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Spelling Strategies:
Use of Sounds and Spelling Patterns

Young writers often try to use the sounds in words to figure out their spellings; experienced writers often use this phonetic strategy first, and then try other approaches, including applying common spelling patterns. So it is definitely worthwhile to help children hear the sounds in words by developing phonemic awareness, and then exploring sound/symbol relationships and spelling patterns. The following strategies are used at school to support children with spelling. You may wish to try some of them at home.

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Strategy 1: Develop Phonemic Awareness

• Children develop the ability to hear sounds in words when they are involved in lots of reading of poems, chants, songs, and books with repetitive refrains and rhyme. Ask children to listen for and identify rhyming words, e.g. clap when they hear them.
• Select words children know — from books, rhymes, songs, and so on — and discover together how knowing one word can help with the recognition or writing of others, just by changing the beginning letter(s). For example, when reading the chant "Mary Mack" write the words Mack, black, back, crack, quack on a chart. Invite children to suggest other words with the same sound: pack, sack, whack, track.

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Strategy 2: Explore Sounds

• Children are reminded to listen for sounds in words they are trying to write. They are supported with sound/letter recognition when familiar books, rhymes, chants, and songs are re-read and they are asked to listen for words with a particular sound. These can be listed on a chart; for example, words with a /k/ sound: kite, cat, school, bike, Christine, truck, cake, back.
• Help children to identify the letter(s) that represent this sound. Underline these and ask children to group the words according to the different ways the sound is represented. For example:

kite, bike, cake
cat, cake
school, Christine
truck, back

Reinforce how the same sound may be represented in more than one way, depending on the word.

• Children can find other words they know with this sound and add them to the list. Explain that you must say a word to listen for the sound, and do not confuse them by referring to the sound by a particular letter name.

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Strategy 3: Discover Spelling Patterns

• Children are told that thinking about what a word looks like is a useful spelling strategy. Explore some common spelling patterns together. Reread a familiar book, poem, or so on, selecting a particular spelling pattern to look for. For example, look for and list words with ea, such as: bead, bread, dead, instead, great, read, treat, break.
• Ask children to identify and underline the ea spelling pattern in each word, say the words, and group them according to their pronunciation, such as:

bead, read, treat
bread, dead, instead, read
great, break

Select one of the words and show how knowing it can help with the spelling of other words in that word family. For example, great: greater, greatest, greatly, or break: breaking, breaks. Ask children to try this with the other words you've found.

(Adapted from Spelling K-8 by Diane Snowball & Faye Bolton)

Anne O’Sullivan

Literacy Coach