CCSS Third Grade Spelling Skills
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3d Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3c Decode multisyllable words
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2d Form and use possessives
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2e Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding
suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4c Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root
(e.g., company, companion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3a Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3b Decode words with common Latin suffixes
Specific Third Grade Spelling Knowledge
Single Consonants
Tense (long) vowels
R-controlled vowels
Diphthongs
Consonant blends
Consonant digraphs
Silent letters and oddities
Irregular Spellings
Anglo Saxon Compound Words
Syllable Pattern closed
Syllable Pattern open
Syllable Pattern consonant –le
Syllable Pattern R-Controlled
Syllable Pattern VCe
Syllable Pattern Idiosyncratic (schwa)
Orthographic rules and syllable a juncture
Word-final (v): -ve
The F, L, S doubling rule
Doubling final consonant rule
Change Y to I rule
Drop silent E rule
Homophones
Latin-based affixes and Schwa
Fundations Spelling
Skills taught
-Identify parts of words (syllables, basewords, suffixes)
-Identify all six syllable types: closed, vowel-consonant-e, open, r-controlled, vowel digraph/diphthong,
consonant-le
-Read and spell words with: short vowels, long vowels in vowel-consonant-e and open syllables, rcontrolled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur) vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ey, ea, oi, oy, oa, ow, oe, ou, oo, ue, ew, au,
aw)
-Read and spell words with unexpected vowel sounds (old, ild, ind, ost, olt, ive)
-Read and spell words with the unexpected vowel sound of schwa in unaccented syllables
-Read and spell words with suffixes (s, es, ed, ing, est, ish, able, ive, y, ful, ment, less, ness, ly, ty)
-Identify and know meaning of most common Latin suffixes
-Read and spell targeted high-frequency, non-phonetic words
Strengths
-Strong scope and sequence with daily phonological awareness drills
-Closely aligned with spelling development, although pacing is slow at times and oddly fast at other times
-Sight word instruction
-Builds a strong phonological base before introducing orthography
-Tight scope and sequence
-Latin roots and morphology is introduced
-Strong emphasis on syllable types
-Embeds other language skills
Weakness
-Schwa is introduced in 3rd grade, not earlier
-Strong synthetic approach to spelling, lacks analytical instruction
-Teachers with weak content knowledge in phonology and orthography might not understand the
purpose of certain activities
-Pacing in first grade seems slow and then speeds up too quickly at the beginning of second grade
Words their Way Spelling
3.1-3.4 Within word pattern Middle to Late
1. Lesson common vowel teams for long a, e, i, o, and u
2. R-Controlled vowels
3. Diphthongs
4. Complex consonant and rare consonants (ge, hard and soft c & g,)
3.4-3.8 Syllable Affixes
1. Inflectional endings
2. Syllable junctures
3. Unaccented final syllables
Strengths
-Focus is on a specific pattern before mixing the pattern
-Progresses in a logical manner CVC to VCe to CVVC words
-Become rigorous towards the end by mixing into sorts
-Analytical approach to spelling
-Strong differentiation
- Strong pacing which is driven by the students’ needs
-Builds a strong phonological base before introducing orthography
-Multiple syllable words can be addressed early
Weakness
-No specific introduction of final stable, or schwa syllable types
-Doesn’t really indicate a grade level for the stages of spelling development
- No direct instruction in common sight words
-Inflections are not directly taught until the end of the Syllables and Affixes stage
-Strong pacing but planning is entirely up to the teacher, thus requiring the teacher to have a strong
phonology and orthography knowledge set.
Hough and Mifflin Spelling
3.0-3.8 36 Weeks of Instruction with 5 lessons each
Each week introduces spelling pattern, sight words, phoneme and phonological awareness
Weeks 1-36- Essentially the same skills as 1 and 2nd grade in more detail
7 weeks of vowels
2 weeks of consonant blends and unexpected consonants
3 weeks of variant vowels and diphthongs
2 weeks of r-controlled
2 weeks of variant consonants
2 weeks of homophones, compounds, contractions
5 weeks of morphemic awareness
Strengths
-Strong sequence of instruction that has children immediately with a strong review previous skills
-Strong emphasis on phoneme awareness with blending and segmenting skills
-Sight words are addressed immediately
-Words are used in context with text
-Pacing and planning are clearly laid out, however spelling principles are not explicit so the teacher needs
a robust knowledge of phonology and orthography
-Strong instruction with morphemic awareness but not until the end of third grade
Weakness
-Waits until the end of third grade for morphemic awareness
-Feels like a year of review of skills that should already be mastered
-Lacks basic orthography information (assumes teachers know the 5 principles of English spelling)
-Lacks necessary repetitions of instruction for specific content to build towards mastery
-Spelling lists are not explicit
-Mostly synthetic in this grade level
-See no indication of instruction on syllable types or syllable junction rules
-Why 36 weeks of instruction in third grade but 20 weeks in second grade?
-Grammar instruction begins at this level, no reason why grammar instruction cannot being in
kindergarten