Spelling Development
Elizabeth Norwood
RE 5730
Stages of Spelling
Spelling is developmental, but not all students go
through the stages at the same rate.
 Emergent
 Letter Name
 Within Word
 Syllable Juncture
 Derivational Constancy
Emergent Stage- 3-5 Years Old
Lacks concept of word
Scribbles letters and numbers
Lacks letter-sound correspondence
Pretends to read and write
Focus of Instruction- Emergent Level
 read aloud often
 encourage finger pointing
 use environmental print
 create big books and picture dictionaries
 use dictations and experience charts
 chant and choral read familiar stories and
dictations
 sort words by common patterns
 develop word bags or banks
Letter Name Stage- 5-7 Year Olds
Represents beginning and ending sounds
Has functional concept of word
Reads word by word in beginning reading
materials
Focus of Instruction- Letter Name Stage
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Early Letter Name
practice identifying familiar spelling patterns and sounds
use word bags or banks
sort words by beginning sounds and short vowels
study blends and diagraphs
Late Letter Name
Continue to examine consonant blends and digraphs
Sort pictures and words by short vowel sounds and CVC
patterns
Begin simple sound sorts comparing short and long
vowel sounds
Collect known words for word banks (up to 200)
Within Word Stage- 7-9 Years Old
Spells most single-syllable short vowel
words correctly
Spells most beginning consonant digraphs
and 2-letter consonant blends
Attempts to use silent-E markers and
r-controlled vowels
Reads silently and more fluently
Writes more fluently
Focus of Instruction- Within Word Stage
 Sort words by long and short vowel sounds and
by common long vowel patterns
 Compare words with r-controlled vowels
 Explore less common vowels and diphthongs
(OI, OU, AU, OW)
 Review blends and digraphs and examine triple
blends and complex consonant units (THR,
STR, DGE, TCH, CK)
 Have students develop personal word lists
Syllable Juncture Stage- 8-11 Years Old
Spells most single syllable words correctly
Makes errors at syllable juncture and in
unaccented syllables
Adds inflectional endings (-ed, -es, -ing)
Differentiates between homophones
Reads with good fluency and expression
Reads faster silently than orally
Focus on Instruction- Syllable Juncture Stage
Examine consonant doubling and inflected
endings
Join spelling and vocabulary studies; link
meaning and spelling
Explore grammar through word study
Sort and study affixes
Study stress or accent in two-syllable
words
Derivational Constancy Stage- 11-14 Years Old
Have mastered high-frequency words
Make errors on low-frequency words
derived from Greek and Latin
Can understand Greek and Latin roots and
derivational affixes
Read with good fluency and expression
Read faster silently than orally
Focus of Instruction- Derivational
Constancy Stage
 Focus on words that students bring to word study from
reading and writing
 Examine common and then less common roots, prefixes
and suffixes
 Examine vowel alterations in derivationally related pairs
(native, national; combine, combination)
 Explore etymology, especially in the content areas
 Examine content-related foreign borrowings
 have students keep personal word lists
 provide minilessons to individuals and groups to review
and refine spelling knowledge and strategies