Exactly right: by pushing literacy onto younger kids, we are trying to teach boys to read before most of them are ready. By the time they are ready, the class has moved on from phonics and it is too late for the boys. A rigorous spelling curriculum might help, since it can function as a second bite at the phonics apple, without tarring half the boys with a "remedial" label.
Column: Plastic women vs. cardboard men
Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts
Monday, October 8, 2012
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Hand in hand
In the last few years, I've done a lot of tutoring of our 5-8 year old boy. We started with "Hooked on Phonics" and built from there. Last year, we tackled his weak spelling through the use of the "All About Spelling" curriculum. I also do a lot of reading with him (he hates to read alone--it's a very social thing for him.)
I've figured out one thing: Learning how to spell is crucial to reading!
The opposite is also, obviously, true.
Learning the rules of syllable division, vowel and consonant teams, and all of the rules of spelling has allowed him to sound out words he never could read before. He didn't learn that at school or from any reading/phonics curriculum. He learned it by learning how to spell.
So, these seem to me to be the crucial questions:
There obviously is no quick-fix out of the problems of declining literacy(*,**) But my hunch is that proper spelling instruction is one of the pieces of the puzzle.
(* Especially when middle and upper-income children come to school having heard literally millions more words than children of lower-income families.)
(** And when 25% of high school boys with at least one college-educated parent, can not read a newspaper.)
I've figured out one thing: Learning how to spell is crucial to reading!
The opposite is also, obviously, true.
Learning the rules of syllable division, vowel and consonant teams, and all of the rules of spelling has allowed him to sound out words he never could read before. He didn't learn that at school or from any reading/phonics curriculum. He learned it by learning how to spell.
So, these seem to me to be the crucial questions:
- How much and at what level of detail are kids being taught the rules of spelling these days?
- Can structured and rules-based spelling instruction help poor readers to catch up?
- Is part of the reason for declining literacy rates (particularly in boys) due to a lack of strong spelling instruction? (Boys have always learned reading later than girls, but traditionally have caught up by 4th and 5th grades. That is no longer true, as early literacy is happening too early for many boys. In previous eras, how much did strong spelling instruction play a role in helping boys catch up in later elementary years?)
- Most importantly, can detailed spelling instruction work as a second phonics course for learners who missed the first phonics go 'round in kindergarten and first grade? Putting it another way, is strong spelling instruction a way to help boys and late-blooming girls get the phonics they need, when they need it, without the stigma of remedial instruction, or worse: retention?
There obviously is no quick-fix out of the problems of declining literacy(*,**) But my hunch is that proper spelling instruction is one of the pieces of the puzzle.
(* Especially when middle and upper-income children come to school having heard literally millions more words than children of lower-income families.)
(** And when 25% of high school boys with at least one college-educated parent, can not read a newspaper.)
Friday, May 14, 2010
It wasn't a fluke!!!
Steven wasn't at school last Friday, so no spelling test. However, he took one today...
100% again!!!!! (95% on the flip side.)
It wasn't a fluke!!!
100% again!!!!! (95% on the flip side.)
It wasn't a fluke!!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
A very good day
Today was a very, very big day!
First of all it was the science fair at school, and our fourth grader did a great job!!! She did it on the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. They've been working on this project since January, and she really knows her stuff!!
Even our second grader loved the science fair, and he was very proud of his sister.
They had an assembly in the morning with the kids and the parents. The fourth grade had to sing a cheesy version of John Lennon's "Imaging"...Imagine no pollution. It's easy if you try...no smog around us... I was proud of the kids, when it was time to stand up and sing it, they all groaned.
Then, I got the call around lunch that the girl's glasses were ready. It's a one-day glasses store, and she only picked them out yesterday after school. She barely, barely needs glasses. Her perscription is -0.75/-0.5, but she's been getting headaches at school, so glasses it is. Here she is (in her t-shirt from the fair):
It's hard to tell, but the glasses are very thin blue wires.
Then, the big surprise came in the boy's homework. He had a two-page spelling test today. Here it is:
Yes, that says 94% on one side and 100%!!!!!!!!! on the other. And this was from a boy who was scoring in the 30's just a few months ago.
Now, we had a bargain with the kid. There is a shirt he absolutely loathes. If he scored 90% or better on a spelling test he could cut it up. He went one better. He cut it up, then had me burn it:
Now the kids are chilling watching a Harry Potter movie.
Both kids say this was their best day ever!
First of all it was the science fair at school, and our fourth grader did a great job!!! She did it on the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. They've been working on this project since January, and she really knows her stuff!!
Even our second grader loved the science fair, and he was very proud of his sister.
They had an assembly in the morning with the kids and the parents. The fourth grade had to sing a cheesy version of John Lennon's "Imaging"...Imagine no pollution. It's easy if you try...no smog around us... I was proud of the kids, when it was time to stand up and sing it, they all groaned.
Then, I got the call around lunch that the girl's glasses were ready. It's a one-day glasses store, and she only picked them out yesterday after school. She barely, barely needs glasses. Her perscription is -0.75/-0.5, but she's been getting headaches at school, so glasses it is. Here she is (in her t-shirt from the fair):
It's hard to tell, but the glasses are very thin blue wires.
Then, the big surprise came in the boy's homework. He had a two-page spelling test today. Here it is:
Yes, that says 94% on one side and 100%!!!!!!!!! on the other. And this was from a boy who was scoring in the 30's just a few months ago.
Now, we had a bargain with the kid. There is a shirt he absolutely loathes. If he scored 90% or better on a spelling test he could cut it up. He went one better. He cut it up, then had me burn it:
Now the kids are chilling watching a Harry Potter movie.
Both kids say this was their best day ever!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
All about spelling
That last post wasn't the reason I sat down, this one is:
It's been almost two months since I posted about the spelling lessons that I'm doing with our soon-to-be eight year old.
They are going great. Really great.
We have gone through the first two books of the All About Spelling program and are into the 7th chapter (or "Step") in the third book. Today we worked on the second-most common spelling of the "er" sound (it's ur like in "nurse".) We've also been working on the consonant-le words (able, little, circle, ladle, etc.)
Right now, homophones are the big stumbling block. I made up a big stack of flash cards, but they really are a frustrating thing to learn. Mail/Male. Tail/Tale. It all blurs together and it's hard to keep straight. He has almost gotten the variations of right/write down. Unfortunately, he knows all four, when I wanted to keep it simple at two. He always wrote "rite", so I told him that was a religious ceremony. Then I dropped a hint that there was a fourth (wright) and he wouldn't let me get away without telling him about it. So now, he has to figure out right/write/wright/and rite.
Today, using syllables, he spelled "together" right. He finally retired "because" from our flash cards. His start-of-the-week spelling test at school was an 80%, with one really dumb typo (mumber instead of number.) He has also brought home an 85% on the much-more-extensive Friday spelling quiz. We've promised him that if he scores 90 or above, he can take a scissors to a shirt he really hates.
Interestingly, there have been a couple of times when what I'm doing with him at home was the same thing they were doing with him at school. That was really great, because it fit the two lessons together with great reinforcement.
Unfortunately, as usual, the teacher at the school isn't exactly encouraging. He's excited about what he knows (he was teaching a kid in class today the "ijuv" rule (English words don't end in i, j, u, or v)) and talks about it at school. When he mentioned breaking a word up into syllables to his teacher, he reports that she told him not to do that.
Huh?
How else are you supposed to spell words if you don't break them down into the syllables? I remember clapping them out when I was in grade school too. I know they are teaching some of the rules, because some of the worksheets he has brought home have the rules at the top (when to use "tch" and when to use "ch", how to turn "carry" into "carries", etc.) It just seems strange that they aren't using syllables to teach kids when consonants double in the middle of words, at least.
So, four months into the program, and he's into the level-3 book, which seems to be at about where his class is. His spelling has improved dramatically. It's still sometimes hard to get him to sit down for his lesson, especially when he has school homework to do too. But I think the best thing is that he seems excited to know the rules of spelling and to show other people what he can do. He's gotten to the point where he is proud of his spelling abilities, and he's getting close to being a good speller for his grade.
It's been almost two months since I posted about the spelling lessons that I'm doing with our soon-to-be eight year old.
They are going great. Really great.
We have gone through the first two books of the All About Spelling program and are into the 7th chapter (or "Step") in the third book. Today we worked on the second-most common spelling of the "er" sound (it's ur like in "nurse".) We've also been working on the consonant-le words (able, little, circle, ladle, etc.)
Right now, homophones are the big stumbling block. I made up a big stack of flash cards, but they really are a frustrating thing to learn. Mail/Male. Tail/Tale. It all blurs together and it's hard to keep straight. He has almost gotten the variations of right/write down. Unfortunately, he knows all four, when I wanted to keep it simple at two. He always wrote "rite", so I told him that was a religious ceremony. Then I dropped a hint that there was a fourth (wright) and he wouldn't let me get away without telling him about it. So now, he has to figure out right/write/wright/and rite.
Today, using syllables, he spelled "together" right. He finally retired "because" from our flash cards. His start-of-the-week spelling test at school was an 80%, with one really dumb typo (mumber instead of number.) He has also brought home an 85% on the much-more-extensive Friday spelling quiz. We've promised him that if he scores 90 or above, he can take a scissors to a shirt he really hates.
Interestingly, there have been a couple of times when what I'm doing with him at home was the same thing they were doing with him at school. That was really great, because it fit the two lessons together with great reinforcement.
Unfortunately, as usual, the teacher at the school isn't exactly encouraging. He's excited about what he knows (he was teaching a kid in class today the "ijuv" rule (English words don't end in i, j, u, or v)) and talks about it at school. When he mentioned breaking a word up into syllables to his teacher, he reports that she told him not to do that.
Huh?
How else are you supposed to spell words if you don't break them down into the syllables? I remember clapping them out when I was in grade school too. I know they are teaching some of the rules, because some of the worksheets he has brought home have the rules at the top (when to use "tch" and when to use "ch", how to turn "carry" into "carries", etc.) It just seems strange that they aren't using syllables to teach kids when consonants double in the middle of words, at least.
So, four months into the program, and he's into the level-3 book, which seems to be at about where his class is. His spelling has improved dramatically. It's still sometimes hard to get him to sit down for his lesson, especially when he has school homework to do too. But I think the best thing is that he seems excited to know the rules of spelling and to show other people what he can do. He's gotten to the point where he is proud of his spelling abilities, and he's getting close to being a good speller for his grade.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Spelling
Did you know that "been" is the only double-e word in (American) English that isn't pronounced with the double-e sound?
Do you know that "open" syllables are syllables that end in a vowel and "closed" are ones that end in a consonant? And that open syllables tend to have long vowels and closed ones have short vowels? (Take the word open. There are two syllables: o - pen. The first syllable is open and has a long-o. The second syllable is closed and has a short-e.) Who knew?
That's the sort of thing I'm learning while teaching our 7-year-old how to spell. I've purchased the All About Spelling program and have been working with him for about two months now. We're a little more than half way through the second level. We just did the "er", "ar" and "or" sounds. (They are their own syllable type--R-controlled. There is also the silent-e syllable type, the vowel-team syllable type. I think there is also the consonant-le syllable type but we haven't gotten there yet.) Next up is the "third sound of u".
He seems to get it and to be learning something. I'm supplementing it with my old friends, the sight-word flash cards. But when he goes to school, he throws out what he's learned and still spells pretty badly. At least, his scores on their weekly tests have gone from the 30% range up to the 60% range, but there's still a long way to go. One problem he has is his refusal to start sentences with capital letters. If he just did that, his scores would go up. And if he would just remember to think about spelling in syllables, it would help too. His spelled little "litle" last week, which he never would have done if he had clapped it out.
I do like the spelling program. It is a good way to make sure that we aren't skipping something. It in part works as a phonics review--I'm especially looking forward to that with the vowel blends, where he's a little weak. It also is a structure that helps to make sure that we do the work. I wouldn't know where to begin to teach him otherwise, and we'd just be spinning our wheels.
His favorite part is the "Jail." There is a card-stock sheet with a drawing of a jail on it, and when we come across a rule breaking word, we throw it into the jail. It's a way of reinforcing the irregular words.
Our 9-year-old is actually a bit jealous. She says she was never taught the rules that he is learning. On the other hand, she's a very good speller, so it doesn't matter much for her.
Do you know that "open" syllables are syllables that end in a vowel and "closed" are ones that end in a consonant? And that open syllables tend to have long vowels and closed ones have short vowels? (Take the word open. There are two syllables: o - pen. The first syllable is open and has a long-o. The second syllable is closed and has a short-e.) Who knew?
That's the sort of thing I'm learning while teaching our 7-year-old how to spell. I've purchased the All About Spelling program and have been working with him for about two months now. We're a little more than half way through the second level. We just did the "er", "ar" and "or" sounds. (They are their own syllable type--R-controlled. There is also the silent-e syllable type, the vowel-team syllable type. I think there is also the consonant-le syllable type but we haven't gotten there yet.) Next up is the "third sound of u".
He seems to get it and to be learning something. I'm supplementing it with my old friends, the sight-word flash cards. But when he goes to school, he throws out what he's learned and still spells pretty badly. At least, his scores on their weekly tests have gone from the 30% range up to the 60% range, but there's still a long way to go. One problem he has is his refusal to start sentences with capital letters. If he just did that, his scores would go up. And if he would just remember to think about spelling in syllables, it would help too. His spelled little "litle" last week, which he never would have done if he had clapped it out.
I do like the spelling program. It is a good way to make sure that we aren't skipping something. It in part works as a phonics review--I'm especially looking forward to that with the vowel blends, where he's a little weak. It also is a structure that helps to make sure that we do the work. I wouldn't know where to begin to teach him otherwise, and we'd just be spinning our wheels.
His favorite part is the "Jail." There is a card-stock sheet with a drawing of a jail on it, and when we come across a rule breaking word, we throw it into the jail. It's a way of reinforcing the irregular words.
Our 9-year-old is actually a bit jealous. She says she was never taught the rules that he is learning. On the other hand, she's a very good speller, so it doesn't matter much for her.
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