ROSIE AMSTUTZKRISTINE MORRIS

JULIE ANGLE-PESCHSANDRA NICKELL

BROOKE CLEVENGER

Stages ofSpelling Development

AGES 1 -7GRADES: PRE -K TO MID-1

CORRESPONDING STAGE OF READING AND WRITING: EMERGENT

Emergent

EmergentDescription

o The Emergent Stage is the beginning stage of learning about written language

o Early, Middle & Late Emergent stages

o From Scribbles to Invented Spelling

o Learn Letters

o Sounds in words

Emergent Spelling is the first stage listed of the five stages of Spelling Development (Words Their Way)

The Emergent stage is also referred to as the Preliterate stage (Henderson’s Stages) and the Pre-phonetic stage (Original Stage Names-Virginia Spelling Studies)

The Emergent stage typically involves spellers ranging in age from 0 to 5 years old, including most toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners and some beginning first graders.

The early emergent stage involves children learning how to hold an use a pencil, marker, or crayon to make marks on paper.

Students may produce large “scribbles” or drawings in the early Emergent stage. The students scribbles tell the story.

In the middle stage of the emergent stage the children start approximating the global contours of writing. The writing may occur in any direction but the children recognize top to bottom and linear arrangement.

Pretend writing in the Emergent stage is when children begin to write separate from the picture and the forms they draw are representative of letters and numbers learned. The writing is generally linear.

Toward the end, or late stage, of the Emergent stage children begin to use letters to represent sounds in a systematic way. Children must recognize some letters, even if its not all of the letters in a word, and be able to draw the letter, in addition to knowing that letters represent sounds.

Students begin to include prominent or salient sounds in words in their writing towards the end of the Emergent stage.

EmergentDescription

o Phonemic Awareness

o Modeling

o 5 Main Components of the Learning-To-Read Process

o Letter-Sound Knowledge and Vocabulary Growth

In the Emergent stage children do not have to be able to recognize or know all of the sounds letters make but should be able to recognize letters and at least say the letter when asked what sound it makes.

A degree of phonemic awareness is necessary for the child to divide syllables and invent words or spelling.

For Emergent readers, the purpose and goal of phonemic awareness instruction is to help the children classify the sounds they know into categories that coincide with printed word boundaries-beginnings and ends. (Words Their Way)

Students should be taught the names of the alphabet letters and the sounds they represent. Both teachers and parents or guardians can model for the children how to pronounce the letters and sounds.

The 5 main components of the learning-to-read process include: Vocabulary growth and concept development Phonological awareness Alphabet knowledge Letter-sound knowledge Concept of word in print“If all five components are addressed on a daily basis, no matter how far

along in the emergent continuum a child may be, conventional reading and writing should inevitably follow.” (Words Their Way)

Children can work on continuant sounds and articulation of words.

Children may begin to recognize sounds and words but may not fully understand or be able to relate the concept and ideas to the words to their meaning.

Sample of Emergent Spelling

Tips to Parents for Developing Orthographic Knowledge

Emergent Stage

“Developmental spelling research describes students’ growing knowledge of words as a continuum or a series of chronologically ordered stages of phases of word knowledge.” (Words Their Way)

Orthographic Knowledge is defined by three functional levels that are useful guides for knowing when to teach what: What students do correctly-an independent or easy level What students use but confuse-an instructional level where instruction is most

helpful What is absent in students’ spelling-a frustration level where spelling concepts

are too difficult.

Word Study is based on a students’ level of orthographic knowledge.

Parents can help develop Orthographic knowledge for their children by working with their children to recognize letters in the alphabet and practice saying what each letter is.

Parents can encourage their children ,who are in the Emergent stage, to write and draw stories or “scribbles” and have their children explain to them what they wrote about.

Parents who have children in the Emergent stage can help their children by demonstrating how to write letters properly and practice writing letters with their children.

Parents can help develop Orthographic knowledge with their children by working with them so that the children begin to recognize and develop knowledge that letters make sounds. They can then work on which letters make which sounds.

Parents can help develop Orthographic knowledge when working with their children by reading to them and demonstrating to their children how to recognize different letters, the shape of the letters and the sound of the letters in the book.

Parents can work with their children to have the children realize there are different print styles and a difference between capital and lower case letters but the letter is still the same.

Parents can work with their students to organize letter sounds by using picture sorts

Examples of Spelling Instruction

Emergent Stage

oStudents should be actively involved

oAlphabet Games & Matching Activities

oPicture Sorts

oFingerprint Reading & Tracking Words

oAlphabet & Letter Sounds

oConcept of Word

oPhonological Awareness & Language Play

oConcept & Vocabulary

Alphabet Games & Matching Activities: The Alphabet is learned through active exploration of the relationships between letter

names, the sounds of the letter names, their visual characteristics, and the motor movement involved in their formation.

Many alphabet activities begin with the child’s name, building it with letter titles, cutting it our of dough, or matching it letter for letter with a second set.

Picture Sorts: Start with meaningful text

Make sorts easier or harder as needed• Use a key picture and a letter as headers Begin with teacher-directed sorts Use sets of pictures that are easy to name and sort Correct mistakes on the first sort but allow errors to wait on subsequent sorts Vary the group sorting Plan plenty of time for individual practice Plan follow up activities Encourage invented spelling

Fingerprint Reading and Tracking Words: The best way for children to achieve a concept of word is to have them point to the

words as they reread familiar text and to draw their attention to letters and sounds when they get off track.

Alphabet and Letter Sounds: Students follow a set routine and point to the letters as they say the alphabet or ABC

song. Students can match upper and lower case letters. Concept of Word:

Students can use sentence strips and word cards while working to recognize familiar words and texts.

Phonological Awareness and Language Play: Students can work with rhyme or alliteration and listen for beginning or ending

sounds to develop phonological awareness. A concrete referent, such as print, helps children attend to sounds.

Concepts and Vocabulary Development: Oral language interaction with whole group talk, read -alouds, and activities to extend

students conceptual understanding of ideas and vocabulary.

Examples of Spelling InstructionEmergent Stage

oStudents should be actively involved

oConcept Development

oPhonological Awareness

oAlphabet Knowledge

oLetter-Sound Knowledge

oConcept of Word

Concept Development: Children are recommended to write during every possible opportunity during or following concept sorts. Beginning with Children’s Books and Concept Sorts Past the Pasta and Other Concrete Concept Sorts All My Friends Photograph Sort

Phonological Awareness: An array of understandings about sounds, including a sense of rhyme, alliteration, syllables, phonemic segmentation and blending are covered within the concept of Phonological awareness. Begin with Thyme in Children’s Books Match and Sort Rhyming Pictures Invent Thymes Use Songs to Develop a Sense of Rhyme and Alliteration Incorporate Phonological Skills into Daily Activities

Lining u, taking attendance or calling children to a group During read-alouds

Alphabet Knowledge: A development of all aspects of alphabet knowledge including letter recognition for both lower and upper case letters, letter naming, letter writing and letter sounds. Begin with Alphabet Books Alphabet Book Follow-ups Start with Children’s Names Alphabet Scrapbook Alphabet Eggs Letter Spin Sort Letters with Different Print Styles

Letter-Sound Knowledge: Review is important and children can continue to review beginning word sounds with activities such as picture and word sorts. Use Books to Enhance Beginning Sounds Soundline Letter Spin for Sounds Sort Objects by sounds Initial Consonant Follow-the-Path Game

Concept of Word: Fingerpointing and reading from memory when children are learning about letters and sounds at the same time will give logic and purpose to learning the other. “Fingerpoint reading to familiar rhymes and pattern books is the best way to achieve a concept of word” (Words Their Way) Rhymes for Reading Cut-Up Sentences The Morning Message

AGES: 4 -9GRADES: K TO EARLY 3

CORRESPONDING STAGE OF READING AND WRITING: BEGINNING

LETTER NAME

Key Features Three Sub-Divisions

The Letter Name – Alphabetic stage is the 2nd stage in this developmental model.

  It is characterized by the ability to use

letter names as a cue to the sound they want to represent. Students usually learn the letter names first and then use them to spell.

  Children understand that words can be

segmented into sounds and that letters of the alphabet must be matched to these sounds in a systematic way.

  This stage is sub-divided into Early,

Middle, and Late because of the rapid and dramatic growth during this time.

Early Students apply the alphabetic principle primarily

to consonants often spelling the first and last sound of single syllable words.

Writing often lacks spacing between words.  Middle

There is a consistent use of vowels. Silent letters are not usually represented. Short vowels are used, but confused. Consonant blends begin to be used correctly. Spelling is phonetic. Student can segment and

represent most of the sounds heard in a syllable.

  Late

Consistently represent most regular short vowel sounds, digraphs, and consonant blends.

Students have mastered the alphabetic layer of English orthography.

Will now begin to use, but confuse silent long vowel markers.

Letter Name Stage Description

Middle to Late Letter Name Sample

Tips for Parents to Develop Orthographic KnowledgeLetter Name Stage

Begin by focusing on initial consonants and then move toward blends and digraphs.o Use picture sorts and known words to review initial consonants. Talk about how the pictures/words

“sound at the beginning.”o Start with frequently occurring initial consonants where differences are clear visually and

phonologically.o Contrast specific consonants that children often confuse.o When students have a solid grasp of initial consonant sounds introduce ending consonant sounds.o After students are comfortable with initial and ending consonants begin introducing blends and

digraphs. Then introduce short vowels that are in the same word family moving toward combining word families.

o Model and use picture and known word sorts.o Start with short a word families (-at, -an, -ad, -ap) because they appear a lot in early reading

materials.o When students are comfortable with sorts that include the same word families offer sorts of mixed

word families. Use words students can read and easily distinguished. Then introduce short vowel words that are not rhyming/in the same word family.

o Use more word than picture sorts. Use pictures as the column headings for the sorts.o Use words that they know from sight words, word banks, and familiar texts.o Include an oddball category for words that do not fit the pattern of the sort to introduce children to

the variations of spelling. 

Examples of Spelling Instruction

Letter Name Stage

Review beginning sounds, digraphs, and blends. Create sound boards (WTW Appendix B). These provide a key

word and picture for each letter-sound match to help children make connections.

Use word and picture hunts. Children can hunt in magazines and catalogs and then cut and glue on another paper or chart.

Initial sound, digraph, or blend bingo.

  Study short vowels.

Play Hopping Frog Game. This is a board game where students spin the spinner and move to the first word that matches the vowel sound they land on.

Play Slide a Word. Students slide paper strips up and down a list of consonants. The paper strip already has a vowel on it so new words are created with each slide.

Play Follow-the-Pictures game. It is a follow the path game and templates are available in WTW Appendix F.

  Study word families.

Create word family wheels and flip charts for children to manipulate.

Create word maker games with cards. Children match initial consonants, digraphs, and blends to word families to create words.

Play Roll the Dice word family game. Play Go Fish with words from different word families. On the

child’s turn he will ask someone if they have a word that rhymes with a word in his hand to create a match.

AGES: 6 -12GRADES: 1 -MID-4

CORRESPONDING STAGE OF READING AND WRITING: TRANSITIONAL

WITHIN WORD

Within Word Pattern Stage Description

Begins as students transition to independent reading toward the end of first grade and expands throughout the second and third grades, and even into the fourth grade

Spellers typically range in age from 7 to 10 years.

Begins when students can correctly spell most single syllable, short-vowel words correctly as well as consonant blends, digraphs, and pre-consonantal nasals.

Students study words by sound and pattern simultaneously.

First the students study the common long-vowel patterns and then less common patterns.

Within Word Sample

Tips For Parents to develop Orthographic KnowledgeWithin Word Stage

Daily Interaction through listening and speaking

Purposeful reading

Daily writing

Examples of Spelling Instruction: Within Word

Develop word sorts Hands-on activities that mimic basic cognitive learning processes: comparing and contrasting categories of word

features and discovering similarities and difference within and between categories.

Teachers should read aloud to the students

Guide silent reading of simple chapter books

Have a open writing each day

Introduce five new high-frequency words a week and place them on the word wall

Provide word hunts• Ask the students to go through what they have recently read to find words that fit a particular sound or pattern.

Play the Turkey Feathers Game• Comparing Vowel Patters (page 191, Words Their Way textbook)

Play The Spelling Game•   Page 193 Words Their Way textbook

More Activities for this Stage in Words Their Way textbook pages 189 to 201

AGES: 8 -18GRADES 3 -8

CORRESPONDING STAGE OF READING AND WRITING: INTERMEDIATE

SYLLABLES & AFFIXES

Syllables & Affixes Stage DescriptionMajor Features:

o How consonant and vowel patterns are represented in polysyllabic words

o What occurs when syllables join together (syllable juncture)

o How stress or lack of stress determines the clarity of the sounds in syllables

o How simple affixes (prefixes and suffixes) change the usage, meaning, and spelling of words

The Syllables & Affixes stage is the next to last stage from Words Their Way. 

Typically, this stage begins in 2nd or 3rd grade for some but for most, it is 4th grade. 

This is when background knowledge and vocabulary become critical elements in comprehension. 

Developing word knowledge allows them to read more fluently which in turn allows them to exercise and expand their increasing level of cognitive and language sophistication. 

During this stage, focus shifts from one syllable words to two syllable words. With more than one syllable to consider, each syllable may present a spelling problem. 

Students grapple with affixes (prefixes and suffixes)

Students study base words as morphemes (meaning units) that must retain their spelling when an affix is added. Therefore, students must learn to rely on knowledge of the spelling-meaning connection.

Students examine how important word elements (prefixes, suffixes, and base words) combine . This is called structural analysis and it is also used a tool for vocabulary development, spelling, and figuring out unfamiliar words during reading.

Students learn where syllable and morphemic breaks come in words so that they can use the appropriate chunks to quickly and accurately read, spell and determine meaning of polysyllabic words.

Syllables & Affixes Sample

Modeling Structural Analysis

1. Examine the word for meaningful parts—base word, prefixes or suffixes.• If there is a prefix, take it off first.• If there is a suffix, take it off second.• Look at the base to see if you know it or if you can think of a

related word (a word with the same base).• Reassemble the word, thinking about the meaning

contributed by the base, the suffix, and then the prefix. This should give you a more specific idea of what the word is.

2. Try out the meaning in the sentence; check if it makes sense in the context of the sentence and the larger context of the text that is being read.

3. If the word still does not make sense and is critical to the meaning of the overall passage, look it up in the dictionary.

4. Record the new word in a word study notebook.

Tips to Parents for Developing Orthographic Knowledge

Syllables & Affixes

“The range of reading skill within this stage makes it imperative to revisit many of the orthographic concepts underlying syllables and affixes.”

Explore Compound Words Students learn how words can combine in different ways to make new words Helps to lay the foundation for explicit attention to syllables (very often compound words are composed

of two smaller words containing only one syllable) Knowledge of spelling of high-frequency, high-utility words is reinforced

Explore Base Words and Inflectional Endings/Suffixes Includes –s, -ed, and –ing Changes number and tense of the base word but does not change its meaning “One-One-One Rule”: one syllable, one vowel, one consonant—double (example: jogjogging) Note: this

rule has few exceptions and therefore is worth learning Your child should know the spelling of the base word before they are asked to think about adding

suffixes Explore Open/Closed Syllables

Open Syllables (CV) end with a long-vowel sound (ex. tiger) Closed Syllables (CVC) end with a short-vowel sound (ex. rabbit) When adding –ed or –ing to a base word, if your child is uncertain regarding whether to double the

consonant, they should say the word. If they hear a long-vowel sound, the syllable is open and will be followed by a single consonant.

(ex. hoping) If they hear a short-vowel sound, the syllable is closed and will be followed by two consonants. (ex.

hopping) Explore Syllable Junctures

Practice word sorts using syllable juncture patterns which include Explore Vowel Patterns

Vowel patterns explored in earlier levels using one-syllable words can be re-evaluated using two syllable words

Ambiguous vowels may be introduced. These patterns represent a range of sounds and spellings (ex. The ou spelling has four different sounds in shout, touch, your and thought.) By paying attention to the position of ambiguous vowels, your child can often determine which

spelling pattern occurs most often Explore Accent or Stress

Determine which syllable is emphasized, “sounds louder” Point out homographs (words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently). Ex. The band

hopes to record a record. Explore Base Words and Derivational Affixes

Derivational Affixes (both prefixes and suffixes affect their bases, the bases’ meaning and their grammatical function in a sentence.

A base word can stand alone after all prefixes and suffixes have been removed. This is also called a free morpheme.

Address how derivational affixes change the meaning of known words Further Exploration of Consonants

Expand and review on what your student knows from earlier levels

Examples of Spelling Instruction

Syllables & Affixes Stage

Guidelines:

oStudents’ should be actively involved

oStudent’s prior knowledge should be engaged

oStudents should have many exposures to words in meaningful contexts

oStudents need systematic instruction of structural elements and how these elements combine

Keep a Word Study Notebook Students will keep a notebook divided into 2 sections. In the Word Study section, students will

keep records of sorts, word hunts and lists generated in groups, and written reflections of sorts. In the Looking into Language section, lists of words related to themes and units, words categorized by parts of speech and semantic webs of content area studies.

Perform Compound Word Activities Share compound words, discuss meaning, draw pictures to illustrate Word Sorts: can focus on shared words or concepts Have students cut compound words apart. Then challenge them to create as many new

compound words as they can. Discuss, share, write sentences, draw pictures. Play Double Scoop

A gameboard is prepared and sentences using consonant doubling and e drop when adding inflected ending are written on small cards to go into a deck. A dry erase board is used to label headings of the to categories plus a category for no change. After player one rolls a die, player two reads a sentence from the first card. Player one writes the underlined word under the correct heading on the dry erase board without seeing it. Player 2 checks to see if the answer is correct. If correct, player 1 may move the number of spaces rolled. Play continues with players taking turns until there is a winner.

Play Freddy, the Hopping, Diving, Jumping Frog Create a game board with either Double, E Drop or Nothing written on each space. Prepare

playing cards with a variety of words having –ing added (an equal number for each rule). Playing cards are placed face down. Each player draws a card, reads it out loud and moves to the closest space that matches. Play continues by taking turns until there is a winner.

Play Slap Jack A two-person card came where open and closed-syllable words are represented by any of the

syllable spelling patterns. Words with the selected patterns are written on 52 cards. Cards are shuffled and dealt face down to each player until all cards are gone. Players simultaneously turn a card up and places it in a common pile. If both cards have the same pattern, the first player to slap the pile takes all the cards in the common pile. Play continues until one player ends up with all the cards.

Play Vocabulary Jeopardy Students generate vocabulary cards from a unit of study. Students make a game using a

gameboard template and write questions on cards that relate to facts and concepts studies. Answers are written on the back of the cards which are then sorted into categories. The whole class plays as teams.

Play other Words Their Way games Play Stressbusters

A board game used to practice discriminating the accented or stressed syllable in a given word. Play Pair Them Up

A card game similar to Memory where students match up unusual plurals such as wife/wives. Play Prefix Spin

A game where the idea that prefixes and base words can be combined in different ways

AGES: 10+GRADES: 5 -12

CORRESPONDING STAGE OF READING AND WRITING: ADVANCED

DERIVATIONAL

Derivational Stage Description

The derivational stage is the last stage from Words Their Way. 

The derivational stage is when new words are developed from other words, especially through affixes. 

Affixes are prefixes, suffixes, root words, or base words that are combined with other words. 

The derivational stage also encompasses the combining of words from their origins. 

Typically, the derivational stage is reached between the grades of 5th through 12th. 

This is associated with the meanings of words, as well as the stage for more advanced readers. 

Derivational Relations Sample

Tips to Parents to Develop Orthographic Knowledge:Derivational Stage

Increasing the reading material that is read at home as well as school.  By reading, students can increase their vocabulary and in

turn, improve their spelling techniques and habits.  Introduce your child to a variety of

genres during reading.   Facilitate an increase in your child’s high-

frequency word knowledge.  Introduce your child to different roots, prefixes,

and suffixes, both common and uncommon.  

Examples of Spelling Instruction:Derivational Stage

Create word sorts.  Word sorts are a game that forces the child to look within two words and find the

commonality between the two words.  Creating posters for the word. 

On the poster, the student writes the word, definition, synonym, or antonym, etymology, and either a sentence using the word or picture that represents the word. 

Practice base words using “Words that Grow” A picture of a tree with multiple branches is used.  At the trunk of the tree, the base word

is written.  Then, inside of the branches the words that have the base word inside of the words are written. 

Practice root words by playing “Brainburst” Root words are written on a note cards and placed in a stack lying face down. Then, the

students are told to flip the top card over and they are given 2-3 minutes to write down as many words that incorporate the root word shown on the note card.  If a student has a word that no one else does, that student gets a point. If multiple students have the same word, then no points are awarded. 

These ideas are just a few that seem to be the most engaging way to help teach spelling.  However, the Words Their Way program includes many games that would be helpful to all spelling stages or instructional strategies that could possibly be adapted for any word pattern stage.