Spelling

Why is spelling important?

• Correct spelling is important for a child throughout his school years, as spelling is necessary to pass assessments. Learning to spell helps children develop strong associations between letters and their sounds, and learning high-frequency “look words” (i.e. words that cannot be pronounced easily) will help children read and write. The more thoroughly a child knows a word, the more likely they are to recognize it in unfamiliar texts, spell it, and use it appropriately in speaking and writing.

• Studies have determined that the importance of learning alternative spellings for similar-sounding words (e.g. rain, restrain, and reign) means quickly recognizing the exact meaning of the word. Will be easier. With the advent of technology, there has been a lot of debate about the appropriateness of teaching spelling to children. One of the disadvantages of spell-checking technology is that children must be able to start words correctly and have a good grasp of most letters. But what happens when students spell “done” as “dose”? The computer’s spell checker won’t recognize this as a wrong word and so students will continue to ingrain the habit of misspelling and the reader of the document will become confused.

Spelling is not an easy process, but when children understand its structure and clear rules, unfamiliar words become easier to decipher (i.e. they can be pronounced). It is important for parents to understand the rules to support their child outside of school by using consistent strategies. Only by understanding the structure of spelling rules can children understand the many “exceptions” to spelling rules.