list goes on! The English language has taken spelling combinations from words of other nations. This has made the English language unpredictable. Therefore, it is not surprising that being able to spell words correctly is a skill that many people struggle with.

Becoming a speller requires drawing on many methods. One way of approaching spelling is to 'sound out' a word. A high percentage of words we use on a regular basis have a phonic base. That is, they are able to be spelt by sounding the letters. A writer would say the sounds in order to help them spell the word.

However, writers should not rely on this one method as their only spelling tool as there are 'sight words' that cannot be spelt phonetically (for example – was, you, saw, said, the, one). A 'sight word' is a word automatically recognised and does not require sounding out.

A parent can help develop a child's sight word vocabularies in much the same way as they do at school. Here are some suggestions:

¦ Let the child see the word written by the parent.

¦ Let the child hear the word spoken-repeat it several times.

¦ Write the word down in large print and let the child trace over the letters.

¦ Write sight words on flash cards-play games with the cards.

¦ Ask the child to put the word in a sentence.

¦ Try to identify sight words outside the home-shopping trips, in books, road signs etc.

Learning to spell can also be a visual skill that requires using your memory by seeing the complete word in your mind. That means being able to recognise whether a word is spelt correctly. Not everyone can remember how every word looks. However, the letter sequence found in many words is predictable. There are many common letter patterns and if learned can lead to spelling new words. For example, if you know how to spell 'day', then you can use the final letter pattern of 'day' (ay) to spell play, stay, tray, display and portray.

Another spelling method is the 'Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check'. This method of learning to spell involves memorizing and visualizing. The LSCWC method relies on the look of the word. The method is as follows:

1. LOOK carefully at a word and memorise the spelling.

2. SAY the word and spell it out loud.

3.COVER the word.

4. WRITE it down from memory.

5. CHECK the word is accurate. If not, try again.

A Dictionary is a vital tool for spelling. A dictionary enables the reader to:

¦ Check the spelling of words.

¦ Check the pronunciation of words.

¦ Check the meaning of words.

To get the most of a dictionary the user should know how the dictionary works. Most dictionaries have an explanation section, which provides information on how to read the dictionary entries. Every home should have a dictionary. Some believe that spelling is caught, not taught. In order to catch the skills of being able to spell, the learner needs to be totally surrounded by print and text – signs, posters, alphabet friezes, labels, books-anything that displays the written word. This infection is called immersion. The idea is to immerse the learner in the world of words by displaying correctly spelt words. Then the learner becomes so familiar with them they recognize the word automatically and remember how to spell the word when they are writing. There a number of ways parents can help their children with spelling.

¦ Speak clearly to your child. Poor speech often causes poor spelling.

¦ Find different ways to help your child write their name, using magnetic letters.

¦ When reading, talk about ways to break up words into manageable parts, e.g. Wed/nes/day, hol/i/day, Sep/tem/ber.

¦ If your child asks how to spell a word – ask how it begins, then listen to the other sounds they can hear in the word and then have a go at writing the word down.

¦ Encourage your child to join in when you write lists, letters, and birthday cards, use lower case (not capital letters) except at the beginning of a sentence or name.

¦ Show your child how to use a dictionary.

¦ Try as many different approaches as possible if your child is struggling with a word -say the word; break it down; write it out on card; write it in a sentence; look it up in the dictionary and find its meaning.

¦ Play games with your child such as: Scrabble, crosswords, and word searches.

¦ Encourage your child to become confident with word attack skills and surround them with the printed word.

¦ Have your child think about the correct spelling of a word. Let your child do the work and learn. If the parent does it for them, the next time the child comes across that word they may not have learned from their first attempt.

¦ Talk to your child's teacher to become familiar with the teaching method that exists at school. Ask the teacher what can be done at home to help.

Remember – confidence is important! Spelling ability seems to be particularly affected by self-confidence. If children develop a negative image of themselves as spellers this may severely affect their ability to learn in the future.

Next month: Reading tests!

literacymatters@logic.bm