Unit 8: Spelling

Is spelling an obsolete skill? No, indeed! Even in this age of spell-check software, we need to know how to spell. After all, we don’t have our computers with us everywhere; even if we did, we would still need to be able to tell the computer which word was the one that we really wanted.

This unit is built upon the premise that tutors need training to look beyond the traditional spelling list, that they need an appreciation for the difficulties of spelling to understand their learners better, and that they need to be able to analyze spelling errors to build lessons specific for their individual learners.

This unit looks first at spelling difficulties and then presents ways to make spelling easier. Memory tips for spelling, error analysis and using learning styles to teach spelling are highlighted approaches. The unit ends with tutors developing a spelling list and a general approach to spelling and choosing a specific spelling strategy for a fictitious learner. You may want to include handouts from this unit that you don’t use in your spelling workshop in a reference booklet on spelling for your tutors to take away.

There are many spelling strategies. It is difficult to cover all of them, so consider using only the more general activities in this unit for your basic tutor training. You could then supplement the basic training with an additional spelling strategy workshop that uses this unit’s more specific activities and highlights your own program’s resources.

Above all, your tutors need to realize that spelling lists are useless unless they are paired with real writing opportunities and practice. Spelling is a subset of writing and needs to match vocabulary growth.