One December, my son completed his daily journal activity by writing, “I becatd the crims tree. And my home too. ” Knowing my son tended to still turn his ds backward, I decoded the first sentence as “I decorated the Christmas tree.” Later that winter, he wrote that when it was cold outside, people wore “a scee mack.” I was good to know my child liked decorating and knew how to keep his face warm with a ski mask.
Invented spelling has been defined as “children’s attempts to use their best judgments about spelling” (Lutz, 1986). In the example above, I saw that my son was over-generalizing some spelling principles. He knew that c sounded like k and that c and k often go together. He also knew that ee made the sound of a long e. My son could not have expressed his understanding of winter if he felt he must only use words he knew he could spell correctly. I feel that developmental spelling is essential to sparking a child’s interest in writing. But I also believe children must be actively supported by teachers so they can move toward conventional spelling.
Arguments Against Developmental or Invented Spelling
Whether or not children should be formally taught spelling, and the extent to which a teacher or parent should actively discourage invented spelling, is a matter of debate. After two decades of experience with developmental spelling, those arguing for the abandonment of developmental spelling are few. One such person, Groff (1996) asserts that the ability of teachers to decode student’s writing samples in order to assess how the student understands spelling is not a possible task. Despite Groff’s skepticism, when in school, my fellow student teachers and I were able to decode samples of writing in class, though we lacked experience.
Another argument against developmental or “invented” spelling is that some children have difficulty graduating from purely phonetic spelling to understanding word families and exceptions. In "A Behaviorist Approach to Spelling," the authors lament the presence of fifth graders who do not think spelling is important and who continue to use phonetic spelling for many words. Sipe (2001) offers a similar example: Kelly, a first-grader, thinks her regular teacher doesn’t care about spelling and only spells correctly for her reading teacher. Teachers need to be aware of the overall message we are sending about spelling, but the possibility we will be misunderstood should not preclude our use of developmental spelling all together.
Transitioning to Conventional Spelling through Scaffolding
Lutz (1986) notes that there are five stages of spelling development. The last two stages, transitional and correct, imply that the student has moved beyond merely sounding out words. Her suggestions for improving spelling accuracy include using instructional games that will help increase children’s awareness of words while avoiding an “overemphasis on absolute correctness, mechanics, and memorization.” Sipes (2001) includes explanations of sound boxes and Have-a-Go charts as tools for teachers to use to increase children’s ability to both hear sounds and make corrections. Neither author calls for the abandonment of invented or developmental spelling altogether. Rather, both authors see a need for teachers to actively seek ways to scaffold student learning.
Developmental spelling in kindergarten and first grade allows students to begin to understand word-sound relationships, gain an ear for hearing language, and encourages children to express themselves. Students who are ready can begin to learn spelling patterns in those early years. Eventually, all children must be encouraged to master more of the complexities of American English through careful scaffolding. Throughout elementary school, children should be allowed to use developmental spelling for words that have not been formally studied. As children learn new words through word games and spelling activities (including formal spelling tests) those words should be added to the word wall.
Developmental or invented spelling encourages children to explore sound-word relationships, empowers children to communicate, and gives the teacher a unique window into a student’s understanding of spelling. Developmental spelling is one step along the pathway to correct spelling. Good teachers will develop strategies to support student learning, scaffolding them as they advance through the five stages of spelling development.
Children’s delight in learning to sound out their language and in sharing their thoughts should not be impeded by too early or too emphatic an emphasis on conventional spelling. Parents and teacher both should want young children to express their delight of wintertime!
References
Groff, P. Recent Spelling Research, and Simplified Spelling. Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society, 1996. Accessed August 29, 2010.
Lutz, E. Invented Spelling and Spelling Development. Reading Rockets, 1986. Accessed August 29, 2010.
Morgret, K., Weber, N., & Woo, L. A Behaviorist Approach To Spelling. July 30, 2001. Accessed August 29, 2010
Sipe, L. Invention, convention, and intervention: Invented spelling and the teacher’s role. The Reading Teacher, 55, (2001): 264-273.
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Gina Barrett Putt - Gina Barrett Putt works in housing, with experience in case management for elders and the mentally ill, and college and K-12 education.
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