How to address poor spelling for struggling primary school students
Written By: Author(s): Michelle Haywood
6 min read
By assessing spelling against a continuum of development, a suitable intervention can be planned
Billy
Spelling is an area of concern for Billy. He can spell single letter sounds now on an oral cue (i.e. sound to symbol) although he confuses some similar sounding letters such as j/g and b/d. He can also spell some two- and three-letter regular words from a list of the ‘hundred most used words’ including some high frequency irregular words, but he finds spelling other irregular unknown words very difficult, and uses phonetic approximations, for example, said (sed) and what (wot). This is particularly obvious when Billy is writing independently and this has the effect of slowing down his creative thought processes resulting in frustration and upset. It also means that his finished written text is often difficult to read or decipher by either Billy or his teacher/parent.’ – (Diagnostic Assessment BA, November 2015)
Billy is not in year 1. He is 10 years old and in Year 5 of a mainstream school. The diagnostic report, in describing what Billy cannot do in terms of spelling,
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This article was published in April 2018 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.
References
- Daily Telegraph (2014) Half of Britons can’t spell common words.
- Department of Education (2014) Statutory Guidance: National Curriculum in English: English Programmes of Study.
- Miles, TR (1993) Dyslexia – The Pattern of Difficulties, Whurr Publishers Ltd, London.
- Ott, P (1997) How to Detect and Manage Dyslexia – A Reference & Resource Manual, Heinemann, Oxford.
- Rees, D and Rivalland, J (1997) Spelling- Developmental Continuum, Rigby Heinemann (on behalf of the Education Department of Western Australia) Melbourne, Australia.
- Single Word Spelling Test (SWST) GL Assessment.
- Undercover recruiter (2016) Why Spelling and Grammar can ruin your job hunt.
- More information about diagnostic assessment can be found on the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) website.
A very useful read especially being a new teacher. Easy to understand and digest and useful strategies to apply with a number of learners in the classroom.