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There's a bit of a buzz about spelling bees this time of year. Like who's using which study tactics and whether last year's winner again will take the crown. These conversations often are punctuated by another debate - how to teach youngsters to be good, if not award-winning, spellers. The general concern isn't over the complex vocabulary that captures spelling bee titles, but simple words such as "cat" (or is it "kat") and ready (or is it "rette"). The push for more phonics instruction in classrooms nationwide has led to a quiet but growing debate over "invented spelling." That's the transitional spelling many primary-grade children adopt as they make the connection between the sounds we associate with the alphabet. When youngsters begin to write letters to Grandma or their own stories, they invent word spellings to get on with the creative process. Thus, "eagle" becomes "egul" and "of" becomes "uv." Simply sound like bad spelling? Education experts say it's natural for these spellers-in-training to experiment with letters and sounds. Think of it as training wheels for the writing process. But how teachers and parents react to misspellings in the early years can make a difference in how children learn to spell. Letters often come home from teachers encouraging parents to see through the errors and get at the meaning of the child's story. Yet others worry that letting children break the rules for the sake of creativity simply reinforces bad habits. "Spelling is a fundamental part of learning to read," says Ashley Bishop, chairman of the reading department at Cal State Fullerton. When we read, we are communicating with the author's words on the page. It's as if the author is talking to us, but her words are printed on a page. Authors get their "talk" written down by combining letters, which represent speech sounds, into words. To read those words, we use our understanding of phonics to capture the sounds the letters make, blend those sounds into words and essentially pick the author's "talk" up off the page. Invented or "temporary" spelling is the first step toward that understanding. "The reason invented spelling is so important is it helps students formalize those sounds," Bishop says. "The sounds in spoken language are really abstract. What makes those real is when the child, for the first time, wants to write down his or her name and thinks of the sounds and the letters that represent them. At that point, everything becomes much more concrete for those young minds, which can't deal with abstraction very well. It's really an important step of being a good writer and user of phonics." Families and teachers can approach spelling in many ways. Even before a child can put a pencil to paper, a parent can serve as a stenographer, says Robert Calfee, dean of the Graduate School of Education at UC Riverside. As the parent writes, she can ask the child to help spell some of the words. "There's got to be functionality to this task," Calfee says of spelling. "As a parent, you want to be engaging your child in a variety of literacy activities, including playing with ABCs. Those magnetic letters are just as good a thing to put on the refrigerator now as they ever were. "You should be doing a lot of reading to kids, having the engaging books around, lots of games and toys. When it comes to spelling, why would a kid want to spell anything? Part of the answer is to communicate. There's something really nice about being able to put your name on the refrigerator using those letters." As your child tries her hand at spelling, Bishop also suggests being supportive while explaining the rules. "We don't want to say to kids, `You're wrong, you spelled wrong,'" he says. "If a child has written 'kat,' what I ask teachers to say is, `You have come up with a very good spelling. You really listened to the sounds in that word. But sometimes book spelling is different, or sometimes there are words we have to memorize.' You want to make a student feel good for attempting to understand the sound/symbol relationship." But students shouldn't be inventing spellings for long. "For school, the hallmark grade is second grade," Calfee says. "That's when...spelling counts. That's the time when the spelling list goes home." By third grade, most students should be developing consistent spelling skills and writing pieces that parents and teachers can read. As good spelling becomes more important, both Calfee and Bishop stress that meaningful activities are key. Students must understand that spelling rules ensure that everyone can read their good ideas. Helping them understand that they need to follow the rules to communicate the information gives them a reason to spell well. Bishop, who struggled with spelling for years, says writing assignments were the one motivator for him. "I am a big fan of giving students authentic reasons to write and letting them know they're writing good stuff," Bishop says. "When I was in school, I had teachers telling me there was good content (in my writing), but I wasn't communicating it effectively because my spelling was so atrocious. Teachers can tell kids they need to take that sloppy copy and turn it into authentic spelling so other people can read their good stuff." Calfee adds that the traditional weekly spelling list simply doesn't give children a purpose for their spelling studies. The words often aren't connected, and it's a punitive exercise fraught with stress and repetition. "A far better approach is to have a genuine writing problem of some sort, a task," Calfee says. "A report on alligators or volcanoes. Or you need some characters, a protagonist. Writing is when you want to be able to have spelling because you need to have words in print. You can build word lists that center around the topic that you're writing about." He adds that even spelling bees can be a great way to get kids interested in spelling. In fact, the first National Spelling Bee was created in 1925 by The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., to stimulate "general interest among pupils in a dull subject." Besides being entertaining to watch, Calfee says annual springtime bees help students understand word origins and why certain words are spelled with silent vowels or unusual endings. Indeed, students at the national bee often ask, "May I have the language of origin, please?" "Spelling bees are such the antithesis of the spelling test," he says. "These kids are not spending all their time memorizing lists of words. They have to be studying words. I'll bet they know about the history of language." It is that love of language and passion for words that families should keep in mind when working on spelling. Ultimately, Bishop says, families should view spelling as an important subject that means more than doing well on a weekly test or in a bee. "The purpose of spelling is not just to get 100 percent on a spelling test, but kids and adults being able to communicate all their good ideas and thoughts effectively," he says. "Sometimes parents think, 'I just want him to be a good third-grade speller.' What we really want is for them to step into the world and be able to effectively communicate all the good knowledge they have. Being a good speller is one way of getting there." Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter. To reach her: leuer.ramus@sbcglobal.net. REFRIGERATOR CLIP Spelling Skills Resources There are some excellent resources for parents working with their children on spelling skills. Here are a few: "Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary and Spelling Instruction" - By Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton and Francine Johnston "Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print" - By Marilyn Jager Adams Dr. Seuss books Books and toys on LeapFrog.com Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee website: www.spellingbee.com Giant Classroom The Mighty Ducks' big day at the Pond By Sandy Bennett The Arrowhead Pond will become a giant-sized classroom March 11 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim present the third annual First Flight Field Trip. Designed for elementary students in grades 3-6, around 16,000 kids - mainly from Orange County - are expected to participate in this year's event. "We see a responsibility to play a part in our community," says Charles Harris, director of publicity and community development for the Mighty Ducks. "While we are an entertainment venue, this is one of many programs that we have to reach out and touch folks." The free program, designed with the assistance of an educational consultant, incorporates the sport of ice hockey and its famed players with subjects such as math and geography to bring a unique, and fun, learning experience to youngsters. Students, for example, will enhance their reading and math skills by learning how to read season statistics on a sports page. Knowledge of geography is reinforced through a look at the many countries represented by Mighty Ducks players. Common nouns and proper nouns are explained and practiced though a writeup on the Olympic ice hockey history, and more. Much of this learning takes place through the use of a workbook that is sent, and mostly completed, prior to the event. Other addressed topics include sportsmanship, teamwork and fitness. Along with the workshops, each class also receives a personalized motivational message, taped by Ducks' players, coaches and broadcasters. Nearly 100 positive messages are featured, touching on a host of areas that range from determination to staying off drugs. The material is further reinforced through an array of activities on the day of the event. The program, offered to schools on a first-come, first-serve basis, begins with pre-game festivities, followed by an on-ice practice and scrimmage by the Mighty Ducks. Other highlights include former Mighty Duck Guy Hebert, who will join the festivities as a commentator of the on-ice skills and drills. Team mascot Wild Wing, television play-by-play John Ahlers, television analyst Brian Hayward and radio play-by-play Steve Carroll add to the learning and excitement. "The program allows students to learn in a non-traditional atmosphere...so it might touch them in some way," says Harris. "I know personally as a kid when I grew up, my mom got me to read by teaching me how to read the sports section. "If we can help in an educational environment by mixing sports, especially hockey, it's a wonderful experience." |
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