INVENTED SPELLING Ashley Jandres Amy Boyer Ruhee Bhaloo

INVENTED SPELLING Ashley Jandres Amy Boyer Ruhee Bhaloo Fabiola Fraga

What is invented spelling? • Invented Spelling is the practice of spelling unfamiliar words by making an educated guess based on current phonetic knowledge and the way the word sounds.

Can you read this?

Why use invented spelling? • Invented spelling allows students to: – Write freely – Practice spelling and writing simultaneously – Progress naturally into conventional spelling

How do you foster invented spelling in the classroom? • Avoid telling students to “try their best” – Tell them to write the sounds they hear in the word – Remind them to use known words or chunks to help them

How do you foster invented spelling in the classroom? • Let students know that misspellings are okay when you are learning to spell. • Making mistakes means you are trying and you are learning, which is much better than doing nothing!

When do you correct spelling errors? • Teachers should be aware of each individual students developmental stage when it comes to spelling. • If you know a student is capable of spelling a word correctly, make them do it.

How do you track developmental stages? • Keep records and portfolios! • There are many ways to analyze writing in an effective and informative way.

Practice! • Take time with your table to analyze the piece of writing given to you. – What invented spellings do you see? – What developmental stage is this child in and why do you think that?

Practice! • With the person next to you, come up with a list of appropriate ways to encourage students who can spell correctly to do so.

How do you inform parents? • Parents are often very wary about invented spellings. • Send home an informative newsletter to help make them aware of what their students are learning.

Thank you!