Whether you said it out loud or thought it in your head, whenever there was a writing prompt given in class, the looming question always was, "will spelling count?" Does it count? I'm not really sure now.
When we were kids it was always a toss up. If our teacher wanted us to just get the words out and the prompt was for the sake of us getting the ideas down, the answer was usually, "no." If the prompt was in any subject other than reading or writing, the answer was usually, "no.' In retro-spec, the later has the implication that spelling only counts when you're writing about something language specific, which, in my opinion, completely sends the wrong message to students because of course spelling counts in science, and in math, and in social studies.... and in life.
...But we don't think that way anymore. We definitely live in a world of auto-correct and spell-check and, "who even knows how to spell that word anyway?" Well shouldn't you? I think so.
I struggled with to, too, two, which, wich, witch, and I distinctly remember being called out in front of the whole class for spelling "America" wrong in 5th grade. Spelling was really difficult for me, but now, I find that when I spell things out loud (people who babysit know what I'm talking about) I find people really don't know the basics. C-O-O-K-I-E took you more than 3 seconds to figure out? Really? Maybe it's because we're not writing as much as we used to, but I think it's because we've become so dependent on technology to fix things and finish things for us that we sometimes don't think to do it ourselves.
We definitely don't need to be crazy spelling drill sergents in our classrooms, having spelling tests every week because as we've discussed and know from experience, that definitely doesn't help anyone. But what does help is making sure that students understand that spelling does count. Pointing out words students consistently spell wrong and having those words be their "buzz" words that they focus on in their writing should become their key words so they don't continue to spell them wrong in the future. Making the word wall full of words that students use, and also of ones that they should aim for using so that they can refer to both the word and the spelling will help commit them to memory.
In my practicum, there really isn't enough dedication to spelling. My students use Words Their Way and they do great with it, until they have to apply it. None of them see the connection, so it's seemingly a waste of time. Their writing has a ton of mis-spelled words that they learned in prior years or that they are even working on that week! And I'm not so sure that my teacher is pointing it out to them. So at the end of the day, I really feel that unless it's a brainstorm, spelling should always count.
LOVE IT BECKY!
ReplyDeleteBecky, you have known me for a long time. As I am sure you are well aware, I am known for my horrendous spelling! It is something that causes me great anxiety while teaching at the white board. I am stuck with the idea of dismissing spelling versus strictly enforcing spelling. I am a direct product of a generation where technology has allowed me to get by without true confidence in spelling. At the same time, if I did not have this technology to accommodate my spelling weaknesses I would surely be left behind in other school subjects and communicating in society. What is this balance? How does this balance differentiate for each student? How do I as a teacher balance this for not only my students, but myself?
On a different note, you mention “spelling sergeants”. I think part of the problem with learning spelling, whether it is Words Their Way or SAT words, is that spelling is not being taught, but rather being drilled and instructed to memorize. You mentioned in class that your students learn the spelling words and forget them the next week. I think a big part of this is that the students never truly learn the words, they simply memorize them. It is important for students to understand the different blends, letter rules, and letter sounds. With this deeper understanding, students will be able to make more sense of spelling words and be more successful in using them in their writing. Relying on their memory is simply not enough. This reminds me a lot of “number Sense” which we are learning in math class. Students who memorize timetables have difficulty remembering them later on, students that understand the deeper meaning of a multiplication facts (that it is repeated addition) have more long-term success. I can’t remember ever being taught the actual reason that things were spelt a certain way. I think if spelling was taught to me as a child, as opposed to drilled at me, I would not have required as much spelling accommodations and could have used spelling more successfully in subjects outside of LA.
* I hope I didn’t spell anything wrong in this post :/
Hi Becki (and Allie),
ReplyDeleteI just spent a long time responding to your post- and then it disappeared- argh! So if you get two comments from me that are oddly similar, I apologize.
I wanted to write after our class discussion on Monday. I do not think we are in stark disagreement, for me it might be simply and issue of semantics.
I think it is very important to isolate difficulties when teaching young children. For example, if we are teaching them how to make an observation in science class, we want them to learn how to make an observation in science class. We do not want them to get caught up or preoccupied because of their spelling capabilities. What I was speaking to on Monday is if a student asks if spelling counts in this type of situation the short answer is no.
What I have always actually said in response is "We're not worried about spelling right now, we are focusing on X".
I do agree with you that spelling COUNTS in life and is important but I also believe there is value in freeing students from their spelling errors on non spelling-centric activities. Just as there is a time and a place to teach spelling in isolation, there should also be a time and a place to teach other subjects/concepts in isolation.
That does not mean they are ALWAYS isolated, or that you answer "No" to the verbatim question "Does spelling count?", but it does mean you let students know when the focus is not spelling at the moment and that there will be time to correct spelling (free of penalty) later.
I am curious as to your thoughts on this!
Molly
I discussed this with you in class because I find that I am in the middle of the road in this. For subjects like science and social studies where the content and processes are what I really want them to focus on, I tell my kids to do their best with spelling. I don't say it doesn't count, but I do say that it is not what I am focusing on. I don't want them to raise their hand to ask for spelling and waste their own thinking time or the time another student could really use for help on the process or content. However, when it comes to writing and reading I find that I tell my kids they need to make sure that they are spelling correctly. They have tools in the class they can use to help them: me, the dictionary, their word wall, their word lists, or a partner. If there is less time for an assignment I have them circle the word and come back later.
ReplyDeleteLong story short: I completely agree that spelling is important and does count, I just think it should count less during certain times of the academic day so the kids don't get overwhelmed.
I think that our discussion on this topic was very interesting, both in class and now on the blogs. I always struggle with this as well. There are some high frequency words that most students should be spelling correctly every time they spell them regardless of subject. Then, there are words that appear in texts that they are reading and it's my expectation that they use the mentor text/article etc. to help their spelling. It is far too often that I have students spell words wrong that are right there in front of them in the text. I am definitely focused on the content of writing, but there needs to be some accountability in order to ensure that students are forming good spelling habits.
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ReplyDeleteResponse from Lauren:
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate. My spelling has always been a major weakness for me. I was never able to fully grasp the key patterns and ideas and I coasted my way through it and never got to the level I am supposed to be at. And now, because of technology, i am able to continue to get by with my terrible spelling. All i have to do is go through and look at all of the words with a red line underneath them and right click it to find the right spelling. And it its not there....dictionary.com. This is sad to think about because there is probably no chance of my spelling ever truly improving and getting to the level it should be at. And i strongly believe that part of what is to blame here is the few teachers that i have had that just completely disregarded my spelling errors and did not make me aware of the mistakes. If i had known about some of the common errors that were repeating in my writing, I feel as if something would have been done to fix that problem rather than let it stay the same, or maybe even get worse.