For an accessible explanation of what’s wrong with the way literacy is often taught around the English-speaking world, try Emily Hanford’s excellent documentaries and podcast.
Please click on the link below that best describes you. If none do, feel free to contact me.
- Parents
- Teachers
- Speech Pathologists
- Volunteers
- Adult learners
- Aides
- Health professionals
- Librarians
8 responses to “Where to start”
Leave a Reply
The Spelfabet shop has affordable, downloadable spelling teaching resources.
Hi
I have been using your moveable alphabet with my son that is in year 4 we are just about to complete level 2 list that you give free. Could you tell me the best resource to move to the next level. I am a teacher and I think the manipulation of the sounds is fabulous.
Thank you Leone
Hi Leone, I’m just completing the process of revising my workbooks and other materials, and making new sequences which go higher than CVCC words, but they are not done yet, sorry. Can you play around with these yourself? e.g. make crash, change it into clash, change it into clap, change it into flap etc? Once you have all the spellings out on the table you can often try changing different parts and quickly see that there are new words there. Alison
Alison,
“Low frequency” words are great for word study! They discourage guessing and avoid the problems inherent with “nonsense words”:
1) For reading, their pronunciation of nonsense words is sometimes ambiguous (Is the nonsense word “aubust” to be pronounced “AUbust” or “auBUST”?). And, for spelling, some nonsense words have multiple spelling options.
2) Meaning, which is normally a central component for sensible word analysis, is not a feature that can be deployed for understanding the structure of nonsense words.
Nice!
Sandie Barrie Blackley, MA/CCC
Lexercise Co-founder
Thanks, Sandy. Yes, I got the idea from objections to the pseudowords section of the proposed UK-style Phonics Check, because pseudowords don’t have meanings, and many can be pronounced more than one way. Low frequency words are effectively pseudowords for test purposes if learners don’t know them yet, but the same objections don’t apply. Alison
Hi,
Great stuff, I have a couple of students in Y7/8 working at around a Y4 level with their spelling and one boy who is ESL doing very well but needing some extra help. I have bought all your spelling workbooks etc. Just wondering where to start them off. We have a Maqlit programme for our students with dyslexia. Do you think I could use that placement test and try to match it with your workbook levels? I don’t want to start too simple but on the other hand, they have significant gaps, esp once we move to two-syllable worlds.
Cheers,
Carolyn.
Hi Carolyn, you could try my non-standardised, low-frequency word test to get an idea where to start your students on my workbooks. It can be found here: http://www.spelfabet.com.au/2018/01/low-frequency-word-spelling-test. Or you could stick with the Macqlit teaching sequence and pull work out of my workbooks to match that? I hope the sequences aren’t too different for this to work. Alison
Hi Alison
I am considering using your low frequency word spelling test this year. I am wondering if you or anyone else has created a spreadsheet to track the results of this test.
Thank you for all you do to support teachers by providing such excellent free resources.
Peta
Hi Peta, sorry, no, I haven’t got a spreadsheet for tracking results of the low frequency spelling test, I guess you mean for a whole class but I am only working with individuals and small groups. All the best, Alison