spelling correctly assignment quizlet

Why is my kid allowed to make spelling mistakes?

April 18, 2014

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Dear Cult of Pedagogy,

Last week, my son brought home a stack of papers from his first-grade class. Some of them had obvious spelling errors, but no one had marked them wrong. Later that same day, I was helping my 10-year-old daughter with a research paper. I noticed a few misspellings on her draft, but when I pointed them out, she said, “My teacher told us not to worry about spelling when we’re drafting.”

What’s the deal? Why don’t teachers seem to care about spelling anymore?

When kids first learn how to write, they grapple with many different skills at once. After they master letters and build them into words, their next step is stringing those words together into complete ideas. That takes a lot of mental work, and trying to spell every word perfectly can slow the whole process way down. For this reason, many teachers in the early grades encourage inventive spelling , also known as temporary spelling — where the child makes his best guess on the spelling of the word, rather than stopping to find out the correct version.

This practice is grounded in research. A number of studies demonstrate that kids who are allowed to use inventive spelling learn to write more quickly, more fluently, and with a richer vocabulary than those who work under more rigid spelling expectations (Kolodziej & Columba, 2005).

Researchers suggest that parents think about inventive spelling the way they once viewed their child’s early attempts at speech:

When the child said “ba-ba,” did the parent say, “No, honey, it is pronounced “bottle”? Parents treasure this developmental step their child took towards conventional speaking by lavishly praising the child and offering the bottle…The child will not call the item a “ba-ba” for the rest of his/her life; rather, when the child is developmentally ready, he/she will be able to say “bottle” (Kolodziej & Columba, 2005, p. 217).

In the later years, spelling does “count,” but it has a time and a place. Most writing teachers use some version of the Writing Process , where students are taught to (1) gather and group their ideas (pre-writing), (2) flesh out those ideas in sentences and paragraphs (drafting), and (3) reorganize the piece so that it accomplishes the writer’s goals (revising). Only then, after the piece has been revised into a shape that’s close to finished , do most teachers tell their students to start the next step: editing. In this stage, final corrections are made to spelling, punctuation, and usage.

The reason spelling and mechanics are de-emphasized in the first few steps is the same as in the younger grades: Too much focus on correctness interrupts the flow of ideas. Furthermore, teachers want students to understand that good writers revise their pieces many times for structure, development, clarity and voice. Although the mechanics are important for polish, correct spelling can’t make up for a poorly structured, underdeveloped piece of writing . And if a piece is going to be revised several times, it makes no sense to keep correcting the mechanics, only to have those words dumped entirely in a later revision.

Producing a finished piece of writing is a lot like putting on a polished musical performance: It requires the synthesis of many skills, some of which need to be handled separately. Imagine if a band conductor brought a brand-new piece of music to her band and expected all sections to play it together, perfectly, the first time. Even someone with no musical training can see that this is an unreasonable approach. Instead, if each instrument section starts by practicing their part separately, the performers will get really solid on their individual parts before pulling it all together to refine the complete performance.

So what should you do if your child comes home with a paper full of spelling or other mechanical errors? Take a cue from the teacher: If the teacher hasn’t mentioned the errors, then  spelling was not a priority for this particular assignment or at this particular stage . Instead, praise the content itself. Here are some specific things to look for, and if they are there, to praise:

Strong, vivid vocabulary : “You chose a really interesting word to describe that monster – ferocious.”

Idea development : “You described how the lizard’s tongue works really clearly. At first I couldn’t understand how a tongue can smell, but this sentence helps.”

Audience awareness : “This introduction really grabbed my attention.”

Organization : “Nice transition here: ‘On the other hand.’ That’s a good way to show that you’re going to talk about a different side of the issue.”

Attempts at sophisticated construction: “Is that a semicolon? That’s a pretty advanced punctuation mark. I like to see you trying new things with your writing.”

If you want to help your child improve his spelling, keep assignments that contain errors in a folder. Later in the year, after a certain kind of word has been taught – say, the difference between there , their , and they’re — have your child go through the folder and see if they can catch some old mistakes with this set of words.

Rest assured, teachers still care very much about spelling. They just recognize that learning other skills — harder, more complex skills — often works best when those skills get a student’s full attention. Single instruments first, then the whole orchestra.

Kolodziej, N.J., & Columba, L. (2005). Invented spelling: Guidelines for parents. Reading Improvement , 42 (4), 212-223.

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Categories: Instruction , Learning Theory

Tags: English language arts , Grades 3-5 , Grades 6-8 , Grades K-2 , learning & memory , parent-teacher connection

54 Comments

Thank you, Jennifer! I have this very problem with my own kids. I translated your writing into Russian and shared it with my friends (worrying parents, too). They all say Thank you!

Wow! I had no idea this would reach that far away. I’m so excited to hear it. Thanks for letting me know!!

Jennifer I am thankful to you I like to go through your weekly tips

This was so helpful and enlightening 🙂 Thank you!!!

Spelling is a problem – as are grammatical and syntax errors, etc. The actual problem, I have found, is that students rely on the teacher to edit their papers to locate and change the errors. This happens, especially, in the high school. Students have learnt that if the teacher doesn’t mark it there is no error there. I have taken to drawing a line after 5 mistakes in a paper and then handing it back to the student. This goes on and on until they have worked to fix those errors and are able to have pride in what they’ve done; in a perfect world, they would use the lessons learnt from the 1st grade on, and remembered the rules – but they tend to be lazy (I find teachers and, especially, administrators are quite guilty of errors that are glaringly obvious, as well!) and want someone to do the work for them – and why not?! Teachers do it. However, I’ve taught my students I’m not their editor, and when they leave school they should know how to function in this manner on their own. The papers then begin to be written with more care. It does take longer for me to accept them, and the rotating pile seems to move well. It’s when they have 3 – 4 papers in process they begin to tire. Then, voila! With the next quarter, things have changed! Spelling and other errors go down with the first draft!

This is a great idea, Tony. I can imagine that to sustain this, a teacher would need patience and a certain amount of comfort with mental clutter, because there would always be that sense of things hanging out there, unfinished. Still, I think it would be worth it to deal with this discomfort for the sake of changing students’ habits. I have two questions, to help me understand how you worked this:

(1) Did you correct the first 5 mistakes, or mark them in any way? Or did you just mentally count them and draw the line after you got to five?

(2) How did you keep track of where each student was in the process? I’m assuming you had some way of recording that a student had turned a paper in, but was in the re-writing process. How were points/grades given to students who were still in the middle of this cycle? And did there come a point where a grade had to be assigned, regardless of mistakes that were still there?

Thanks for contributing. I look forward to hearing back from you!

I agree Tony, allowing kids to make mistakes is creating bad habits that will require more effort later on to break these bad habits. What sickens me is, I had to learn while I was in school and now it seems like it’s a free for all. Teacher seem to have more excuses why they’re not putting the effort into teaching as they did 4 decades ago. The teachers 40+ years ago got paid a fraction of the money and put 3-4 times the effort into the children as compared to today. I know I will get beat up over this but it only bother the people that can’t run from personal truth. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great teachers out there but it’s like being a parent…..your not there to be their friend, you’re getting paid to teach the right way and not make it twice as hard to learn in later years. All this does is create bad habits and this is why dropout rates in university’s continue to increase.

You’ve never tried to teach kindergarteners or first graders to write!

Totally agree with you!

Did you not read the article??

If creativity is stifled in favor of doing everything “correctly” many kids will view writing AND reading as a chore for the rest of their lives.

Don’t write “ferocious” until 3rd or 4th grade, when you’ve learned to spell it? Just write “scary”?

Further, did you ever learn that you should skip a difficult question on a test and come back to it later? It’s the same idea. Skip the trip to the dictionary, let the thoughts flow first. The trip to the dictionary will come later, when you’re polishing the story.

Well done you how will children learn my daughter aborimary school teacher in Belfast County Antrim Northern Irelandb

A primary school teacher . my daughter teaches ages 10/11 year old boys and girls x

If the research says ignoring spelling errors builds better writers, then I think that’s good. On the other hand, when does a teacher draw the line? My older daughter (now 30 years old) was told by her fifth grade teacher that spelling wasn’t important. My wife and I put an end to that quickly. What do you guys think? When should a student be told to worry about spelling? At some point, it should be important. You should see the spelling in some of the essays I have seen seventh graders write!

Teachers who say spelling isn’t important have missed the message, and they are doing students a disservice by making blanket statements like that. Of course, any teacher will tell you that kids often misquote us completely out of context. Any parent whose child comes home telling them their teacher said something like that should double-check with the teacher, because my guess is that the original message was something more nuanced than that.

For many writing teachers, it makes sense to draw the line at the final copy — when the student has done sufficient revising, editing, and proofreading and declares a piece “done” and ready for grading. This is when misspellings would (and should) be marked off. I want my students to understand that poor grammar and misspellings will cause others to judge it unfavorably, and that it’s in their best interest to represent themselves in the best light possible. In many cases, a piece that is submitted with lots of spelling errors will simply be returned to the student for correction and resubmission. Because a lot of student work is done and saved digitally nowadays, making these corrections isn’t too terribly time-consuming or arduous.

This research summary concludes that direct instruction of spelling is quite effective in teaching students to spell correctly, and it reviews several methods for their effectiveness. Using these methods as part of a balanced literacy program that includes frequent writing and a TON of regular reading should help students become good spellers.

Thanks for letting us know — we’ll look into it.

Speaking of balanced literacy programs, this post by Angela Peery summarizes the qualities schools should be looking for when evaluating their literacy instruction: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/literacy-check-up/

I know you mean well but you’re putting us back ten years by promoting a ‘whole language’ approach:-( We’ve had 3 major inquiries about this and your advice contradicts th recommendations (National Reading Panel, USA, Rose Report, UK and AU Inquiry) But, more importantly, we can actually see what is happening in the brains of children who struggle to code (translate speech sounds to print) and we know why. This advice ignores that. We need to teach children to code speech sounds with their representations on paper to increase white matter/ overcome the poor phonemic awareness issues. This advice is a nightmare for dyslexics who actually need their brains rewiring using specific spelling strategies – as seen in clip I will post.

When teachers do not understand how to teach all learners to spell (not by rote/ look cover say- authentically, using the brain!) at an early age prevents them from reaching their potential – it impacts on reading as well.

So just because teachers don’t understand how to teach children to write their thoughts and feelings on paper by hand as quickly as they write, before Year 2, and get 90% of the spellings correct, don’t tell the kids ‘it doesn’t matter’ and t focus on content. Please. Every time they spell the same word incorrectly it makes it harder for the brain to identify what is wrong. And with spelling there is a wrong or right answer. All words are in the SSP King’ Code Book ie the Dictionary – and children who learn using SSP understand how important it is to not only write creatively, but also stick to the code. Most who write similar articles have just never seen students using SSP, or understand that kids WANT to know the right way to spell what they are saying.

Knowing what ‘looks right’ is what adults do when unsure – why deprive kids of that? It’s how the brain makes sense of coding out of context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW3uU27oGxk

Miss Emma Wiring Brains Education, Australia.

Hello Miss Emma,

I appreciate you taking the time to share this information with me. I certainly have no interest in contradicting sound research or taking us backward. This piece is written based on my own experience as a middle school writing teacher, my experience teaching my own three children to read and write, how I was trained as a teacher, and the research I did while working on this piece. I would be very interested in seeing the recommendations you mention above (National Reading Panel, USA, Rose Report, UK and AU Inquiry) — can you reply with a few links so I can read up on this?

I really enjoyed the video — your enthusiasm is contagious, and I can well imagine that a child who has been trained in the use of the Spelling Clouds and the keyring would develop strong spelling skills. Because my training is not in early education, I am not familiar with methods like SSP, but I appreciate you sharing it here so that others who are interested in learning new methods can become acquainted with them.

I do have one question, however: While watching the process a child would go through to determine the correct spelling of a word, I couldn’t help but think that doing this many times during the course of a paragraph might take quite a bit of time. I’m curious about when you recommend the child do these steps in the writing process. Should it happen right in the middle of composing a sentence — before moving on to the next word? Based on your initial reply (above), my guess is that you would not advocate for the child writing “sed” first, moving on with the rest of the sentence, and then going to the keyring after getting the paragraph down. I just want to be clear that I do not think a child should never correct a word, but I imagine that stopping so often to investigate the correct spelling might cause many children to forget what they wanted to say in the first place. I think of it almost like riding a bicycle — if you maintain a minimum speed, you can keep the bike upright, but if you slow down too much, you topple over. So I’m wondering if SSP recommends that students stop every time to get the word right, in order to wire the brain correctly. And if this is indeed the recommendation, I wonder if this hampers students’ writing fluency.

I look forward to your response. Thank you for introducing this information here and for helping to further this discussion.

When there is a problem with the spellings, we should question ourselves How did it start? Was there a follow up? And even if it was shouldn’t the children finish the task that was given by the teachers I am not saying I know it all I know its time consuming to follow all the kids Can you suggest how to do it?

I am a dyslexic; I find that many educators do not comprehend the issue. In the end, their instruction becomes useless. They can not see the forest for the trees. (It is my opinion that proofreading should always come last)

Thank you so much for saying this! I am in Canada, in New Brunswick and I am so frustrated and discouraged by how our daughter (finishing grade 4 ) is learning how to spell, that I am really close to homeschooling her next year.

Yes! This happened to my son exactly as described. The whole language program masked his dyslexia early on and he never progressed but was allowed to succeed based on creative spelling. Then in fifth grade they started to penalize him for not being able to keep up. Demoralizing.

Thanks for the article. I was just as stressed about my daughter’s spelling in KG, but her teacher had assured me that building confidence and content was more important at that age. I could see her confidence and willingness faltering the next year when a different teacher insisted that she look up every spelling in the dictionary before using it in her writing. Watching how the two approaches changed her attitude about writing was enough to convince me!

Thanks for sharing this story. Hearing individual families’ stories is especially helpful in deepening our understanding of these ideas. How is your daughter’s confidence (and spelling) these days? How old is she now?

Spell check goes a way towards fixing errors when typing on the laptop but does it teach them to check for their own errors. noticed while helping my son with his project last night by the time he clicked the spacebar the incorrect word was auto-corrected and he just thinks he spelt it right , as I mentioned to him to please check…he said “Look I did spell it right.” Our school gives them word families to learn as spelling words , but the actual weekly test is different words to see if they follow the word/sound rules.

I agree, spell check has significant limitations, and we need to teach students how to use it, but not to rely on it. How do you feel about the word family approach? To me, it sounds like a smart idea to test them on different words with similar patterns — I don’t think I’ve heard that one before, but it makes sense.

When I was in my early school years I wasn’t taught the writing process because the focus was put on word by word spelling and structure. Honestly, I feel like this bit me in the butt. Not only did it not work for me, (I am horrible at spelling and my grammar is even worse), but it also didn’t prepare me for the bulk of my essay writing.

When I first learnt the writing process I didn’t want to look stupid so I edited the hell out of my first drafts and claimed they were always that way. My first draft and final draft were identical and I got horrible marks! My teachers wanted to see that the first draft was vastly different from the final draft because it showed that I was learning the skills they were trying to teach me. Fixing my errors and developing my ideas by editing my drafts meant that I could thoughtfully self critique. This plays into the idea that there isn’t always going to be a teacher with a red pen to tell me when I’m wrong. When I finally got on board I got better marks because the teacher could see me developing and give me better advice on how to improve. This made me a better writer. So maybe I rely too heavily on spell check, but I have a strong sense of how to convey my thoughts, which is what writing is suppose to accomplish.

Example being I read and re-wrote this comment multiple times. It looks nothing like what I originally wrote. I’m sure there are still mistakes, but it is a better expression of my ideas than my first draft which looked more like “GOOD POST! LOVE IT! WRITING PROCESS IS THE BOMB YO! ahfhadfadhf!?”

I’m 49 so, I learned spelling through phonics, lists, and drills. I’m a good speller now, and I’m a good writer now. I’m a high school English teacher now. The thing to remember, though, is that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else. Since I teach in high school, I don’t teach spelling per se, but I do have to find a way to convince poor spellers to work on improving their skills, and different techniques are necessary for different students. Research can tell us best practices, but it can’t trump experience. By that same token, experience tells us not to dismiss research out of hand. It’s all a balance. I think I meandered a bit, but my point is that exposing students to a variety of teaching methods is best.

I taught 8th grade U.S. history for 13 years and have been a school librarian for 16. When teaching history I did have a spelling/grammar component on my rubrics, but did not correct each error in an assignment. I simply circled each error and would then add points if the student did corrections. But I have worked with adults who have spelling and grammar errors in every email. It really lowers my opinion of them as educators. If you don’t respect language, I have a hard time respecting you.

Meh. This is how it was when I was in school… and it makes sense to me.

First grade is when reading, writing and spelling start being actively tested and graded. However, Children need to learn these things granularly and gradually. Thus, they are given a list of very specific words each week that they are then tested on at the end of week (or whatever their teacher’s schedule is).

How are we to expect children to suddenly be able to write every word they may want to use correctly? Should we limit their creativity to only the words they can spell correctly.

Additionally, these children have to learn all of the ‘rules’ of English… Which is notorious for having inconsistent and even arbitrary rules.

In my experience, it has been that teachers will bring up when something like ‘ba-ba’ is written for ‘Bottle’… but they won’t mention incorrect spellings if it’s phonetically spelled out in a way that makes sense with the ‘rules’ they’ve been taught so far… Unless, of course, that word is actively on the spelling list that they’re being tested on.

But yeah, I think the main thing here is that you can’t expect children to suddenly know how to spell every word they might want to use while they’re still learning the various and aribitrary rules of English. There’s a reason why English is often considered one of the hardest languages to learn to write.

But hey, you’re their parent… I suppose you can take it upon yourself to tell them not to writing words they don’t know how to spell… even if they’re simply trying to follow the rules they’ve learned thus far to write out a common phrase they’ve heard.

I found this really interesting,as we have bilingual children (English and Welsh), especially as my 6 year old is now practicing independent writing. It is something that I have learned just comes with practice, there is no point in getting uptight about it. I quite enjoying seeing the inventive spellings!

This was fantastic to read, due to the fact l’m working with children with literacy and writing. Maybe you can give me more helpful hints encouraging children getting interested in writing

Thank you very much for sharing the research. My own experience in writing was terrible because my primary teachers focused more on spelling, handwriting and presentation rather than the writing ideas which was given to us in order to present good writing. As I started my secondary school I found that I have to find my own ideas for writing, it took me a while to get the balance between good spelling and good writing.. As a teacher for early years I completely agree with you. When children are obsessed about spelling it often delays the flow of writing. Keeping the balance between encouraging writing, flow of thoughts and to love writing on one side and presenting good spelling, punctuation,etc., is a challenge for the child and the teacher. I would say it is mostly in the teacher’s hands (and parents) to wisely encourage, support and discuss next steps in a positive way. Building a child who is confident and can reflect on his/her own work and consider mistakes as ways forward is the key to it from my experience.

Wow, Jennifer, you are a true master of dealing with parents.. You should be a superintendent. It’s reached far BTW. I have a small English school in Bangkok and if I were half as good at talking to parents as you I would be a rich man.

This is what I do with my Grade 1 students. I teach them Science and I don’t deduct points for wrong spelling if it is not part of the learning objectives (and usually, it’s not). However, when they submit their papers for grading, I do write the correct spelling of the words they’ve misspelled. Some students take note of my corrections and no longer commit the same spelling mistakes in future activities, but it takes a while for most of the students. Is this practice acceptable?

I am a product of “Whole Language” which included inventive spelling. Although I love to read and write, spelling is still a struggle for me and I’m an English teacher! I think there needs to be a healthy balance between inventive spelling and correcting spelling mistakes.

I agree, Lindsay. In this post, I’m trying to emphasize the timing of the corrections, rather than pushing the idea that they aren’t important. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Inventive spelling eventually becomes a problem. When my stepdaughter’s 11th grade English teacher told us that she allowed “inventive spelling” on final papers, it was a problem. As a long term HR Dir. I can tell you inventive spelling gets your resume thrown away. So, please ensure that this stops long before the high school years.

As a new entrant teacher with 20 years experience, I have seen children begin school with a range of abilities . Some are able to write a variety of words and others are unable to hold a pencil, have no alphabet or phonemic knowledge and are not able to recognise let alone write their own name.

When teaching new entrant children to write, I encourage them to use inventive spelling with their emerging phonemic knowledge as it also gives them a feeling of success. As their writing knowledge and confidence develops I insist they spell the Essential Spelling list 1 words/high frequency words correctly.

This practise continues through to year 3. By year 4 we expect children to spell the Essential Spelling lists 1-8 correctly, which is taught by not only using the look, cover, say, write, use in authentic sentence strategies but also by Phonological, Visual, Morphemic, and Etymological.

Because we insist on spelling those high frequency words correctly children aren’t training their brains to spell these words incorrectly. Words they use inventive spelling for are words like Clidesdale (Clydesdale) hoorses (horses) etc.

I was surprised to read Miss Emma’s comments calling this is an outdated practise.

As far as I have seen, it has been successful and matches the stages of a child’s writing development.

I particularly liked your quote – ‘Single instruments first, then the whole orchestra’, it sums up what I’m saying.

Thanks for a great read.

I’m curious what would be said of misspellings on a science assignment. One sentence answers full of misspellings? Is that ok? In a writing assignment, I see the value. In filling out every day paperwork or other assignments, not so much. I happen to be a band director.

Hi Katy! This is Debbie, a Customer Experience Manager with CoP. This is a great question. Here’s my thinking … kids, regardless of the content area in which they’re writing about, should always be thoughtful and purposeful with their communication. That includes spelling. It should be an expectation that kids apply previously taught word study strategies to words they don’t know. But spelling shouldn’t hold them back from writing what they want to say. What we don’t want to happen is have kids limit their voice based on limited spelling abilities. If spelling interferes with the reader’s ability to understand what the writer is even talking about, then of course that’s a problem. The teacher may need to work with that student individually. Otherwise, if misspellings don’t interfere with readability, then after checking the work for content understanding, the teacher can have kids go back to fix up words they actually knew or use resources such as a classroom “Words to Know” anchor chart to fix others. Bottom line: If it’s science or some other assignment, then first assess that. Work with spelling afterwards.

I believe that every point they’re making is wrong. This “inventive” spelling doesn’t stop past the first few years. They continue to make these incredibly stupid spelling errors well into their 20’s. If it stops at all. It doesn’t do anything to “enrich” their vocabulary or make them more creative. They just express themselves in what looks like an incredibly uneducated way. Because those of us that bothered to actually learn are extremely irritated by what looks to be childish writing from those who are too old to still be doing it. They don’t go on to learn how to actually spell, they remain in a world that tolerates laziness on the part of the people supposedly educating them. Just read comments online to see what I mean. Spell check isn’t going to tell someone that new isn’t correct when they were trying to say knew. So if the goal is to dumb down younger people, they’ve already been doing a spectacular job. Spell check doesn’t work at all when you’re using real words inaccurately.

So. Much. Yes.

How about the future of everyone “voice dictating” everything? That ought to be very peaceful in the classroom…and most certainly creative, as well.

Excellent response. In addition to tutoring, I’m a proofreader for several independent authors. After they get their draft finished, they consult with an editor who helps with structure, story line, and other facets of the book. I get it after those edits are done. I look for spelling and grammar and punctuation. When I have my students write, I tell them that a draft is just that, a draft. When it’s ready for others to read, they need to use “book spelling” so that their readers don’t get confused. I help them with that.

You don’t need to deduct points in all cases but should still show the correction. If you let them misspell the same word hundreds of times, the repetition makes it harder to fix later.

SO glad to read this post! This is the first year I have implemented this approach and, for my reluctant writers (75% of may class), it has freed them up to be creative and write stories. Several have said, “I don’t hate writing anymore,” or their parents have approached me and said, “It is so nice, we haven’t had any tears over this writing assignment!” We will absolutely emphasize the importance of spelling and grammar AFTER the revision process. I want them to have the freedom to explore and express their wonderfully creative ideas and not be stilted by the grammar and spelling police. In my career I have assisted millionaire CEOs and entrepreneurs with brilliant minds. Some had atrocious spelling and grammar – but brilliant minds for ideas and inventions, as well as amazing business acumen. I partnered with them to help their communication skills. I thought no less of them because of their spelling and grammar. I wished my mind had the skills theirs had! And while the two are not mutually exclusive, we live in a world full of opportunities for partnership and collaboration. It’s not that we don’t want to always try to improve the areas where we are weak – it’s that we must learn to work with people, with grace and humility, building each other up and helping each other be better every day.

YES! At first I was taken aback that my kindergartener was being encouraged to spell “inventively,” but it totally makes sense AND is grounded in research. Thanks for the post!

What is your intake on Spelling Test? What about on paper? Google Forms? I’m in my third year of teaching and it took so much time doing it on paper and saying the words out. The past few years I did it on Google Forms. Some students like it online, some don’t. I had a few talked to me and think it doesn’t help them when done online. Just curious on what you think.

Hi Garrett, We were able to respond via email to your question and thought that some of the resources that we shared with you may benefit others who visit this post!

Here are some resources that may be useful to use in the classroom for many content areas, including spelling and vocabulary:

6 Powerful Learning Strategies 4 Research-Based Strategies How to Use the Reciprocal Learning Strategy

We also have a couple of Pinterest boards that have a ton of resources for Spelling and Vocabulary: Grammar, Mechanics, and Spelling Vocabulary and Word Study

Here are some other fun, easy and quick ways to assess: Crumple and Shoot Kahoot! Quizlet Plickers Quizziz

I would like to add a little perspective to the discussion by mentioning that Germany has struggled with inventive spelling (aka “Lernen nach Gehör”) for the past decade and more. It became standard teaching practice in many federal states but has since been criticised/ abolished again in many.

As a parent of three children from Kindergarten through late middle years and a teacher librarian for MYP and DP I can only stress that the method – while having its merits as to children writing early and more expressively – will create havoc if not applied consistently and systematically in practice. Numerous and for that matter more recent studies show this. I believe that a combination of exposing children to word clouds/ lists and a consistent approach to handling misspellings can leverage the advantages of inventive spelling at the same time. The emphasis being on “consistent” here, leading to teachers having to be schooled in the right application of the method but again only in combination of equally important and (more) established approaches.

In addition I will say that learning to write through inventive spelling is a highly individual experience and teachers need to work at student level – not class level – in order to find the right approach and it pains me to even have to say this. My 13 year old is a prefect example for that. He learnt to spell German by said method applied inconsistently and struggles with spelling to this day. He then went on to learn English (Gd. 5) and French (Gd. 7) at different schools without inventive spelling (but with a toleration for early misspellings) and is since close to perfect spelling and grammar in these. He never picked up on the “corrections” offered by his teachers in German, committing his spelling to memory and reinforcing the connection of visual and motor skills related to the specific misspelling. To this day, he is more frustrated with his native German language skills than with his foreign language skills. On the other hand our 9 year old went through a similar process and makes less spelling mistakes all around. I will add that they are both avid readers and writers with a strong vocabulary in all languages.

So my recommendation is for parents to have a close eye on how your child’s teacher applies the method (is it clearly communicated, is it consistently applied, when does your child get a chance to realise their spelling mistakes and how many repetitions of individual misspellings happen without correction) and how your child reacts to the method.

And my recommendation to teachers would be to be very attentive to individual students’ needs and proficiencies. Don’t just stick with a method that makes it seemingly easier for you or the child just because it’s trendy but will mess with a child’s aptitude for years to come if misunderstood and the driving approach. As for my own experience, I will stay as far away from inventive spelling as a method as I can while being open to early misspellings and keeping a watchful eye on repeated misspellings for my youngest child. As for my MYP/DP students, I also practice the “rule of 5” mentioned above for most writing stages, offering recommendations mostly for systemic misspellings and emphasising the importance of correct spelling in coordination with English teachers etc..

All in all I think that relying on the method as the central teaching method for writing post second grade is a called for nightmare and recent studies in Germany seem to agree (with some caveats on methodology across studies). YMMV.

A very worrisome and ever-increasing reality in my 40 years experience as an educator: Far too many current teachers are not capable of recognizing blatant grammatical and spelling errors. If the teacher has not mastered second grade English, they do not know how to help their students edit written work. Trendy research aside, think of writing in terms of an athlete, a musician, or a surgeon. In addition to requiring regular practice and preparation to strengthen personal knowledge and skills, the only way to progress to the next level, and ultimately achieve excellence, is by developing one’s ability to recognize and solve problems as they arise. It is a lifelong process, and tossing children into the deep end of the ocean, without any correction or instruction along the way, will prove disastrous. A healthy guide-on-the-side strives to nurture their students’ greatest potential, and knows how to encourage each unique voice while making useful corrections along the way, so that students understand the purpose behind their writing, and why it matters. That doesn’t mean the instructor has to deduct points while the student is learning, but provides an opportunity for the student to figure it out and correct the mistake on their own. Waiting until the final draft is too late! Ignoring grammatical errors, misspelled words, and sentence structure in early elementary school might explain why we have high school graduates who cannot read or write; school administrators and young university professors who cannot communicate effectively. I have the glaring consequences of the “look the other way” method, hanging on my wall of shame. Course documents written by Ivy League English Comp and Literature professors, which were provided to students over the past two decades (online course syllabus, weekly reading and writing assignments, open-book quizzes, etc). From incorrect usage of common homophones (to-too-two, their-they’re-they’re), to a failure to spell authors’ names, straight off the cover of books they have assigned. Dr. Flake should be more than a little familiar with well-known poets, given it’s the content area they “teach.” One English prof has (for 20 years) misspelled “Emilie Dickensin”…..WTF? I have to question their “mastery” of the subject. What is more disturbing and shameful – that these professors do not bother to proofread and correct their own work, or that they do not know any better? There was only one person (a 52 yr old grad student) who dared to bring this to the professor’s attention, after the student’s correct spelling of Emily Dickinson was marked “wrong” and her brilliantly written essay marked down to a “C” for no apparent reason. The majority of other students reported using the incorrect spelling on written quizzes and final exams because they assumed the teacher must know better than the textbook. When misspellings and writing errors are not addressed along the way, students might set the incorrect versions to memory, and do not realize how this can negatively impact their future. How many times should a math teacher overlook 2+2 = 5, before getting around to explaining why it is incorrect? Students can easily be taught how to use dictionaries and style books the moment they start learning to read, so that it becomes a habit. How many seconds does it take to check spelling online? Teaching laziness and mediocrity only sends students the message that if you don’t care – why should they?

Well I like Jennifer’s post so much it has taught me how to go on my teaching

I feel if this kind of method was used in the schools it would be helpful and it would improve us how to use this method in teaching

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Breadcrumbs

Selecting Correctly Spelled Words Worksheets

In our spelling section, we have created a series of spelling challenge worksheets that ask students to identify the correctly spelled word among a set of words of different spellings. Two of the words are misspelled, and one is the correctly spelled word.

Grade 1 correct spelling practice

Students are given clues to work out which word is spelled correctly from an option of three words. The worksheets are grouped by topic.

Spelling challenge at grade 2 level

These worksheets are similar to the grade 1 level worksheets. Students are given three different spelling options to choose from .

Grade 3 spelling challenge worksheets

At the grade 3 level, we don’t provide clues to the words. Students now select the correct word , and then rewrite it on the line provided.

Spot the correctly spelled words for grade 4

The words in these spelling challenge worksheets are grouped by topic covering grade 4 level words.

Grade 5 spelling challenge practice

Students select the correctly spelled words , then cover the worksheet and write the word on the line provided.

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Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about.

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

• Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours, days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh eyes.
• Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
• Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size, spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a different perspective on what you’ve written.
• Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
• If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
• If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding assignments and developing an argument .)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions .)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development .)

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language .)

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading, especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished, you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below. Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

• Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type “your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of “their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.
• Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.
• Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting one kind of mistake won’t catch others.
• Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud , which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
• Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy, try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the line you’re working on.
• Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.
• Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.
• Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.
• Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure about something, look it up.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you are drafting the paper.

Think you’ve got it?

Then give it a try, if you haven’t already! This handout contains seven errors our proofreader should have caught: three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors. Try to find them, and then check a version of this page with the errors marked in red to see if you’re a proofreading star.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Especially for non-native speakers of English:

Ascher, Allen. 2006. Think About Editing: An ESL Guide for the Harbrace Handbooks . Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Lane, Janet, and Ellen Lange. 2012. Writing Clearly: Grammar for Editing , 3rd ed. Boston: Heinle.

For everyone:

Einsohn, Amy. 2011. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications , 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Tarshis, Barry. 1998. How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes . New York: Three Rivers Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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5.4: Proofreading for Spelling

Learning objectives.

2. ENL1813 Course Learning Requirement 1: Plan, write, revise, and edit short documents and messages that are organized, complete, and tailored to specific audiences.

i. Use a systematic approach to edit, revise, and proofread (ENL1813 CLR R5.3) ii. Edit and proofread documents to eliminate errors (ENL1813 CLRs H1.5, I1.5, M1.6, S1.6, T1.5) iii. Spell, punctuate, and use vocabulary correctly (ENL1813A 1.2) iv. Revise documents to improve clarity, correctness, and coherence (ENL1813 CLRs G1.5, P1.4, R7.4)

With the help of technology such as spellcheck features in Microsoft Word and online apps, as well as auto-correct and -complete on mobile devices, we can be better spellers than ever. We also must be better spellers than ever because, assuming we’re making full use of these technological aides, audience expectations demand impeccable, error-free spelling. At the same time, the secondary school system has for decades relaxed its teaching of writing basics such that many students enter the post-secondary system influenced more by social media writing habits than academics (StudyFinds, 2023; “University students can’t spell,” 2010). Between high school and the professional world, college students must not only quickly learn these basics, such as not confusing its and it’s , but must also develop the attitude that such details matter.

Using technology close at hand to improve your spelling is crucial to helping you get there. Follow the procedure in §5.1.4.8 above (and shown in Figure 5.1.4.8 ; click on the thumbnail above-right to return to it) to set up your spellchecker in Microsoft Word so that it identifies errors as you go. Though it’s a good idea to draft quickly and leave the pace-killing attention to detail for the editing stage (see §4.3 above), you can look up spellings for words that you struggle with as you go by just highlighting them, going to the Review tool ribbon, and clicking on the Editor tool at the far left (or alt + R, S). The feature will activate to suggest the correct spelling of just that word. Always also run a spellcheck sweep of your entire document by scrolling up to the top of your document and, without anything highlighted, following the same procedure to activate the spellchecker to examine each error and the tool’s suggested corrections before you finalize your document for submission.

What about spellchecking when writing outside of your word processor such as in an email? For this you must ensure that your internet browser spellchecker is on and properly set up. In Google Chrome, for instance, you would just:

• Click on the Settings icon (three stacked periods at the top right).
• Click on the Settings option from the drop-down menu
• Scroll down and click on Advanced Settings .
• Scroll down to the Languages section and click on the Spell check to expand the control panel.
• Click on English (Canada) to toggle on the feature so it turns blue. You will see there that you can also add custom words.

With the spellchecker turned on, your browser will identify misspelled words by red-underlining them. If you have any additional difficulties, you can also use services such as Grammarly , generative AI (with the prompt to fix the spelling in a text that you copy and paste) or move text to your word processor, use its more advanced spellchecker and editing features, then copy and paste your draft back into the email. Whatever method you use, ensure that the spellchecker is set to Canadian spelling

As good as the spellcheckers can be if you set them up properly, you must also know what to look for on your own so that you know what to approve when the spellchecker suggests edits. We’ll divide this self-editing skill into two of the biggest challenges to spellcheckers:

5.4.1: Spelling Names

5.4.2: spelling homophones.

How do you feel when someone misspells your name? If you’re like most people, you feel a little insulted, especially if the offending person had easy access to the correct spelling. Spelling people’s names correctly is not only an essential principle of netiquette, but also key to maintaining your credibility in correspondence. If you’re addressing a hiring manager in the cover letter to a job application, for instance, and her first name happens to be one of the 155 unique spelling variants of the name Caitlin (Burch, 2001), your livelihood depends on spelling her name just as she does herself. Otherwise, your lack of attention to detail becomes an invitation for her to deposit your application directly in the shredder.

Be especially vigilant with names during the proofreading stage of the writing process and use technology to help. With naming trends in the last couple of decades tending towards unique spellings both for people and products, spellcheckers may be of little help at first. Your best bet is to carefully confirm the name of the person in question by finding multiple sources that confirm their name (e.g., documents at hand, as well as their LinkedIn profile online), or the name of the product by consulting the company website, and add it to your spellchecker. When your spellchecker is doing an active sweep and grapples with the unfamiliar name, click on the “Add to Dictionary” option. That way, you can teach your spellchecker to be vigilant for you.

Many spelling errors involve homophones , words that sound the same in speech but are spelled and used differently in writing. When you mean there but write their or they’re in your draft, a sophisticated grammar and spellchecker will mark it as an error because it’s incorrect in the context of the words around it despite being spelled correctly on its own. Just in case your checker is fooled by it, however, familiarizing yourself with the most common homophone-driven spelling errors is wise. Ensure at the proofreading stage that your writing hasn’t fallen into any of these traps.

Table 5.4.2: Common Homophone Misspellings

For more on this topic, see Homophones (Singularis, 2013).

Key Takeaway

2. Take any writing assignment you’ve previously submitted for another course, ideally one that you did some time ago, perhaps even in high school. Scan for the punctuation errors covered in this section now that you know what to look for. How often do such errors appear? Correct them following the suggestions given above.

Burch, N. (2001, February 1). You say Caitlin, I say Katelynne… Irish Names from Ancient to Modern . Retrieved from http://www.namenerds.com/irish/Katelyn.html

Singularis. (2013, July 28). Homophones. Retrieved from http://www.singularis.ltd.uk/bifroest/misc/homophones-list.html

StudyFinds. (2023, September 12). Grammar going extinct: Majority of young adults think proper spelling doesn’t matter anymore . https://studyfinds.org/grammar-young-adults-spelling/

“University students can’t spell.” (2010, February 1). Maclean’s . Retrieved from: http://www.macleans.ca/education/uniandcollege/university-students-cant-spell/

Communication at Work Copyright © 2019 by Jordan Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Spell Assignment

• 2024-02-14 00:00:00
• 11 min read

In the world of written communication, spelling can significantly impact clarity and professionalism. This article offers a deep dive into spelling one commonly miswritten word— assignment . By exploring its correct spelling, common mistakes, and more, readers will gain valuable insights into mastering this word.

Correct Spelling of Assignment

The correct spelling of the word is assignment . It comprises three syllables: as-sign-ment. Each part plays a crucial role in the overall structure of the word, making it important not to omit any letters. The repetition of the letter "s" followed by the letters "ign" and ending with "ment" are key components to remember.

How to Remember the Correct Spelling

A useful mnemonic for remembering the correct spelling of assignment is to think of the phrase "a sign meant to guide you." This phrase breaks down the word into meaningful parts: "assign" + "ment," facilitating easier recall of the correct spelling.

Common Spelling Mistakes

Some of the common spelling mistakes include:

• Assigment - missing the second "s" in the word.
• Assignmant - incorrect vowel "a" instead of the "e" in the last syllable.

Such errors are considered incorrect because they disrupt the standard spelling conventions of the English language, leading to confusion and misinterpretation.

Definition and Etymology of Assignment

The word assignment refers to a task or piece of work allocated to someone as part of a job or course of study. Derived from the Middle English word "assignen," which means to appoint or allot, it incorporates the prefix "ad-" (to) and the root "signare" (to sign, mark), conveying the act of assigning something purposefully.

Transcription of Assignment

The phonetic transcription of assignment is /əˈsaɪnmənt/. This indicates how the word should be pronounced using phonetic symbols, providing guidance on stressing the second syllable and the silent "g" that is part of the "-gn" letter combination.

Examples of Using Assignment

Here are a few sentences that showcase how to use the word assignment :

• The student completed his assignment before the deadline.
• She received her first assignment in her new job.
• Finishing this assignment requires detailed research.

American and British Versions

The spelling of assignment remains the same in both American and British English. However, pronunciation and usage contexts might slightly vary across the two. For instance, the emphasis on syllables can differ, but these subtleties do not affect the fundamental spelling of the word.

Dictionary Entries

• Oxford English Dictionary.
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
• Cambridge Dictionary.

#Spelling #Assignment #WritingSkills #EnglishGrammar

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