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Knowledge of the sound system of our language (phonics) and the written
spelling system that accompanies these sounds (orthography) is the basis
of Developmental Spelling or Word Study. This approach to spelling
instruction gets its name from the developmental progression that all
language learners trek through--a trajectory of sounds and symbols that,
despite differences in particular languages such as French, German or
English, children naturally exhibit patterns of learning that follow a
distinct path. By acknowledging this language phenomenon and
capitalizing on the natural tendencies of learners in a developmental
sequence, Developmental Spelling or Word Study helps to make the
acquisition of spelling a more successful endeavor.
To determine starting points for students and to check progress, the
Developmental Spelling Analysis is administered much like a traditional
spelling test of 25 words that have been identified for particular
language features. Knowledge of these features is determined and
students are matched to groups of learners that have similar needs for
instruction. Once placed within Word Study groups, students
progress through the necessary features and stages at a pace that is
developmentally appropriate to their individual needs and are not moved
along until features are mastered. This differentiation allows
teachers to meet students that are at different levels and not be tied
to a one-size-fits-all curriculum that goes not at the pace of the
learner, but at the pace appropriated by the spelling book or teacher.
The stages of developmental spelling are characterized by the milestones
that accompany children's natural language development.
In the first stage, called the Letter Name Stage, children are
first able to distinguish consonant sounds and their symbols that come
at the beginning of a word and then are next able to hear the ending
consonant sounds. Later they are able to hear more refined distinctions
in blends and digraphs, first at the beginnings of words and then at the
ends. Also within this stage is the ability to hear short vowel sounds
in the middle of one syllable words. Study of word families and
sounds associated with particular consonants, blends, digraphs and short
vowels are the focus of this stage.
In the Within Word Stage, children's
abilities to hear long vowels increases and their abilities to focus on
the distinct spelling patterns associated with each long vowel sound are
explored and learned. For instance, the sound of long a can
be spelled in several ways: cake, wait, day, great, eight, they, vein,
etc. The features of study during this stage focus on these variations
and attempt to show the predominant "generalizations" that can be made.
Once these two stages are solidified, more accomplished study begins on
two and three syllable words. The Syllable Juncture Stage
focuses on the letter combinations and sounds that occur where syllables
join. Features include when to double letters, stress patterns and
complex vowel patterns that are less distinctive in sound patterns
developed in earlier stages. This stage is rather long in time and
most children remain in the SJ stage for a period of 3 years or more.
The final stage, called Derivational Constancy, explores the
unique influences of other languages on English, particularly Greek and
Latin. The meaningful relationships between words that shift vowel
or consonant sounds (such as the change in the sound of g between
the words sign and signature) are developed. This stage is
also lengthy and continues beyond high school.
Developmental Spelling or Word Study is an effective approach to
spelling instruction that leads to increased spelling understanding,
deeper knowledge of phonics for decoding, increased vocabulary
development and has resulted in substantially greater transfer of
spelling knowledge into writing. |