Running Head: Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 1

Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help

Brandi Simmons

6/1/17
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 2

Spelling words can be a problem for both children and adults. There are many reasons for

this. In schools today most spelling is taught using the traditional method. many people that can’t

learn how to spell words in this way. Some will struggle with spelling their whole life. There are

many different methods that teachers can use to better teach spelling to their students. Each

student learns differently meaning that a teacher will have to use more than one method of

teaching in their classroom. If teachers use these different methods to teach spelling there will be

less children and adults that struggle with spelling in the future.

Children and adults struggle with different areas of spelling. In school students stress

about learning spelling words. There are those that think that spelling tests are one of the biggest

factors of stress for students. They stress about the test instead of learning the words. The test

itself becomes the main problem for some students. There are those that don’t test well, no

matter what the test is over. They have come to fear the test. Some students also memorize the

letters of the word. But they don’t learn how to properly say the word. When this happens, the

student will have trouble spelling a word they hear because it doesn’t match the words they

learned. Teachers need to find and implement as method that takes away this fear and stress.

Another area students struggle with is that they are taught to spell words how they sound.

These students are not taught the word and its letters. This means that the student learns what

they think is the spelling of a word. But when the student needs to write out the word they sound

it out wrong. Teachers must then decide if the student doesn’t know the word or if they are

making a spelling error. If the student is sounding out the word they can usually say the word.

The teacher will have to pay close attention to the student when they are spelling to see where

the problem is.

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There are also students that have different learning disabilities which can make spelling

hard to learn. Each of these learning disabilities have methods of teaching that can help most

students. One learning disability that students could have is with sequential ordering. These

students have a hard time with either putting or maintaining letters in order (Misunderstood

minds, 2002). The students easily mix up letters like b and d or m and n. They also mix letters in

words such as, went and house becomes went and house. When students are young mistakes like

these are expected but once they get older it is a sign. Teachers can see this when students are

using transposed letters or spelling omissions in their writing (Misunderstood minds, 2002).

When teachers see these types of mistakes they know that the student might need to learn a

different way.

Students could also have a reading disability (RD) that typically involves word decoding.

These disabilities stem from a lack of phonemic awareness and/or knowledge of letter-sound

relationships. Those same factors influence spelling skills. Spelling is also affected by how much

contact with books and reading students have. Students that read more learn more words and

how they are spelled. But students that rarely read or see books have a harder time with spelling.

(Spear-Swerling, 2017) Teachers should start introducing students to as many books as possible

when they are still young.

Students might also have a learning disabilities involving dyslexia. There are many

different types of dyslexia that can cause problems for students. Teachers would need to do their

research on dyslexia and how to best help their students both as an individual and group. All of

these learning disabilities cause the traditional method not to work for those students. Even

students that don’t have learning disabilities still learn in different ways. Every student is
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 4

different and needs a way to learn that makes sense to them. Current research shows that there

are many different methods that teachers can use to help students with spelling

The traditional method is the teaching spelling with word lists and tests at the end of the

list. Students are given long lists of words to memorize over a set period of time. It usually is

around one week per list. Students are given a list on Monday then tested on it on Friday. But

many times, the students are not taught how to spell the words. The lists are made up of words

that have little to do with the students’ lives. The words also have no connection to anything else

in the daily lessons. Students have little interest in learning words that they don’t see anywhere

else. The traditional method also does not account for words that the students already know.

There could be students that know every word on the list while others have never heard of any of

the words.

The students soon begin to dread taking the spelling test at the end. The test itself gives

no room for any type of error. It doesn’t look to see if the student was stressed out at the time or

if family life is not going okay at the time. It doesn’t see learning disabilities either. It makes it

spelling tests very stressful for some. The lists also gives the same words over and over. They

help students that needed more but hinder those that are ready to move on. There is separation

for students that are above or below the normal. The method helps some but there are other ways

to teach spelling to children.

A different method of teaching spelling is by using word boxes or as they are better

known Elkonin Boxes. Elkonin boxes are used to break words up in to easy spelling. It breaks

the spelling of a word in to individual sounds, or phonemes. These boxes help build phonological

awareness skills. Students can break words down into boxes like a crossword puzzle uses.

Elkonin boxes also teaches students how to count the number of phonemes in the word. They
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 5

can see how the words are spelled in a clear way. It is easier to sound out the letters and syllables

in words.

Teachers must first tell the students what the word is. The student then should repeat the

word back to the teacher. Then the students should draw a line of boxes on a piece of paper or

whiteboard. They need to have one box for each phoneme, letter, or syllable. Students should

take the word and count how many phonemes, letters, or syllables have in it. There are many

books that work very well with this method of teaching spelling. Some example includes Go Dog

Go by P.D. Eastman, Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss, Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein,

Mom and Dad Are Palindromes by Mark Shulman and illustrated by Adam McCauley, and

Hamsters, Shells, and Spelling Bees by Lee Bennett Hopkins. (readingrockets.org, 2017) They

give examples of words that can be broken down in a word box from a story. The words in these

books also repeat so the student will have plenty of opportunities to practice the word. This gives

the student a way to connect the spelling to something else.

The paper The effects of word box instruction on acquisition, generalization, and

maintenance of decoding and spelling skills for first graders shows how important Elkonin

boxes or word boxes can be to spelling. Common Core academic standards state that gaining

letter-sound correspondences for school age students must happen in the primary grades so that

they can phonologically decode words and become proficient readers (Alber-Morgan, 2016).

Using Elkonin boxes help student gain the skills that they need. In order to phonologically

decode words first the students must each letter in a word makes a specific sound. Once students

learn the sounds of letters they will be both better readers and spellers. The structure of word

boxes help students to see and hear the different sound segments in a word. The skill of sound

segmentation into letter-sound correspondence teaches students to figure out how to say and
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 6

spell new words (Alber-Morgan, 2016). Laurice M. Joseph paper Using Word Boxes as a Large

Group Phonics Approach in a First Grade Classroom found that students who use word boxes

significantly outperformed students that use a more traditional phonics method. It also states that

word boxes can be used as a worthwhile phonics approach to teaching students to make

connections phonemic and orthographic features about words (Joseph, 2000)

An alternative method of spelling is to look at the connection between reading and

writing. There are many studies done on reading disabilities and how to help people with them.

However, not many studies done on writing disabilities. This means the teacher will have to pay

close attention to the students when they are reading or writing. The students may mess up a

word when reading that later the teacher can see the it is a part of the spelling that is messing up

the student. Students that spell a word wrong might then pronounce it wrong. The method of

looking at the connection between reading and writing for spelling is one that the teacher will

have to research. But any method that is different than the traditional method can change how a

student can understands spelling.

One method that teachers should be using no matter what other method they chose to

used is involving parents. Most parent like to feel involved in what their student is doing in

school. Parents that have information on what is happening in school are better able to help their

students at home. A problem that teacher run into is that in the world today many students live in

homes where both parents work. This means that not many parent have the time to figure out

what their child is doing in school. If they have anytime to help their student with schoolwork it

is spent by the student trying to explain what they are doing to their parent. The teacher can help

this by giving parents clear directions or instructions about what the students are doing in school.

Then the parent can spend time helping the student.

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Also, parents know their child better than the teacher does. If the parent knows exactly

what their child is doing they will better be able to help the teacher in ways to help the students.

They know what might help their student learn more. It might be a different method of teaching

or a change in environment. When a parent is involved with the school it helps the students

spend a little bit more time with their parents. They know that they can go to their parent for help

because the parent, teacher, and student are all aware of what needs to be done. When parents are

involved it creates a closer unit between all parties involved with the mindset of bettering the

students.

When the teacher is using a new method of teaching it is important to explain to the

parent. Many parents have negative attitudes about invented spelling and convey these attitudes

to their children by insisting that only correctly spelled words be used in their writing (Kolodziej,

2005). They don’t understand the way the teacher is teaching. If the teacher takes the time to

explain the process and research the parent can help the student and understand what is

happening in the classroom more.

A method that will help students of all ages is to find areas of interest to engage the

students. There are many studies that state that if a teacher frames learning that has student

interests in mind, students will have an increase in motivation and learning. Phil Wilder writes in

his article Assessing Student Interests and Strengths that “by understanding the varying literacy

strengths and habits of our students we can identify what Vygotsky calls their "zone of proximal

development" where literacy opportunities are not too hard as to frustrate or too easy to bore but

just challenging enough to promote student learning.” (Wilder, 2017). Teaching to a student’s

interests can also help with those that have dyslexia. These students as well as others are not that

confident in a school setting. The students feel that they are no good at anything in school and
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 8

worry about how it will affect them later in life. But many of the students do have a high IQ.

Traditional teaching does not allow them to use the strengths that they do have. It ends with the

students being overlooked. Teacher need to find what those students enjoy and find a way to

bring that in to the classroom.

But many teachers struggle with finding ways to learn or understand students’ interests.

There are many different ways to learn about students’ interests that don’t involve digging in to

their lives or getting to personal. Wilder suggest ideas such as an opening letter to have the

students writes a letter explaining what they know and want to learn. Then the teacher can have

them write a letter at the end to see what they learned. Teachers can also survey what the

students want to learn in certain areas or subjects. Another one of Wilder’s ideas it to have

students write a one sentence truth statement about what they learned that day or want to learn. It

can also be about what the student is struggling with in the class. (Wilder, 2017) All of these

ideas will help the teacher gain an idea on what the students know or want to learn. They can

then base lessons off of this information. Teachers could also have a show and tell with their

students. If they do this in the beginning of the year they learn right away what the students like.

Another idea it in the first week of school have students do an all about me poster for the class.

Then not only the teacher but the rest of the class can learn about the students.

Another method of teaching spelling is making it fun. This is a method that should also

be used no matter what. John Dewey an educational reformer, philosopher, and psychologist said

in 1913 “Persons, children or adults, are interested in what they can do successfully, in what

they approach with confidence and engage in with a sense of accomplishment.” (umich.edu,

2017) Students are more engaged in learning when they are interested in what is being taught.

There are many games that can be played to teach spelling to students. They might not even
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 9

realize they are learning if they are having fun. Teachers can use words from the daily lesson

plans or the unit that is being covered. Another idea is to have student pick a topic to find words

from. Then the teacher can find words that are fun and at the level of the student’s

understanding. Students also feel less stressed when they are having fun. It keeps them able to

learn rather than worry about tests and grades.

Spelling can cause problems for both children and adults. It can lead to a lot of stress on

students. However, there are many methods that can be used to teach spelling to students that

learn different ways. Each method takes a different approach to helping students learn how to

spell. Some of the greatest things a teacher can go to help a student with spelling is involve the

parents and make learning fun. Every student is different. This means that every student learns in

a different way. Teachers may need to try different methods to see what works best as a whole

but also the individual student. If teachers use these different methods to teach spelling it can be

done. Then there will be less children and adults that struggle with spelling in the future.
Spelling: Problems and Methods to Help 10

References:

Alber-Morgan, S. R., Joseph, L. M., Kanotz, B., Rouse, C. A., & Sawyer, M. R. (2016,
February). The effects of word box instruction on acquisition, generalization, and
maintenance of decoding and spelling skills for first graders. Education & Treatment of
Children, 39(1), 21+. Retrieved from http://bakerezproxy.palnet.info

Difficulties with Writing. (2002). Retrieved June 01, 2017, from

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/writingdiffs.html
Dill, M How to Engage Students in the Learning Process with Interest Inventories: Use Your
Students' Interests and the Curriculum to Guide Your Instruction. (2012, January 20),
from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/17677-using-student-
interest-inventories/
Joseph, L. M. (1999, November 30). Using Word Boxes as a Large Group Phonics Approach in
a First Grade Classroom. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ626163
Kolodziej, N. J., & Columba, L. (2005, Winter). Invented spelling: guidelines for parents.
Reading Improvement, 42(4), 212+. Retrieved from http://bakerezproxy.palnet.info
Reading Rockets. (2017, May 28). Retrieved June 01, 2017, from
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/elkonin_boxes
Spear-Swerling, L. (2017). Spelling and Students with Learning Disabilities. Retrieved June 01,
2017, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5587/
Students’ Strengths and Interests. (2017). Retrieved June 01, 2017, from
http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/students-strengths-and-interests
The Regents of the University of Michigan

Wilder, P. (2017). Assessing Student Interests and Strengths - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved June
01, 2017, from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-
guides/assessing-student-interests-strengths-30100.html#research-basis