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Suzanne from South Carolina asks...
Phonics and Spelling
"My eleven-year old daughter needs phonics help but is
already a fully fluent reader. She apparently shares a
number of qualities with dyslexic kids, but reading has
never been a problem for her. Spelling has always been
a big problem. How do I teach her phonics without boring
her to death? Most of the phonics programs I've seen are
really geared towards reading fluency, which she already has.
Thanks."
You're asking an important question, Suzanne. Since your daughter is already a skilled reader, I'm assuming that the desire for phonics instruction is related to her spelling difficulties. In reality, though, phonics could actually make it harder for her at this stage. Here's why.
Spelling relies upon our visual memory more than on our skill with phonics. That's because English has so many ways to spell the same sounds (like ow and ou), and it has so many words that break the phonetic rules, such as was. If you were spelling it phonetically, it would be wuz.
Spelling relies upon a strong visual image of what a word looks like being stored in the brain. We use this skill unconsciously when we're not completely sure how to spell a word and we write it every way we can think of until one "looks right." We have an image stored in our brains that matches the one on our paper and we know we're right.
Another example of this principal is to watch the eyes of a good speller when they are spelling a challenging word. They often will look up and off to the left, bring to mind the word, and simply read the letters they see in their mind's eye. Good spellers even know words they're never even studied. They've simply seen the words at one time or another, their brains have recorded an image of it, and they are forever able to retrieve the images and spell the words. The process is quick and unconscious. And it's a skill that's deeply envied by all of us who struggle with spelling!
You mentioned that your daughter has some dyslexic characteristics, and spelling difficulties are very common for dyslexic individuals. It's also not uncommon for someone to be a great reader, but a horrible speller. That's because reading involves recognizing words, and spelling involves recalling images of words which require different mental processes.
Remediating spelling difficulties is challenging. That's because there seems to be a inherent difficulty in some individuals for imprinting an image of a word in their brains. It's like trying to stick a piece of tape onto a melting ice cube, it just keeps slipping off, no matter how hard they try! And these students typically try very hard, and will be able to spell a word one day and forget it the next. They are often the children who practice and practice their spelling words, can spell them all at home, and miss them all on the spelling test at school. It's heart breaking to watch, and extremely frustrating to a child who, if not taught otherwise, can think this reflects their intelligence, which it does not.
Here's what I recommend for dealing with spelling difficulties...
1. Reduce the expectations: If a classroom has a weekly spelling program, ask the teacher if your child can be responsible for fewer words. Often a student can be successful "learning" five words, but not the full 10 or 15 the teacher has assigned. I put "learn" in quotation marks because a word they may known one day can be forgotten the next. So..
2. Teach the student to use tools: Children with spelling difficulties need to be taught how to help themselves spell words they're unsure of. These tools are things like learning to type and use the spellcheck function, and using a Franklin Speller. I recently saw an impressive demonstration of a new word processing program that is designed specifically for students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. I was impressed with it's sensitivity to the common errors made by students, by it's ability to decipher their misspellings and to offer appropriate suggestions. It's currently downloadable for free at gingersoftware.com .
I'm also a huge fan of Franklin Spellers. I like them because they, too, are sensitive to the common misspellings made by children, and they are well designed to guide students to the correct spellings. I also like them because they're portable, easy to use in class, and they empower a child to correct their work independently, any time, any where. Amazon often has great deals on Franklin Spellers, and I've included their links below if you'd like to check them out.
I hope this information is helpful, Suzanne. Please write back if you have any additional questions!
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