Stevens Kelly Reading Guide #8 EDUC 343 Spring 2008
a. Process of conventional spellers memorization or developmental
sequence? I think that the article refers to spelling as more of developmental sequence in the student's learning process. But, within the process there has to be certain memorization skills. The student must know have memorized things like long and short vowels and word blends or families. b. Spelling at my placement Spelling at the 1st grade classroom was mainly in their daily writing. I observed one spelling test and it was not a "graded" test. The mentor teacher wanted to find out what type of word blends he needed to work on next. One wall was filled with words and was called the "word wall". Every week words were added to this wall and the students also revisited the words that were already on the wall. I also so him add "temporary" words to the board. These were words from a story they were reading that the students may not have before. heard There are also lists of words from the different "word families" the class has had lessons on.
c. What is invented spelling? Does it have a place in balanced literacy?
As children learn letter sounds they begin to use this knowledge to guess at the spelling of words. Often children will guess at spellings even if they have only been taught how to spell the words. I think that it has a place in balanced literacy because it gives you the opportunity for the student to reread and correct their spelling while in the editing process. This allows the student to not worry about spelling immediately and this; I believe helps in the creativity process of writing. d. "I teach basic skill (e.g. spelling) in context." Skill such as spelling and grammar should be taught and integrated with authentic literature and literature contexts. This means that when teaching these skills, you should incorporate from text that is meaningful and relevant to the student.