Spelling Tips for Dyslexic Students

How to Teach Spelling: Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Are you teaching spelling wrong and giving spelling test the wrong

way? Many teachers have given up on spelling test or just assign the words in the reading program and give the end of week test. Spelling takes three skills all working together, and if you're not teaching the three skills to your struggling students they will never have success.

1. Sequencing and memory 
2. Fine motor skills for writing
3. Language processing

I was a very poor speller due in part severe dyslexia and dysgraphia.

As an LD student, I had three big problems with spelling. First, making the actual

word look correct, "is the sequence of letters correct?", "do the letters have the correct orientation, I hate p,d,q, b?", "is there enough letters?", and I had no muscle memory to help me make them legible. Visually I was word blind, and I could not envision what the word look like in my mind. Most of the prep for spelling test was the opposite of what most students should be doing.

My tips for teaching spelling success.

1. Teach spelling as an auditory lesson, this strengthens and speeds learning.
2. Spell words on the child's back, as they say, the letters aloud. Have students say the word and use it in  a kid friendly sentence. 
3. Chunk every word using syllabification and use, see it, say it, and spell it in the air. Clap out the syllables in the words. 
4. Create a word sorting game with alphabet letters. Give students all the letters in a word scrambled and have them put them in the correct sequence as fast as they can. 
5. Create memorable mnemonic devices for all irregular spelled words.
6. Practice spelling test without paper and pencil all week using only auditory study methods and games.
7. Play spelling sparkle.
8. Work on the multiple meaning of words.
9. Have students read aloud the words daily to build fluency.
10. Have students make kid friendly sentences with a reading partner. 
11. Teaching students cursive helps with fine motor development and muscle memory.

Here are some tips for teaching spelling to kids using a multimodal, step-by-step approach:

1. Say the word aloud. Have the student repeat the word back to you. Hearing and saying the word helps cement it in memory.

2. Break the word into syllables. Clap out each syllable to help the student chunk the word into smaller, more manageable parts. For example, for the word "computer", you would clap out 3 syllables - "com-pu-ter".

3. Finger spell the word. Have the student use their fingers to physically spell out each letter while saying the letters aloud. This engages multiple senses.

4. Come up with a mnemonic or memory cue. For example, for "because", think "Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small elephants". The first letter of each word matches the spelling of "because".

5. Write the word multiple times while saying each letter aloud. The physical motor aspect of writing helps reinforce the spelling using muscle memory.

6. Use the word in a sentence. Seeing and using the word in context helps connect it to meaning.

7. Practice spelling the word from memory several times over the next few days. Frequent, distributed practice over time is key for long-term retention.

8. Give positive reinforcement when the student gets the word right. Praise builds confidence.

9. Gently correct any errors, having them repeat the word slowly when spelled incorrectly. Feedback and correction prevent practicing errors.

The multimodal, step-by-step approach engages vision, hearing, touch and movement to help anchor the word firmly in the student's memory. It breaks down spelling into approachable steps to set the student up for success.

My Grade 1 & 2 Eclectic Phonetic Speller  Bassed on the McGuffey Spellers Grade 1 Lessons! You will be shocked at the level expected in 1850! 

A summary of some key research findings and best practices for helping students learn spelling:

- Multi-sensory techniques are more effective than rote memorization. Using visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile strategies helps reinforce spelling rules and patterns. Tracing letters, snapping out syllables, or drawing words promotes retention better than just memorizing lists.

- Spelling is developmental and follows a sequence. Words should be introduced in an order from simple phonetic words to more complex morphological word forms. Instruction should meet students at their developmental level.

- Daily authentic writing practice strengthens spelling skills. Applying spelling in meaningful contexts is more beneficial than decontextualized drills or worksheets. Journaling, stories, letters, or content-area writing provide real-world reinforcement. 

- Explicit phonics and word study instruction are important. Mini-lessons on phonemic awareness, phonics rules, syllable types, and word origins give students resources to decode and derive spellings. Word sorts or word families allow exploration of patterns.

- Weekly spelling tests are less effective than formative assessment. Frequent informal checks for understanding identify struggles early before quiz grades. Targeted feedback addresses errors and guides further instruction.

- Mnemonic devices and memory aids can help some students. Acronyms, songs, chants, or keyword associations link to visual or phonological information about words. Rote strategies may support those with language-based learning disabilities.

- Spelling skills continue developing into the upper grades. Older students benefit from studying morphological families, etymology, and generalizations that expand vocabulary knowledge. 

In summary, research supports interactive, contextual spelling instruction tailored to students' needs over decontextualized memorization and testing. Ample writing practice along with targeted word study promotes mastery and application of developmental spelling skills.