Bethany Linkous
RE 5100: Final Exam
1A.
Given the spelling samples, John is in the phonetic (letter-name) spelling stage. John
shows the short vowel in most of his spellings, but it is often represented by a phonologically
appropriate substitution. For example, the word dress is spelled jras. The short a is a logical
substitution for the short e sound. This is because they are pronounced similarly in the vocal
tract. The blend dr in the word dress is often spelled jr by students in the phonetic stage because
of the way it’s produced. Another example of John using a vowel substitution is shown in his
spelling of the word picking. He spelled this word pekn. The short i is often represented with an
e by young children because it’s the nearest long vowel in place of articulation. John is also not
marking the long vowels in his spellings. This is another characteristic of students in the
phonetic stage. An example of this is seen in the spelling of side, which John spelled sid. John
spells words the way they sound. He did not mark the silent e in this word. In John’s spellings
of the words feet and peeked, the long vowel marker e is also missing.
Sue is in the pre-phonetic stage based on her spelling samples. She generally represents
the beginning consonants and some ending consonants. The vowel is omitted in her spellings.
For example, the word back is spelled bk. The word peeked is represented by the letter p. Sue is
also not representing blends. This can be seen in her spelling of the word dress, which she spells
js. Another example is step being written as cp. Sue is still unsure of the sound of each letter.
For example, the word side is spelled with only the letter c. This helps verify that Sue is in the
pre-phonetic stage of spelling.
Hannah is in the vowel transition stage. She is generally representing short vowels
correctly. For example, back is spelled correctly and the short e is correct in her spelling of the
word dress. The blends, st in step and dr in dress, are spelled correctly. Hannah is starting to
mark long vowels, even though the vowel markers are often inappropriately placed. This is a
common characteristic of students in the vowel transition stage. For example, the word feet is
spelled fete. Hannah knows there is a silent e in this word but is unsure where to place it.
Another example of this is in the spelling of peeked. Hannah spelled this word peakt. She
recognizes that ea is a way to represent the long e sound.
1B.
The level of word study that John needs is short vowel instruction. John is not always
using a vowel in his spellings (example: step was spelled sdp). When a vowel is placed it is
often a phonetically appropriate substitution (example: picking was spelled pekn). John is ready
for short vowel instruction because he is correctly representing beginning and ending
consonants. I would also teach blends along with short vowels. John struggles with blends as
seen in the examples dress (jras) and step (sdp). My word study focus would be for John to
develop accurate and automatic knowledge of the short vowel patterns, especially CVC.
Mastery of these patterns will assist John in the future with more advanced vowel patterns. I will
teach the short vowel patterns through column word sorting, reinforcement games like
Concentration, spell checks, and Make a Word activities.
The level of word study that Sue needs is beginning and ending consonant instruction.
She does show some understanding of the alphabet and concept of word (example: back is
spelled bk). I would work first on increasing Sue’s alphabet knowledge because she does not
recognize all of the alphabet letters (example: f in feet was marked with a b). I would move on
to teaching beginning consonant letter-sound instruction through picture sorts. I would have her
sort by beginning consonant sound and then sort by alphabet letter. I would also introduce
writing letters to dictation. It’s important at this stage to look for Sue applying the beginning
consonant knowledge in contextual reading.
The level of word study that Hannah needs is vowel pattern instruction. She is
representing most short vowels correctly as seen in the examples back and picking (spelled
piken). She is also starting to mark long vowels, although they are often inappropriately placed
(examples: feet spelled fete, side spelled sied). I would teach the high frequency vowel patterns
first (examples: silent e, r-control, ee, ea, ai) because they are more common in the English
language. I would teach Hannah vowel patterns through column word sorting, reinforcement
games, and spell checks.
1C.
Hannah probably has a larger sight vocabulary and is a better reader than John because
she is at a more advanced developmental spelling stage. She is in the vowel transition stage and
is studying harder spelling patterns. Hannah has a deeper knowledge of the alphabet system and
understands the structure of words better. Hannah can probably automatically recognize more
words because she has a higher level of word knowledge. The spelling task is a strong predictor
of a child’s reading ability. Spelling is actually a more difficult task that word recognition
because you not only have to be able to pronounce the word, but be able to write the letters in a
correct sequence.
2. Phonics Instruction
A.
Phonics instruction should be taught in the small group setting because the students are
not all on the same instructional level. Phonics is a developmental process. A student is not
ready to study long vowel patterns unless short vowel patterns are mastered. Each student will
move through the phonics sequence at a different pace. Conducting word sorts and playing
reinforcement games in small groups will allow the teacher to assess when it is appropriate to
move forward to more advance spelling patterns.
B.
There are several reasons why children have a harder time mastering vowels over
consonants. Generally, consonants only have one sound. Vowels have more than one sound
which makes them more difficult to learn. Another reason is based on the way they are
pronounced in speech. Vowel sounds are continuant, and consonant sounds are closed in the
way they are produced. This means that the vowel is closely made with the consonant. When a
word is produced, the vowel oftentimes is overlapped with the consonant.
C.
It is very important for students to master the short vowel pattern. Short vowels tend to
represent the alphabetic principle the best. Students need to understand that letters match to
sounds. The short vowel patterns also occur frequently in written text and are regular in terms of
pronounceability. Long vowel patterns cannot be taught unless the short vowel patterns are
mastered. Mastery of the short vowel pattern will assist the student with other vowel patterns
because it shows up in many multisyllabic words. The short vowel patterns lay an important
foundation that other patterns are built upon.
D.
Teacher judgment is critical when teaching phonics. Phonics needs to be taught in a
developmental sequence. It is important for phonics to be taught and paced well. The teacher
cannot move through the sequence too fast because the spelling patterns build on one another.
The teacher needs to engage in ongoing assessment on a daily basis. It is important for the
teacher to know when to move on and when to go back and reinforce. Word study activities
yield diagnostic information. The teacher should check for improved speed and accuracy of
word sorts. The teacher should also observe for the transfer of phonics instruction to the child’s
spelling, “new” words that fit the pattern, and to contextual reading. This will help the teacher
know what needs to be reviewed, reinforced, and what concepts are being mastered.
E.
There is a “content” to teaching phonics and it is developmentally ordered. Phonics
instruction begins with beginning consonant letter-sound instruction. After this is mastered, the
student should be taught short vowel word families and short vowel patterns. Consonant blends
and digraphs are taught along with short vowels. Short vowels are taught before long vowels
because they are more frequent and regular in the English language. Short vowels best represent
the alphabetic principle. High-frequency vowel patterns are taught next. This includes the
spelling patterns ee, ea, ia, silent e, and r-controlled vowels. Low-frequency vowel patterns are
taught last because they are less common. This includes the patterns au, ou, oi, and ui.
3.
Word study is an important part of teaching reading. Learning about the developmental
stages of spelling has greatly influenced my thinking on how spelling should be taught in the
primary grades. Through this graduate program I have realized the importance of placing each
student at their developmental level in spelling. I have learned that spelling is not about
memorizing a list of words. It is about comparing and contrasting spelling patterns and looking
for these regularities in words. It is important for teachers to understand the sequence of word
study instruction. I see spelling now as a pyramid where spelling patterns build on one another.
Short vowel patterns need to be taught before long vowel patterns. High frequency vowel
patterns need to be taught before low-frequency patterns. Each child is going to pass through the
stages at different rates. I have learned that you cannot move on to harder spelling patterns until
mastery has occurred. Through the articles that we read and class discussion, I have a good
understanding of the word study sequence and the best way to teach it. Word sorts and
reinforcement games help keep students engaged and make learning about words fun. I love that
this word study approach is inquiry based where students are learning about the spelling patterns
through their involvement in manipulating words.
Invented spelling is a topic that has been controversial among reading educators. It is a
concept that I was unsure about myself. This class helped stress the importance of encouraging
beginning readers to use invented spelling in their writing. For me, understanding the
developmental perspective of spelling instruction brings new meaning to invented spelling. It
only makes sense that you can’t expect young children to spell words that are not on their
instructional level. A child in the phonetic spelling phase should not be expected to spell a long
vowel pattern word correctly. Invented spelling is a way for children to write freely and to spell
words “the way they think they are spelled”. It’s important not to emphasize spelling over the
meaning of what the child has written. You want to send the message to children that what they
write is important. I don’t want my students to develop a fear of writing. Invented spelling
encourages students to write longer and more interesting stories.
Invented spelling is not a substitute for spelling instruction. Appropriate spelling
instruction needs to occur. Letting students experiment with invented spelling will help foster
spelling and reading development. It will allow students to experiment with the spelling patterns
they are learning in word study as well as more complex spelling patterns. Invented spelling is
helpful to the teacher because it provides diagnostic information that will assist in planning
developmental word study instruction.