Spelling
Being able to spell words is important. Accurate spelling maintains a writer’s credibility and supports a reader to clearly understand the intended purpose and message. Teaching spelling is part of the Australian Curriculum with a literacy continuum describing the systematic development of spelling from Kindergarten to Year 10.
Learning to spell begins with basic sound-letter knowledge and regular letter patterns. Progress throughout the primary years sees students using more advanced strategies to spell new words. By early secondary school students develop a deeper understanding of word structures and word origins. An expected level of competence by Year 10 involves students confidently using a wide range of English spelling conventions to correctly spell unusual and technical words and to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words.
At Ashfield Public School, the teaching of spelling in all classrooms includes:
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explicit teaching: pre-planned instructional activities with spelling as the sole focus.
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implicit instruction: spelling words to build knowledge in other Key Learning Areas (KLAs) such as History and Science.
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targeted instruction: enabling some students within a particular year level to consolidate foundational spelling skills while advanced students participate in lessons to apply their understanding at a more sophisticated level.
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enjoyable experiences with quality literature: many opportunities to be curious about and explore words through daily and satisfying engagements with reading and writing.
While technologies including spell check and predictive text have impacted the everyday use of spelling skills, these innovations do not reliably recognise or correct all spelling errors. For example:
- Americanised versus Australian spelling - colour/color
- homophones - brake/break (I will take a lunch brake.)
- approximate spellings with missing letters - bit/bite (I took a bit of the sandwich.)
- real word substitutions - form/from (I arrived form overseas.)
Therefore, teaching good spelling matters as it enables students to access and use a wide vocabulary while avoiding misunderstandings that technology cannot prevent.
Knowing how to spell supports reading with understanding and writing for meaning. Research shows that students with accurate spelling generally write more and use a more expansive and precise vocabulary.