Spelling is important!  I definately see alot of embarassing examples of spelling. 

Did that make you cringe? 😊

Spelling is one of the most tested elements of literacy and one of the least well taught.  Most classrooms today follow a Traditional Spelling Method, and churn out students who cannot spell!  Even students that succeed on weekly tests often struggle to spell correctly in other contexts.    

Let’s look at the problems with the Traditional Spelling Method and how Sequential Spelling can help.

Two Big Problems with Traditional Spelling Method

First, let’s get clear on what I mean by the Traditional Spelling Method.  I’m talking about any approach where a list of words is studied weekly and the difficulty of the list increases week by week.  The hallmark of the Traditional Spelling Method is the dreaded Friday spelling test.

The two big problems with the Traditional Spelling Method:

1. Testing is not teaching.

You know who doesn’t hate tests???  Kids who do well on the tests.  Kids who ace the weekly test get a boost to their self esteem, and that’s about it. Struggling students who do not score well on weekly tests learn to hate spelling and dread the weekly test.  Word lists and weekly tests do not teach the logic behind the way words are spelled, or even the meanings of words!  Weekly tests do not contribute to better understanding of the language.

1. Memorization is not mastery

Many kids hate memorizing, and memorizing a word list does not translate into being a good speller.  Often kids who score perfectly on the Friday spelling test will misspell the same words the next week.  Memorizing a word list does not give students the opportunity to interact with words multiple times and in different ways to promote mastery of the language. 

What Makes Sequential Spelling Different?

Sequential Spelling studies word families.  A base word is presented and then complexity is introduced by adding beginnings and endings.  Words are built horizontally (and --> stand --> understand --> understandingly) as well as vertically (and --> stand --> hand --> bland). 

Sequential Spelling uses an inductive reasoning approach - students make their own connections/rules about how words are put together.  Rules are not prescribed by the teacher, and there are no lists to be memorized. 

There is daily instruction and real-time correction instead of weekly testing.  Progression is based on word mastery, not on a weekly schedule

Seven Advantages of Sequential Spelling Over Traditional Spelling Methods:

1. No weekly tests

   • students test themselves daily by trying to write the words on the list and get real-time feedback and correction for each word

2. No rules or word lists to memorize

   • In Sequential Spelling students make their own connections and ‘rules’ about how the words are put together, but there is no word list or prescriptive list of rules from the teacher

3. Holistic approach

   • spelling, reading, writing, and grammar all reinforce each other

4. Multi-sensory approach

   • students learn by seeing, hearing, and writing with each lesson

5. Daily repetition

   • promotes mastery of words so that students can process words fluidly

6. Individual approach

   • students move on when words are mastered, not on a weekly basis

7. Appropriate for students of all ages

   • large words are introduced quickly, but with the building block approach, they make sense and are easy to figure out

Reasons Teachers Love Sequential Reading:

• Structured lessons that are simple to execute

• Lessons can be completed in about 20 minutes per day

• No weekly testing

Who Sequential Spelling is Perfect For:

• Anyone who struggles with traditional spelling

• Students who hate to memorize and study

• Older students – the program does not feel juvenile even when starting at Level 1

• Visual learners

• Students who ace their weekly spelling tests, but fail to translate the ‘rules’ into other contexts

Tips and resources for getting stated:

• Check out the Teacher guide book - Level 1 and Level 2