Direct Teaching of Spelling Rules Deb Culbertson, M.Ed. ESC2, Reading Consultant

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Direct Teaching of Spelling RulesDeb Culbertson,
M.Ed.ESC-2, Reading Consultant

• Great Books and Grand Conversations!
• 10th Annual Reading Conference TX AM

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• Direct Teaching of Spelling Rules

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Who Said This?
My spelling is Wobbly, Its good spelling
but it Wobbles. And the letters get in the wrong
places
Winnie-the-Pooh A.A. Milne, 1926
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Who Said This?
It is a poor mind that can only think of one
way to spell a word.

Andrew Jackson, 1833
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Spelling - A Difficult Skill

• Listen, speak, then write
• Some cannot see the words as they spell them
• Difficulty hearing the phoneme
• Nothing to do with IQ

f - r - e - i - n - d
giraffe ? skis ? friend

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Current Spelling Practices
How are you teaching spelling today?
Is it working?
Why are we still doing it?

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Resources

• Situation Spelling, Aylett R. Cox, Educators
  Publishing Service, 1977
• Supporting Struggling Writers in the Elementary
  Classroom, Teresa A. Christenson, International
  Reading Association, 2002
• Teaching Students with Learning Problems, Mercer
  and Mercer, Merrill Prentice Hall, 2001
• Spelling Development, Disability, and
  Instruction, Louisa Moats, York Press, 1995

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5 Stages of Spelling

• Precommunicative Spelling
• Scribbles shapes and letter-like shapes
• 3- to 5-year old
• Semiphonetic Spelling
• Some awareness of letters
• Two or three letters to spell a long word
• LF for laugh, DA for day
• 5- and 6 year olds

Mercer and Mercer, 2001 Moats, 1995
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5 Stages of Spelling cont..

• Phonetic Spelling
• All essential sounds are in the spelling
• PEKT for peeked, KOM for come
• 6-year olds
• Transitional Spelling
• Begins to use conventions for spelling
• Afternewn for afternoon, trubal for trouble
• Misspells irregular words
• 7- or 8-year olds

Mercer and Mercer, 2001 Moats, 1995

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5 Stages of Spelling-cont

• Correct Spelling
• Applies basic rules of spelling
• Spells most words correctly
• Recognizes when a word is misspelled
• 8 or 9-years old

Mercer and Mercer, 2001 Moats, 1995
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What are the Characteristics of a Poor Speller?

• Does not recognize misspelled words
• Does not self-correct
• Limited use of vocabulary
• Limited writing
• Needs a lot of assistance

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Spelling Strategy

• Students proofread their own writing and circle
  any word that didnt
  look right caben
• Identify the part of the word that didnt
  look right caben
• When correct spelling is identified, model
  and verbalize the thought process
• Begin to think for themselves instead of turning
  to others

e??
Christenson, 2002
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Important Words for Spelling

• The following words represent 18 of all words
  used in writing
• the
• of
• a
• to
• is
• in
• you

Mercer and Mercer, 2001
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Six Types of Syllables

• Open Syllable
• Closed Syllable
• Vowel Pair (Team) Syllable
• Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
• Vowel-r Syllable
• Final Stable Syllable

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Spelling Scientifically

• Teach sound/symbol
• Use a multisensory procedure for irregular words
• Determine whether a word is regular or irregular

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Kinds of Spelling

• Phonetic spelling
• 85 or words are regular
• Rule spelling
• Floss, double, drop, change
• Situational spelling
• Spelling is determined by situation, position
  of letters in words

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Spelling Rules

• Floss Rule
• Doubling Rule
• Dropping Rule
• Changing Rule

Possessives and plurals will also be discussed

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FLOSS Rule

• A one-syllable base word with one short vowel
  immediately before the final sounds of (f), (l),
  or (s) is spelled with ff, ll, or ss.
• off
• ball
• miss

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FLOSS Rule

• Does the floss rule apply?
• (s) (t) (?) (f)
• (b) (?) (f)
• (p) ( r) (?) (f)
• Exceptions yes, gas, bus, this, plus

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Doubling Rule

• A base word ending in one consonant after an
  accented short vowel doubles the final consonant
  before a suffix beginning with a vowel.
• run ing running
• stop ed stopped

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Doubling Rule
bwVC Vowel Suffix
Spelling
hot ness ? x
hotness hot er ? ? hotter
thin ing ? ?
thinning thin er ? ? thinner thin
ness ? x thinness track
er x ? tracker track less x x
trackless

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Doubling Rule
Accented Short V Vowel Suffix
Spelling
splug er ? ?
splugger splug ness ? x
splugness book ing x ?
booking mix er ? ? mixer
butter ed x ? buttered refer
ed ? ? referred

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Dropping Rule

• A base word ending in silent e drops
  e before a suffix beginning with a vowel.
• hope ing hoping
• shine ing shining
• slope ed sloped

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Changing Rule

• A base word ending in y after a consonant
  changes y to i before any suffix (except one
  beginning with i).
• You change the babies not the boys!

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Changing Rule
? ? ? ?
bw. Cv not (i)
Spelling destroy er x
? destroyer enjoy ment x
? enjoyment try ing ?
x trying try ed ? ?
tried funny est ? ?
funniest joy less x ? joyless
ugly er ? ? uglier

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Changing Rule
? ? ? ?
bw. Cv not (i)
Spelling reply ing ?
x replying pity ful ?
? pitiful prayer ful x
? prayerful floy ed x ?
floyed constry ed ? ?
constried constry ing ? x
constrying

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Rule Review
Add Double Drop
Change shine y ? jolly est
? wood en ? melt ed ?
drum er ? infer ing ?
hope less ? lay er ?

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Rule Review
Add Double Drop
Change shom y ? shome y
? stroof ed ? splate ment ? whilly
est ?

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Spelling Test
A
F

• 1. sprand
• 2. sheff
• 3. quonks
• 4. cloppeting
• 5. kiffle
• 6. chooner
• 7. smaleness
• 8. cherge

• 9. jotch jock jodge
• 10. smayed
• 11. astry
• 12. ploisow
• 13. plaution
• 14. sleeng
• 15. consa
• 16. bartue

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Consonants and Consonant Clusters
G
N
C
J
Z
K
S

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What is a consonant?

• A consonant is a letter that closes the mouth and
  the sound is blocked by the tongue, teeth, or
  lips.

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Consonant Clusters
A consonant cluster is adjacent consonants that
make one sound or an unexpected sound that it
does not make in any other situation

• ch ck dge ng ph qu sh tch th wh

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When do you use c or k?


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Initial or Medial (k) Spelling

• Use k in front of an i, e, or y.
• Use c in front of an a, o or any consonant.
• Exceptions school, mosquito, moccasin, etc.
  

Cox, 1977 (pp. 61-65)

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When do you use c, k, or ck in final
position?

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Final (k) Spellings

• Use k in a one-syllable word when a consonant
  or vowel pair comes directly before the final
  (k).
• Use ck in a one-syllable word when a short
  vowel sound comes directly before the final (k).
• Use c in a word of more than one syllable when
  k is the final sound.
• Exceptions attack, monarch, trek, disc, unique,
  Iraq, etc.

Cox, 1977(pp. 61-65)

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Medial ck

• Use ck in a two-syllable word between a short
  vowel and e, i or y.
• pocket
• ticket
• k never doubles in English words.
• c when doubled usually has (ks) sound.
• success

Cox, 1977 (pp.61-65)

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When do you use s or c?

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Initial or Medial (s)

• Use s in one-syllable word.
• Usec in front of an i, e or y in a
  multi-syllable word.
• Use s in front of an a, o, u or any
  consonant in a multi-syllable word.
• Use s in initial position in any base word
• Exceptions cent, science, eraser, celery, scene,
  etc..

Cox, 1977 (pp. 81-85)

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Final (s)

• Use ss after a short vowel in a word of any
  length. boss, address
• Use ce after a long vowel in a word of any
  length. mice, replace
• Use se after a consonant, vowel, diagraph, or
  dipthong in a word of any length. dense, defense
• Exceptions fence, dance, force, etc.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 81-85)

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When do you use s or z?
mannerism

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Spelling Rules for (z)

• Initial Position
• Use z in a base word.
• Medial Position
• Use s between two vowels or before or after a
  consonant.
• Use zz when a short vowel is before a final
  stable syllable.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 98-101)

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Spelling Rules for (z)

• Final Position
• In final position, use s after a short vowel in
  a word of any length.
• Use se in any other situation other than after
  a short vowel.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 98-101)

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Spelling Rules for (z)

• Final Position in a Derivative
• Use s in suffix ism
• Use s in plural or words ending in a voiced
  sound
• Use s in possessives of words ending in voiced
  sounds
• Use z in suffixes ize and ization

Cox, 1977 (pp. 98-101)

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Exceptions for (z)

• Exceptions quiz, buzz, fizz, fuzz, razor,
  wizard, blizzard, buzzard, xylophone, dessert,
  possess.
• Many words end in ze haze, maze, breeze,
  freeze, size, prize, froze, doze, gauze, trapeze,
  etc.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 98-101)

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When do you use g or j?

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Initial (j) Spelling

• Use j before sounds represented by a, o and
  u.
• Use g before sounds represented by e, i,
  and y.
• There are many exceptions to these rules

Cox, 1977 (pp. 98-101)

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When do you use ge and dge?

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Final (j) Spelling

• Use dge in one-syllable base word after a short
  vowel sound.
• Use ge in all words except a one-syllable word
  after a short vowel sound.
• Exceptions partridge, porridge, etc.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 58-60)

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Medial (j) Spelling

• Use letter j never doubles in English.
• The medial j is usually spelled dg between a
  short vowel and e or y.
• budget

Cox, 1977 (pp. 58-60)

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When do you use ch and tch?

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Final (ch) Spellings

• Use tch immediately after one short vowel in a
  one-syllable word.
• Use ch after any other situation.
• Exceptions rich, which, much, such

Cox, 1977 (pp. 58-60)

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Quick Review

• A short vowel sound in a one-syllable word will
  make you use the most letters.
• ck
• tch
• dge

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When do you use n or ng?

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Spelling Rules for (ng)

• Use n before (k) sound.
• Use ng in all other situations.
• Exceptions tongue, meringue, etc.

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What is a vowel?
A vowel is a letter that is both open and voiced.

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Vowel Pair Syllable
A vowel pair syllable is adjacent vowels in the
same syllable
ai ee ea ay au aw ei eu ew ey ie oe oa oo ou ow oy
ue

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When do you use oi and oy?

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Spelling Rules for (oi)

• In initial or medial position in a base word, use
  oi.
• In final position in a word of any length, use
  oy
• Exceptions oyster, loyal, etc.

Cox, 1977 (p. 35)
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Sentence to Remember
I dont like to come last.
Never use an i at the end
of an English word.

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When do you use ai and ay?

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Spelling Rules for (a)

• ai is not regular for spelling.
• Teach students to use a-e or a
• cake, apron
• Use ay in final position in a word of any
  length

Cox, 1977 (pp. 14-16)
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Remember this Sentence?
I dont like to come last.

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When do you use ou and ow?

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Spelling Rules for (ou)

• Use ou in initial or medial position in a base
  word.
• Use ow in final position in words of any
  length.
• Exceptions clown, brown, frown, prowl, etc.

Cox, 1977 (pp.36-37)
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Sentence to Remember
I dont like to come last and you dont either.
English Words do not end
in the letter u.

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When do you use au and aw?

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Spelling Rules for (au)

• Use au in initial or medial position in a base
  word.
• Use aw in final position in a word of any
  length.
• Exceptions crawl, brawn, ought, taught, caught,
  daughter, cough, etc.

Cox, 1977 (pp. 33-34)
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Additional Spelling Rule for (au)

• In a one-syllable word, when the (au) comes
  before (l) the most frequent spelling is a.
• ball
• salt
• chalk
• always
• also

Cox, 1977 (pp. 33-34)
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Spelling of (o) in Final Position

• Use ow in final position in an English word of
  any length
• snow
• show
• grow
• Use o in a musical, Italian, or Spanish word
• piano
• taco

Cox, 1977 (pp. 25-27)
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Vowel r Syllable
When r comes after a vowel, the vowel makes an
unexpected sound.
ar er ir or ur

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Spelling Rules for (er)

• er is the most frequently used spelling pattern
  for (er)
• In accented syllable, could be ir or ur
• stir
• fur
• In unaccented syllable, could be ar, ir, or
  or ur
• dollar
• doctor

Cox, 1977, (pp.40-42)
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Spelling Rules for (er)

• After a w, (er) is spelled with or.

word worm world work worry
Cox, 1977, (pp.40-42)
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Why do we spell these words this way?
? What sound is the a making? Why?

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Spelling rules for (?)
after (w)

• Use a after a w to give the (?) sound.
• Use a after a qu to give the (?) sound
  because qu says (kw).
• squash
• Use a after a wh to give the (?) sound
  because wh says (hw).
• what
• Exceptions father, calm

mo
o
o
Cox, 1977, (pp.7-8)
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Final Stable Syllable

• Usually end in a consonant le
• ble - ple
• dle - sle
• fle - tle
• gle - zle
• kle

It usually sounds like the consonant ? l. That
is how most students spell them at first.
Cox, 1977, (pp.7-8)
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Ending ed
How do we teach it?
????? ed ?????
Cox, 1977, (pp.7-8)
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When does ed say (?d)?
?
-
Cox, 1977, (pp.7-8)
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SOS Procedures

• 1. Look and listen
• 2. Echo and unblend
• Base word and affixes
• Syllables
• Individual sounds
• Apply rules, add affixes

3. Name the letters. 4. Write the letters 5. Code
and read (proofing)

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Practice SOS Procedures

• Students must first be able to hear the sounds
• Spelling deck
• Phonological activities
• Unblending of word
• Finger spelling
• Separate syllables
• Adding affixes separately
• Written spelling

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Phonological Awareness Tasks

• Sound-to sound matching
• Word-to-word matching
• Sound-to-word matching
• Blending
• Deleting phonemes
• Moving phonemes
• Adding phonemes
• Phonemic segmentation
• Phonemic counting
• Phonemic classification

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Spelling Notebook

• Teaches the process of spelling not the product
• Spelling should follow reading
• Poor visual memory

Make time to teach the process! It is well worth
the time it requires!

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Spelling Deck

• Reviewed daily
• Shuffled daily
• Only those responses that have been introduced
  are reviewed
• Not all graphemes are regular for spelling
• Teacher names the sound, students echo, and name
  the letter or letters that make the sound.
• 85 of words are phonetically correct for spelling

a