Creative spelling?

[clemota]

Hello everyone,

 

Long-time lurker, first -time questioner here! :seeya:

 

I have a K-er who is has started reading chapter books with glee, but is still very developmentally appropriate with her writing skills: we're currently on the HWoT K book, and she's doing wonderfully.

 

Recently, out assigned charter school teacher (we joined so we could have better funds for school), requested that when Goose does a journal writing entry, I should allow her to use “creative spelling.†That is, don't let her ask me for correct spelling on words, but let her try to sound out the words themselves. Our teacher's suggestion is based on her past experience as a classroom teacher, where the teacher could not spell out every single word to every student as she had 25 kids in her class and couldn't give each one of them the kind of attention they would need to have that. She also believes that it helps the child think about the sounds and letters they are using.

 

Ok, I can see that. But as a homeschooler who lets her children do interest-led science and literature, I also think that it goes against being interest-led. When my daughter wants to write out a word, she generally asks me how to spell it correctly. She WANTS to spell it correctly the first time. Sure, I ask her to figure out CVC and other simple words that I know she knows how to spell, but when she wants to write “dinosaur†or “writing,†simply sounding out the words means she's going to get it wrong. And if someone unwittingly points it out to her (like a well-meaning sibling), she gets upset and wants to crumple up the paper and throw it out. I think it's because she's been reading for about a year now, and knows that there is a right way to spell everything, otherwise, a word won't make sense (and therefore the sentence, the paragraph, the story won't make sense).

 

With TWTM's emphasis on copywork and good writing, I don't see how creative spelling fits into the picture. This is the first child I've had to teach writing to, as my other children were in B&M schools until 7^th/3rd grades. They both used the creative spelling technique, and I don't know that it helped either of them – one is a natural speller, and one is an unnatural speller (you should see what she comes up with sometimes :blink: )

 

On a side note - this teacher is otherwise an excellent fit for us: unobtrusive, supportive in our choices of curriculum and following a 4-year history cycle, has a good understanding of working with an accelerated child, etc. This is the one thing that I disagree with her on, but I thought I'd better check with the hive to see if there is some method to her madness. Maybe something I've overlooked or not understood correctly?

 

I'd appreciate any thoughts/ insights you can offer!

 

-Gabrielle

[poiema]

I'm with you on this one. It sounds to me like you are already doing a good job. Journal writing is the only time I would allow creative spelling, but even then my kids usually ask how to spell words they don't know. I am almost positive that I remember reading in TWTM to tell children how to spell words when they ask. There is no reason for them to practice writing a word incorrectly, especially if they get frustrated when corrected. If it's a word you think they could sound out and spell correctly, then let them try. What I do sometimes is ask them how they think it's spelled and then coach them through it. It's different with a spelling word because they have already been given instruction on the correct spelling, so I do want them to try to spell out those words on their own.

[2smartones]

I do NOT allow misspelled words. If my kids ask for a word, I'll either give it to them or tell them to look it up. If they hand me work that has a misspelling, I make them correct it. Why? Because the more you see something, the more you believe it's correct, even if it's not. (Look at all the garbage we believe on the internet without using Snopes!) If I let them go for years spelling "thay" and "riting" and "dinosoar", thinking they'll eventually catch on, they're going to have to break the habit when they finally notice the difference. One of my kids is a phenomenal speller, and has been since he was 2. He rarely asks me for help unless it's a rule-breaking or foreign word. The other is a great reader, but he can't spell worth anything because of a mild hearing disability. I don't want him sounding out words, because not only will it not work in his case, (he only hears certain types of sounds), but he'll see those misspellings and burn them into his mind as if they're correct.

 

Experienced teacher or not, sometimes the teacher is wrong, and sometimes there are more than one or two ways to teach something.

[Tanikit]

I don't think it is necessary to use creative spelling to help children - not the way that is done in school at any rate. I think the reasoning behind this is to enable children to write whatever they want and use the bigger harder to spell words without worrying about their spelling. However since I am around almost all the time, my DD(5) can just ask me the words she wants to spell and can use the bigger words spelt correctly.

 

However my own DD does use a lot of invented spelling at the moment simply because she loves writing and does it when I am not around or when I am busy with her younger sister. She also tends to ask me how to spell sounds rather than whole words (Mom how do you spell "ow" rather than how do you spell "down") - usually I ask her what the word is, but once she has heard that sound she uses it in other words and not always correctly. She really likes to be independent so I do let some of it go and correct it in a spelling lesson later.

 

I have also found that if I want her to write something then with one on one teaching I can write the words I know she will try and struggle with on the whiteboard before she begins and then she can just copy them. As I write them on the whiteboard I try to get her to tell me how to spell them and discuss new words and spelling rules with her. My DD is not spelling most sight words correctly yet so I am gradually introducing them by watching her own independent writing carefully and if I see she is using a word incorrectly a lot of times then I introduce the correct spelling to her and it changes very rapidly (eg she was writing you as yo and then yoo when I taught her the oo sound - as soon as I told her it was you and wrote it for her she changed it and has written it correctly since) I do not correct her spelling when she brings me letters she has written for me - I just tell her they are lovely and make a mental note of what needs to be taught as I still want her to write me notes and not be put off by having to correct things.

 

I think there are advantages to each method and you need to find what works best for you, your family and your child in particular.

[boscopup]

I disagree with pushing invented spelling on young kids. My son's private school did that, and it took a long time to get my son to spell things correctly because of it!!! Now he's finally doing pretty well. Of course, he also went the other direction and got terrified of misspelling a word and thus terrified of writing anything original, but we've mostly gotten over that now. :)

 

I am a human dictionary, and I told my son that. If he ever needs to know how to spell a word, I will tell him. He usually wants to write with words he can't spell yet, as his spelling is average for his age, and his thoughts are higher (he's well read). Now I do let him do some invented spelling NOW that he's 8 and trying to crank out a rough draft of a paragraph sometimes. Otherwise, he was freaking out about putting pen to paper. But I do correct the spelling and show him what the correct one is. He's spelling things wrong a lot less these days, thanks to maturity and getting farther in his spelling program. But at age 5? Nope, I didn't expect him to know how to spell much of anything.

 

(I also didn't/don't do journaling... He had to do it in 1st grade, and half of his journal was empty prompts - he doesn't enjoy it)

[morgan]

I think this is pretty typical public school thinking. My oldest was encouraged to do creative spelling in her public school days and it drove me crazy. In the long run it didn't hurt her, but I don't get it.

[clemota]

Thank you, everyone, for confirming what I felt! She is able to spell creatively if I'm not around - including spontaneous/ umprompted writing - but it's her desire to spell correctly when I AM around that made me question it. I wasn't going to start a formal spelling program until next year (she's a young K - doesn't turn 6 until next Sept.), so that may help, too. All in good time, I know. :)

 

Mary Ann, thank you for the booklet suggestion: that sounds perfect for my daughter! She will LOVE having her own book of words. (And not something that Mommy put together :glare: ).

[Charlened1974]

When journaling with inventive spelling, the key is to have them write every sound they hear. Their writing should be immediately followed up with correct spelling. It sounds crazy, but I have seen huge gains in my classroom, and it as increased their phonic awareness in reading as well. It also fosters a greater independence. I have several who choose to write stories and cards during free choice activity, something they could not do without kid spelling.

[SarahW]

No, no inventive spelling.

 

My kid's charter does this, and it drives me crazy. Yes, it's because there's 25 kids and they are trying to have the kids "do" all sorts of things, but one-on-one? Not necessary.

 

This is what my kid wrote yesterday "I WiNt OUt ON A WOKE"

 

"out" and "on" are this week's spelling words (they're doing Dolch's list as far as I can tell). "wint" is supposed to be "went," which was on last week's spelling list, and which I personally drilled him extra on. "woke" is for "walk," and that isn't a spelling word he's had yet, but how he came up with that I don't know.

 

The worst was last Fall when he insisted for weeks straight that "pink" was spelled "pingk." Phonetically, I saw his point. But I was far from amused when I showed him the word in the dictionary and he decided that the dictionary must be wrong!

 

Tell the teacher that when you do schoolwork with your own kid and they ask how to spell a word, you will tell them.

[mathnerd]

I do not allow it. My son spells as follows: Skol (school), BluBary (blueberry), snom (snow - upside down w), wat (what), chees (chess) etc. Personally, I cannot stand it and it drives me nuts. And I see no creativity in reinforcing bad spelling. I told the teacher that it is OK for her to teach as per the guidelines of the school district, but at home and during homework I will correct the wrong spellings. My son writes 2 pages of journal every week for school homework and I painstakingly erase all the creative spellings (sometimes multiple corrections are needed) until the words are spelled correctly.

I like that booklet suggestion too and will get one for my DS.

[blondeviolin]

AAS had an article on this. They say it much better than I would.

http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/does-invented-spelling-have-its-place

 

[mathnerd]

AAS had an article on this. They say it much better than I would.

http://www.allaboutl...-have-its-place

Oh, thank you! I knew I was instinctively right, but this article says it a lot better than I could too :)