Chapter 12
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Stages of
Spelling Development
Stage 1: Emergent Spelling
Stage 2: Letter-Name Spelling
Stage 3: Within-Word Spelling
Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Spelling
Stage 5: Derivational Relations Spelling

Stage 1: Emergent Spelling
This stage is typical of 3- to 5-year old children who learn these concepts:
 The difference between drawing and writing
 The direction of writing on a page
 Some letter-sound matches
 The formation of letters

Stage One: Emergent Spelling
Characteristics of Writing
 Use scribbles, letters, letter-like forms, numbers.
 Show no understanding of phonemegrapheme (letter-sound) relationships.
 Show a preference for uppercase letters.
 Write from left-to-right, right-to-left, top-tobottom, or randomly on the page.
 Know that the print carries the message.
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Emergent Spelling:
Teaching Strategies
 Develop interest in print: Read aloud daily, create a print-rich environment, spend time with books.
 Encourage children to write.
 Use LEA and teacher/student modeling.
 Teach letter names with letter forms.
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Emergent Spelling:
Teaching Strategies, cont.
 Introduce concepts and terms: letter, beginning/ending sounds, word, sentence.
 Begin developing understanding of letter sounds, concept of rhyming.
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Discuss and model directionality.
Discuss spelling with children & family members.
 Find an appreciative audience.
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Stage 2: Letter-Name Spelling
Spellers are usually 5- to 7-year old children who learn these concepts:
 The alphabetic principle
 Short vowel sounds
 Consonant sounds
 Consonant blends and digraphs

Letter Name Spelling:
Characteristics of Writing
 Sometimes have not developed directionality: write from left to right, top to bottom.
 Use letters to represent sounds.
 Use abbreviated 1, 2, 3 letter spellings; omit some important letters in words.
 Use letter-name strategy for spelling.
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Letter Name Spelling:
Teaching Strategies
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Encourage attempts at writing.
Continue to develop phonemegrapheme correspondence.
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Do LEA, asking for help with spelling.
Model writing.
Read daily.
Brainstorm words (& spelling) to make word banks prior to writing (sometimes).
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Letter Name Spelling:
Teaching Strategies, cont.
 Encourage children to write by representing sounds in the order they hear them.
 Display words used frequently in writing.
 Let children see what other children write.
 Discuss developmental spelling with children and family members.
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Stage 3: Within-Word Spelling
Spellers are usually 7- to 9-year old children who learn these concepts:
 Long-vowel spelling patterns
 Complex consonant patterns
 r -controlled vowels
 Diphthongs

Within-Word Spelling:
Characteristics of Writing
 Select letters on basis of sound alone.
 Spelling represents all essential sound features.
 Spelling is readable (more or less).
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Within-Word Spelling:
Teaching Strategies
 Read daily.
 Model writing and encourage children to write.
 Develop awareness of correct spelling, emphasizing visual features of words.
 Expose children to word families, spelling patterns, word structure.
 Teach students how to study a word.
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Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes
Spelling
Spellers are usually 9- to 11-year old children who learn these concepts:
 Inflectional endings
 Homophones
 Syllabication
 Possessives

Syllables and Affixes Spelling:
Characteristics of Writing
 Include a vowel in each syllable.
 Apply many spelling rules; may overgeneralize.
 Spelling resembles English spelling.
 Spelling is easily read.
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Syllables and Affixes Spelling:
Teaching Strategies
 Teach how to divide words into syllables / rules fir inflectional endings
 Teach schwa sound / spelling patterns
 Teach homophones, contractions, compound words, possessives
 Sort two-syllable words / homophones
 Students make words using letter cards
 Teach proofreading skills
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Stage 5: Derivational Relations
Spelling
Spellers are usually 11- to 14-year old students who learn these concepts:
 Consonant and vowel alternations
 Greek affixes and root words
 Latin affixes and root words
 Etymologies

Derivational Relations Spelling:
Characteristics of Writing
 Have internalized the alphabetic principle.
 Have learned basic spelling words.
 Spell words according to adult standards.
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Derivational Relations Spelling:
Characteristics of Writing
 Teach root words / derivational affixes
 Make clusters with root word in center and related words on rays
 Teach students to identify words in English,
Latin, and Greek spellings
 Sort words according to roots or language of origin
 Have students check etymologies of words in dictionary
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Analyzing Spelling Development
 Example of a first grader’s spelling – p. 403
 Example of a fifth grader’s spelling – p. 405
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References
 Some of the examples of student writing are from Temple, C., Nathan, R., Temple, F., &
Burris, N. (1993). The beginnings of writing
(3 rd edition).
New York: Allyn and Bacon.
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