Would you agree that teaching spelling should be an all-day/every-day job?! We all know that opportunities to teach quick spelling lessons arise frequently throughout the day. But, all too often, we miss these teachable moments!

Research on spelling shows that for decades, the common approach to teach spelling centered on rote memorization with a heavy emphasis on visual learning. But, the research shows that spelling can be improved by teaching your students early phonemic awareness and a few specific rules about adding affixes to base words. Certain groups of words have predictable patterns that students can be taught to recognize over time.

Words need to be taught a whole lot more than they need to be tested. In our society, every writer must learn to spell correctly, using the accepted standards of spelling if they want to be considered literate. It’s important that teachers (we) provide students with the knowledge, skills, and practice necessary to attain spelling competency. So, here are some suggestions to help students develop good spelling habits:

Good Spelling Habits

Pronounce words correctly every time you say them.
Divide big words into bite-sized syllables.
Keep a list of words you frequently misspell in a spelling notebook.
Practice writing and saying the correct spellings of difficult words.
Read, read, read! Reading will help you learn spelling without realizing it!
Edit your writing carefully for misspelled words.
Learn spelling rules to help you spell certain groups of words.
When in doubt, check a dictionary!

Spelling lessons should fall naturally into their proper place in the teaching of the language arts. It is impossible to teach spelling without writing, writing without reading, and reading without listening.