We all know how tedious,
and most of the time, boring it can be writing out, spelling words over and
over again. They can be helpful, but in my opinion for a first grader it is
oftentimes very hard for your daughter to pay attention while they are doing
it. Studies have shown that children learn much faster, and retain the information
much easier, when they are engaged in what they are doing.
Tips to help you help better
your daughters spelling:
·
Be
proactive in you’re daughters spelling by keeping track of problem words and
focus on them. This one simple method will boost your daughters learning of
spelling by 90%! To do this right you need to be proactive in how your child
learns spelling. Keep two different lists. One with the words she struggle with
and one with those she knows. The problem words should be studied, but there are
different ways to learn them. Use these words in conversations, in notes to
each other, in a word scavenger hunt, or by simply having “pop” tests on them
for snacks! Make learning fun!
· Give your daughter a massive boost of both
self-confidence and mastery of spelling with lots of reassurance. Motivation is perhaps most important, children are far more likely
to improve their spelling when the experience is fun, engaging, and
interesting. You can see your child
improving and they can see it too. The result is a deep sense of satisfaction
for everyone involved. Your daughter
will see her improvement, and feel motivated, confident, and happy. And as a
parent you will feel proud!
· Studies
show that the more information a child is given on a word, and the more they
process it’s meaning, the better they will remember it. So taking this into
account you should encourage deep processing by providing a wealth of
information about words, such as encyclopedic content, rhymes, visualisation, words
searches, hangman, word puzzles, there are many online interactive junior
crosswords and flash cards.
· Operant Conditioning. This means that
the child learns much faster when they are rewarded for the desired
result. Reward your daughter for her
progress. You can do this in a number of
ways and she will gain a long-term sense of achievement.
·
Watch and listen to your daughter when she reads and writes. Does
she know the names of many letters of the alphabet? Does she comment and ask about
sounds in words that she see in books and elsewhere? If so, she may be ready
for your reinforcing comments.
·
Encourage your daughter to try
her own spellings. If your daughter knows the
names of most of the letters of the alphabet, and you have heard her talk about
sounds in words, then you should occasionally refuse to tell her how to spell a
word. Say, "I think you can spell that word yourself.
·
Write with your child. Be a good example
for your daughter. When you are writing, your daughter will want to join in.
Then you have opportunities to do the observing and give the support.
At her age learning to
read there are some stages that are useful to know and will better prepare you
in helping your little one.
Stages of Spelling
1. Pre-phonemic Spelling. Children scribble, form letters,
and string letters together but with no awareness that letters represent
phonemes or speech sounds. Children can, however, create meaningful messages
through their exploration. Prephonemic spelling is typical of preschoolers and
beginning kindergartners.
2. Early Phonemic Spelling. There is a limited attempt to
represent phonemes with letters (i.e., using one or two letters for a
word—"m" for "my" or "nt" for "night").
This stage is typical of many kindergartners and beginning first-grade
children.
3. Phonetic Spelling. The child represents most phonemes,
understands the concept of a word, but may not quite be reading fluently yet.
Many ending kindergartners and beginning first- graders are at this stage.
4. Transitional spelling. In this stage, children are
internalising information about spelling patterns. The words they write look
like words. For example, the child may write "skool" for
"school" and "happe" for "happy." Rules are not
always employed correctly. With continued reading and writing practice,
children integrate more spelling rules and patterns. This stage usually
includes first through third-grade children.
5. Standard spelling. At this
stage, children spell most words correctly. This stage usually occurs by the
middle to the end of third grade or in fourth grade. Children are ready to
learn to spell homonyms, contractions, and irregular spellings and to
internalise the rules that govern spelling.
Stage 1 - Visual Memory and
Spelling Memory
While visual memory, more
specifically, "orthographic" memory - is vital for learning to spell,
it doesn't work alone. Spelling memory - memory for letter sequences, is
enhanced by a child's awareness of phonemes, or speech sounds. At more advanced
levels, spelling memory draws on a child's knowledge of word structure, words'
meaningful parts, a word's relationship to other words, and so on. Word
knowledge builds systematically on other word knowledge. It's that cycle of
success that teachers love to see developed: Learning begets learning.
Stage 2 - Pre-communicative
Writing Stage
Most young children who are exposed
to print in their homes spontaneously begin to experiment with writing.
Although they may know the names of some letters, recognise letter forms, and
realise that letters represent speech sounds, they may not understand what a
word is or realise that print represents words and that spaces represent
boundaries between them. Reading at this stage is "logographic,"
meaning that a child guesses at whole words based on their visual features.
Stage 3 - Semiphonetic
Stage
After children have experimented with
imitative writing and developed an awareness of alphabet letter names, a shift
occurs. They begin to realise that letters represent speech sounds, and
selectively and predictably use abbreviated spellings.
For example, a child may use a few
letters, usually consonants, to represent words, syllables, initial letters, or
pieces of words. Often these consonants correspond to an alphabet letter name.
At this stage, children may use their knowledge of letter names and partial
phonetic cues to read, but their ability to identify and segment word sounds is
still limited.
Stage 4 - Phonetic Spelling
Stage
As children gain more knowledge of
print and develop an awareness of speech sounds, sound-letter correspondences,
and letter names, they often employ a "one letter spells one sound"
strategy. This typically occurs in kindergarten and early first grade. At this
point, children "spell" by matching sounds to letters and consistently
representing all of a word's sounds. To do this they rely on how words feel in
their mouths.
Widely known as "invented
spelling" or "temporary spelling," this process means that
children use phonetic spellings and letter names to represent long or short
vowels and consonants. This stage is typical of five- and six-year-olds that
are signaling their readiness to learn conventional spelling patterns.
As children gain exposure to print,
practice writing, and become even more aware of the sounds in words, they begin
to recognise and recall larger orthographic patterns, or "chunks",
and use them to spell other words. For example, a typical first grader's
spellings of common words might change over a period of several months.
What do children need to know to move
beyond temporary spellings? A lot! To progress, children must master letter
combinations, spelling patterns, and ending rules. They must also master the
phonic elements of consonants, vowels, consonant blends, and consonant digraphs
-- and much more. When they move from early to transitional stages, they're on
the way to learning the patterns and rules that make for good spelling.
Stage 4 - Transitional
Spelling Stage
After children gain more experience
with print, receive systematic instruction, and improve their reading ability,
they begin to understand that most sounds are represented by letter
combinations. They see that syllables are spelled in predictable ways and
meaningful parts of words.
Stage 5 - Integration Stage
As students move from phonetic
(sound) to syllabic (syllable) and morphemic (meaning) spelling, which
typically occurs after the fourth grade, instruction should yield several
things: Students should begin to consistently spell meaningful parts such as
roots, prefixes, and suffixes. They should know that homophones, learned in
meaningful phrases, demonstrate an important principle of Greek spelling - that
the meaning of a word can determine how it is spelled.
Stage 6 - Middle Grades
Stages
Students continue to develop their
concepts of orthography and their ability to associate spelling patterns with
speech patterns. As they learn more words and store more examples of common spelling
patterns in their memory. They learn new words because they are associated in
memory with words that share their patterns. This is why it's important to
emphasise sound and spelling patterns: Although students must memorise many
specific words, the more they are aware of the familiar letter sequences and
repeated patterns in the writing system, the easier they can recall them.
So firstly don't worry, your child is
not only normal, he is also very creative. His burgeoning imagination fuels
this wonderful fictitious creation, someone who accompanies him as he explores
the world. Its one-way children learn to make distinctions between good and
bad. For example, your child may blame his “friend” for any misdeeds, saying
"George" made him spill the milk or pull his books off the shelves.
Take his explanation at face value and help him clean up, but gently remind him
of the rules of the house. Try not to make a big deal about it when he mentions
his buddy. That means neither contradicting him (“Oh, come on, stop
pretending!”) nor grilling him about it, nor expanding on it by pretending to
meet or talk to his invisible pal. There's no reason to make him feel funny
about talking to someone who doesn't exist, but if you go all out and
incorporate his friend into your world, then you'll likely have his pal hanging
around for a long time. 
