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Teaching children to spell can be both rewarding and challenging. In order to teach spelling to children effectively, it is important to understand the way children learn this particular skill.

Spelling should never be viewed or taught as a separate subject by itself. Spelling is tied to reading fluency and comprehension as well as grammar and language arts as a whole.

As Lutz (1986) explains, children develop spelling skills in stages. Teachers and parents who understand these stages can better help their children progress through the use of developmentally appropriate activities.

Invented spelling is the first stage children go through when learning to spell. Once a child knows all the letters of the alphabet and can associate the correct sounds with the letters, that child can begin to put together words.

Studies have shown that different children often put together words the same way at this early stage, and that spelling is so much more than mere memorization.

Learning to spell is a complex developmental process that is part of the overall understanding and mastery of the English language.

Once they reach the phonetic stage of spelling, the child can represent each sound they hear when spelling a word. In the transitional stage, the child begins to use conventional spelling and becomes more aware of the way they see words spelled, rather than just the sounds they hear. In the transitional stage, the child may use words they know, to spell words they don't, such as younighted for united, and highked for hiked.

Once the child enters the correct stage, they are largely able to spell correctly, and can easily use prefixes and suffixes, irregular word forms, and silent consonants. This child can also recognize misspelled words, which is a major development.

According to Chomsky (1976), a child in the early stages of spelling mostly needs to have their mistakes gently corrected.

Another important lesson is pronunciation. A young child in the inventive spelling stage needs to read aloud often, so that a patient adult can help with misread words.

It is crucial for the child to have an adult answer their questions about spelling, pronunciation, and the meaning of words.

It is just fine for a child to still be using invented spelling for several years; this doesn't mean the child will have difficulty spelling.

When teaching spelling, it is important to keep the child motivated and encouraged, rather than telling them they are 'bad at spelling'.

A child should know the alphabet and corresponding sounds well before moving on in spelling skills. The child should be familiar with double-letter sounds. Once the child has these basic concepts, they can begin to learn about word families and phonics.

Writing is very important when learning to spell, and merely writing assigned words over and over isn't particularly helpful. When a child writes poems, stories, journals, and plans, spelling becomes interesting and important. Children need to see writing as a way of expressing themselves. Spelling skills allow the child to put their thoughts on paper fluidly, and helps them write exactly what they mean.

REFERENCES

Lutz, E 1986,' Invented Spelling and Spelling Development,' ERIC Digest, ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills.

Chomsky, C 1976, 'Approaching Reading through Invented Spelling,' Conference on Theory and Practice of Beginning Reading Instruction, Pittsburgh, PA.