Strategic Approaches for Challenged Spellers

by Rebecca Bowers Sipe

I look out at the teachers gathered before me. "Let's start," I say, "by writing for a few minutes about our own spelling histories." Moments later I glance up from my own writing to survey the room. Predictably, many are scribbling notes on the handouts provided. Some, with furrowed brows and puzzled expressions, hesitate. A few stare in my direction, clearly baffled by the assignment.

Soon I interrupt their work and ask for volunteers to share. I'm not surprised with the results. Initially, teachers tell variations of the same story. Lists of words were given on Monday and taken home to be posted on the refrigerator door; each evening featured a practice quiz as mom or dad or grandma pronounced each word. There were exercises for homework― generally fill-in-the-blank or some variation of matching― and typically, the teacher gave a pretest on Wednesday. Friday marked the end of that particular word study with a final test; come Monday there would be a new set of words, and the process would be repeated. That was it― no more to the history.

I nod as I listen, and then I share a little of my own spelling history. Mine has all the same elements as theirs, except for me, even though my mom would drill me on the words every single day and even though I would write each word ten or twenty times, the results were unpredictable. On Friday, when the first word was called, my brain would as likely go blank as produce the correct spelling. And if that happened with the first word, the other words on the list would simply fail to come when called. Despite being a straight A student, my difficulties with spelling tests resulted in nails bitten to the point of bleeding and in bouts of nausea that resulted in being sick many Friday afternoons. Further, come Monday morning, the words on the previous list typically vanished from memory, pushed aside by new ones.

As I relate my spelling history, I detect a few eyes widening, and then as if on cue, other teachers raise tentative hands and begin to offer variations of my story, sharing their own spelling failures, their own sense of being an intellectual fraud because they had trouble with spelling, their own adult fears that someone will discover that they struggle with spelling and decide they are not as intelligent as they should be or perhaps that they are unfit for teaching.

I give another example, telling of a recent trip through the English office at work. One of the secretaries called my name and, with a laugh, asked, "How do you spell schedule?" At that moment as a mature educator, an adult by every measure, once again my brain went totally blank. Though I had written the word hundreds of times, in that brief and embarrassing moment, I could not spell it. Fortunately, I now realize that I am not alone. At least 25 percent of the adult American population struggles with spelling.

I start with these stories for several reasons. First, teachers tend to be strong spellers and, though they may recall some types of instruction, they may never have had the need to "unpack" the strategies they draw upon because they have never needed to do so. I want these colleagues to understand that some of the highly educated teachers around them struggle with spelling, that sometimes teachers who are excellent readers struggle with spelling, that sometimes even good writers struggle with spelling.

Second, once we know these things, our questions about spelling instruction change. Truth be told, most of us have never been taught how to teach spelling. As a secondary teacher, I can't think of a time in my training when the topic even came up― not what students need to learn about spelling or which strategies might be the most effective. Moreover, most of us have never actually been taught spelling in school! To mom or dad or grandma fell the task of helping us learn ways to retain words.

Finally, I want to stress that spelling tests as a strategy for teaching spelling can leave damage that is long lasting and enormously detrimental. When we ask any adult who struggles with spelling to tell about his or her experiences with spelling tests, the affective damage becomes all too apparent. I want to shift our conversation from the beginning to remember that it is the writing― not the test― that is the real judge of spelling proficiency.

As a society, we have placed a high value on spelling performance. As a teacher of writing myself, I know that correct spelling is sometimes, though not always, important. Depending on our audience, our purpose, and the type of writing we are doing, spelling may take on greater or lesser significance. When spelling matters, challenged spellers need a variety of strategies and skills to help them become as proficient with the written word as possible. My own research has focused on a series of questions to help me understand how to support challenged spellers within the context of their writing.

• Why do some students struggle with spelling?
• Which words and strategies are most important for students to know?
• How can students develop a sense that there is logic in the language?
• How can I approach spelling instruction in a classroom where the curriculum is packed already with demanding expectations?
   

Why do some students struggle with spelling?

Think about your first spelling instruction. Probably those lessons focused initially on the sound of words and later on remembering how words look. Phonics provides great assistance for remembering the spelling of words that fit particular phonetic patterns. Beyond second or third grade, spelling books typically add visual learning strategies to spelling instruction, focusing on helping students recall the way words look in print.

My own research documents the fact that many challenged spellers exhibit difficulties with visual memory, making visually based strategies minimally effective― strategies such as writing words five or ten times each, writing words in blanks, matching words to definitions, tracing words using word shapes, and memorizing words from a list. Often, word study that focuses on understanding how words are constructed, including the study of roots, prefixes, and suffixes as well as word families and etymologies, does not enter the curriculum until fifth or sixth grade. By that point, students who struggle with poor visual memory may have come to the conclusion that they are poor spellers when in fact they have not been taught in a manner that works best for them. And too often assumptions about being a poor speller generalize to being a poor writer: I can't spell, so I can't write.

It would be easy to assume that all challenged spellers are alike. In fact, challenged spellers vary widely. At two extremes of a continuum of challenged spellers we find individuals who have high literacy investment and those who have very low investment (see Figure 1). Some challenged spellers are heavily invested in their own literacy lives. They read and write in school and out, seek out friends who value reading and writing, and enjoy playing with words. Because of their high literacy investment, these individuals have developed many strategies to help them address their problems with spelling, strategies that vary from the use of editors and tools such as dictionaries to a host of nonvisual strategies such as chants and mnemonics. They often report that spelling isn't a problem as long as they are allowed to have their tools available.

Other challenged spellers demonstrate far less investment in their own literacy; they do not choose to read and write if they have the option. Sometimes they even neglect the reading and writing that is required in school. These individuals demonstrate a distressing sense of resignation to being a poor speller ("My dad can't spell, and I can't either") and often rely solely on others for help instead of seeking resources on their own (Sipe, 2003).

So what kinds of help do challenged spellers need? Below I'll suggest some of the most important for spelling instruction and offer strategies for immediate use. Instructional time is precious. We all deal with a curriculum at every level that is filled to the limit. Particularly in upper-level classrooms, spelling instruction must be strategic, addressing the needs demonstrated by our students. It must be designed to support a sense of ownership and control over language. And it must support the notion that even those of us who struggle can develop proficiency as writers.

Which words and strategies are most important for students to know?

Challenged spellers need to know that they use certain words all the time in their routine written work and that knowing the spelling of these words will enhance their writing fluency; they also need to understand that they do not misspell words randomly (Shaughnessy, 1977). In our language we typically use some words so often that writing without them would be impossible. For example, the most frequently used 1,000 words make up about 89 percent of all the words used in routine written communication (Horn, 1926). The high-frequency 2,000 words take that to 95 percent. If we work with a student to examine her own written work, identifying the words she uses all the time and typically misspells, we can develop a list of important words for that student in short order. In a paper I examined recently, a tenth grader had misspelled the word whether six times with a total of three variations in three paragraphs. Simply mastering this word would make a huge difference in the student's final paper.

Sometimes the high-frequency words students misspell are homophones. I can't think of an instructional level at which errors with their/there, here/hear, or its/it's isn't a problem. Moreover, spell checkers will not pick up errors such as these. In another recent paper, a young woman wrote, "Since becoming a college freshman I've found myself increasingly concerned about pubic affairs." Now, as one who has had college students of my own, I have little reason to doubt that might be true, but I'm equally certain that isn't what she meant to write. She, along with other challenged spellers, needs strategies that extend beyond the spell checker.

Challenged spellers benefit from short conferences that help them identify their most problematic words and think of strategies for remembering them. Sometimes high-frequency words require a mnemonic device to help writers remember them. For me, I think I looked up the word accommodate every time I used it for years― and I used it often! One day a colleague suggested that I remember to accommodate the twins: That was it― two sets of consonants. I haven't looked the word up since.

For some challenged spellers, putting high-frequency demons to cheerleading chants or setting them to a beat (e-x-cel-lent― excellent! ), creating a jingle (geography― George Efird's old goal ran a pig home yesterday! ), or tracing words with a finger into the palm of the opposing hand to remember its feel helps commit the word to memory. Most challenged spellers find it helpful to make lists of their own high-frequency words; these words can then be collected in a personal dictionary, on a desk chart, or on word walls in the classroom. Some teachers encourage students to review commonly used homophones and then to create personal aids to help them remember the distinction between particularly troublesome words, putting these on punched 3 x 5 cards that are collected on a key ring and connected to the students' language arts binders for ready reference.

Challenged spellers benefit from learning to identify their own writing process. Current writing pedagogy highlights the importance of ensuring opportunities for revising and editing. Students may require assistance in learning how to use tools such as peer conferencing, dictionaries, and spell checkers effectively. In addition, learning proofreading skills for independent use― such as reading one's own work aloud to oneself, listening carefully to each word pronounced― can help students to find incorrect words and to eliminate embarrassing substitutions that are overlooked by spell checkers.

How can students develop a sense that there is logic in the language?

Many challenged spellers describe the impossibility of memorizing all the words in the language that they need; they have unfortunately failed to discern any logic or pattern in the language. Who wouldn't struggle if each word was unique, with no similarities to other words? Despite the fact that most established spelling programs strive to teach spelling patterns by organizing word lists to reflect a particular pattern or rule, interviews show that challenged spellers seem to have missed the point (Sipe, 2003). Moreover, these students often fail to realize there are patterns to the errors they make. One of our goals for working with challenged spellers must be helping them develop a sense of the logic that operates in our language.

As pointed out in the work of Mina Shaughnessy (1977), the types of errors we make typically reflect a stage in our spelling development. A ten-minute fast-write completed by students on the first day of class will offer a good snapshot of the types of words, patterns, and rules that they find troubling and provide insights into specific strategies and skills that need to be taught. Fashioning and teaching mini-lessons that address strategic needs and that can be immediately used by students offer remarkable results. Do students fail to recognize when it is necessary to double a consonant at the end of a word? When i precedes e after the letter c? When there might be an exception to that rule? As noted in Figure 2, a limited number of rules help to govern spelling in English. Whenever we have a rule that works most of the time, it is surely worth knowing.

Rules are best reviewed slowly, requiring limited investment of class time. It takes only minutes to rehearse a rule and collect examples from the class. Posting the rule on a word wall, encouraging students to add words that fit the rule, and then writing the words on the word wall as they are found in reading selections, on trips to the grocery store, and in correspondence will help everyone remember the rule and the words it represents. Days or weeks later, rehearsing exceptions to the rule and posting example words will help everyone remember when the rule is to be used and when it might not be. Covering the walls with lists of words literally surrounds the students with language that they can visit as needed.

Helping students to analyze their own misspellings can be highly effective on two levels. First, developing their own skills to identify their errors and learning to theorize the reasons for their errors will build proofreading abilities, making it more likely that they will be able to apply new skills in later writing contexts. Second, being able to internalize the process of identifying spelling problems, reflecting on the cause of difficulties, and creating independent solutions will reinforce their own sense of capacity and power over language. Simple reflection prompts such as the one in Figure 3 can be used to guide such analysis and then stored in the student's language arts notebook for later reference.

Not only does introducing students to the building blocks of language help to crack the code for spelling; it also helps to build vocabulary. Students who love words and notice interesting vocabulary in their reading may come to understand the ways in which word families are related on their own. When we routinely take time to play with language― introducing a particularly juicy prefix, suffix, or root― we are able to help students think about the ways in which one bit of knowledge can unlock the key to many different words. For example, if we teach the prefix ill, we partially unlock the code for ill-fated, illogical, illegal, illicit, ill-mannered, ill-natured, ill-sorted, and a host of other words that could grow to a wonderful collection on a classroom word wall. Numerous websites provide lists of resources.

One final aspect of language study can also help students who are baffled by the irregularities of English. Many are amazed when they begin to explore the origin of words we use everyday. We routinely use words that do not derive from English― think about bureaucracy, caveat, and mezzanine. All come to us courtesy of French. Our language continues to grow with abandon, not only bringing in words from other languages but also creating new words as the need arises. Engaging students in discovering word histories and in tracking down new words can be interesting and fun; these activities can also help to quell the concern that English is without logic. To the contrary! There is great logic in our language. In addition, we have richness in the collection of words we have chosen to use because of our unique and diverse population and history.

How can I approach spelling instruction in a classroom where the curriculum is packed already with demanding expectations?

Sometimes spelling is important. Because people make judgments about us based on our written work and because spelling difficulties may result in feelings of ineptness as a writer, it is important that we, as teachers, do all that we can to help challenged spellers develop confidence and competence with the written word. Some basic steps can support our instructional decisions as we work to build student skills in spelling and vocabulary.

Be strategic in spelling intervention.

• Start with a quick writing activity at the beginning of the year. Make note of the types of spelling errors made by the students, and concentrate mini-lessons on those patterns.
• Concentrate on high-use words that individual students misspell. Engage the students in reflective activities to help them think about the errors they make, why they make them, and what types of strategies they could use in the future to avoid the errors. Encourage students to build personal dictionaries, and then insist that they use them. Help students invent mnemonic devices, such as acrostics, chants, visuals, or cute reminders like the one I use for accommodate.
• Teach rules that work most of the time. These rules will help students when they encounter new words. Maintaining lists of words on classroom word walls and in personal dictionaries will provide easy access to them.
• Teach the ways in which words are constructed. Over time, build word walls that reinforce the ways words grow from similar prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Encourage students to contribute words from their readings and other experiences. Celebrate new words that are found that fit a particular family. Developing new vocabulary can and should be fun!
• Help students to gain an awareness of their own writing process. All students benefit from multiple drafts, but challenged spellers particularly do. Being explicit about resources and how to use them, requiring that students read their own work aloud to themselves and listen for missing and incorrect words, and making available peer editors for final draft response all help to heighten awareness of word use.
• Help students understand that spelling does matter and that precise vocabulary use can make a huge difference in the overall quality of their writing.

When students struggle with spelling, it is easy to assume that their failures result from laziness or lack of motivation. While this may sometimes be true, more often difficulties with spelling and vocabulary are indicators that students need more and better strategies. Working from the high-use words a student already uses is a start, but it isn't enough. To develop competence and confidence with writing, students need a balanced approach to spelling instruction.

References

Horn, Ernest. (1926). A basic vocabulary of 10,000 words most commonly used in writing. College of Education, University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Shaughnessy, Mina. (1977). Errors and expectations: A guide for the teacher of basic writing. New York: Oxford University Press.

Sipe, Rebecca. (2003). They still can't spell? Understanding and supporting challenged spellers in the middle and high school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rebecca Bowers Sipe is Co-Director of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, works with service learning projects, teaches methods, writing, and graduate classes, advises students, and serves as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Studies for the English Department at Eastern Michigan University. She received both a master's degree in English education and an administrative certification from the University of Alaska and earned her doctorate at Boston University. Her work focuses strongly on supporting developmental learners as they gain confidence and competence with reading and writing. She is a frequent contributor to professional journals and is the author of They Still Can't Spell: Understanding and Supporting Challenged Spellers in Middle and High School (Heinemann).

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