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Spelling is the foundation of reading and writing. Most people, teachers included, consider spelling to be a separate subject entirely. You know the way spelling is taught at school: write each word five times; flashcards; see-and-say; sight words. These are the modern spelling strategies, yet according to Joshi et al (2008) they aren’t nearly as effective as spelling strategies taught in the 1900s.

More than a hundred years ago, children were taught to spell before they ever learned how to read. Before "c-a-t spells 'cat'", there was "c-a makes a ca sound, it's at the beginning of 'cat', 'cabinet', and 'carrot', at the end of 'Africa', 'America', and 'formica', and in the middle of words like 'academic', when you hear 'ca' it is spelled c-a."

Spelling education is much more effective when children are taught the same way they are taught to read. Just like reading, they can work on the spelling of a word by "sounding it out" if they have some familiarity with the ways those sounds are spelled.

If your child's teacher teaches spelling by assigning a spelling list, telling the children to write the words five times each night, and then tests them at the end of the week, you may need to work with your child at home.

It is very important for you to know how to help your child with spelling. Just memorizing the words may get your child through the weekly test, but he or she will probably forget how to spell the word when using it in everyday writing.

Rather than trying to memorize individual spellings, work with your child to find words that have similarities to the words in their spelling list.

For example, look for prefixes and suffixes, word beginnings and endings. Look for similar consonant and vowel clusters. Make lists of words that are similar in some way, and see if you can find out why they are similar. Focus on why the letters make the sounds they do.

Gentry (2007) says that meaningful writing is the best way to become familiar with words. You can have your child write a story or poem that includes their spelling words. You can try to work them into your daily conversation. Carry the weekly spelling list around with you and award you child a small prize for spotting spelling words in everyday life.

As a parent, you can become conscious of your own use of words, both spoken and written. By showing an interest in all parts of language, you can set a good example for your child and foster a fascination with the English language.

REFERENCES

Joshi, R M, Treiman, R, Carreker, S, Moats, L C 2008, 'How Words Cast Their Spell,' American Educator, Winter 2008-2009.

Gentry, JR 2007, 'Spelling Counts,' Scholastic, New York, NY.