Theoretical+Background

=Key Points about Spelling Instruction =
 * Learning to spell is part of learning to write. Writing gives spelling its context; without writing, spelling has no purpose and no audience. It is vital that students see the connection between spelling and being able to communicate effectively through writing (First Steps)
 * One of the best ways to help students acquire spelling proficiency is to teach spelling in the context of everyday writing. Addressing individual spelling needs during writing tasks is an effective way to individualise instruction and teach at point of need (First Steps).
 * However, a comprehensive approach to teaching spelling also needs to provide explicit teaching, frequent opportunities to investigate and analyse words, and daily opportunities for authentic writing (First Steps).

In summary,
 * Spelling is a part of writing
 * You need to dedicate time to explicitly teach spelling but you teach spelling all of the time
 * We have to teach students spelling strategies
 * Spelling is not about teaching words it is about teaching patterns. We learn to spell words pattern by pattern, not word by word
 * Spelling is best learnt through inquiry
 * Learning needs to go from the known to the unknown – moving from the meaningful to the abstract
 * Analysing a student’s spelling miscues determines the students spelling stage
 * The purpose of Word Sorting is to gain word knowledge, not memorise specific words.

=Effective Spellers=


 * Effective Spellers Understand the English Orthographic System**
 * Orthography refers to the system assigning graphic symbols to the sounds of language, i.e. spelling
 * Due to the history of the English language many words are not spelt as they sound
 * English language is more tied to meaning than sound
 * Effective spellers have an understanding about the English orthographic system. They develop awareness about sound, pattern and meaning.


 * Effective Spellers Understand and Apply Spelling Generalisations (“rules”)**
 * Effective spellers discover, make observations and construct hypothesis about how words are spelt.


 * Effective Spellers Automatically Recall High-Frequency Words, Personally Significant Words and Signal Words.**
 * Effective spellers continually add to the number of words they can spell automatically.
 * Being able to write a large bank of words quickly and correctly allows students to focus their attention on other aspects of writing.


 * Effective Spellers Continually Build Their Vocabulary**
 * Effective spellers continually expand their vocabulary so they can express meaning precisely in their own writing by using rich and varied language.
 * Before students can write across a range of learning areas, they need to have built up their vocabularies across a broad range of contexts and experiences.
 * Explicitly teaching subject specific vocab will assist this process

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 * Effective Spellers Self-Monitor and Generate Reasonable Alternative Spellings for Unknown Words**
 * Effective spellers are not necessarily perfect spellers. However, they can identify when a word is incorrect
 * Effective spellers have developed a ‘spelling conscience’ and take responsibility for the use of conventional spelling where appropriate.