Re: word study - not spelling

Mark Pennington

Posted on 11/15/10

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Krista,

Great question. Let me first get you thinking a bit on your spelling
source (the Dolch words) and then directly answer your (and, no
doubt, others') question. Teachers often confuse these components of
learning how to use our language: decoding (reading according to
the patterns of English, i.e., phonics), sight words (irregular,
non-decodable words-- frequently called "Outlaw Words"), and
encoding (spelling based upon the sound-spelling connections). Such
is the case in using Dolch words as spelling words. The Dolch words
are simply high-utility words from basal texts. Thus, they are
decodable words and sight words, not spelling words. The rationale
for using such a list seems convincing at first glance. Why not
teach kids to spell the most commonly used words? But, upon closer
examination, this is a reductive approach. Students need to sped
time learning the sound-spelling patterns, and yes the Outlaw
Words... Here is my resource. The first portion of this diagnostic
spelling assessment is appropriate for first graders, the balance
is appropriate for second and third graders, as the items assess
vowel digraphs and diphthongs.
http://penningtonpublishing.com/assessments/TSV%20Spelling%20Assessm
e nt.pdf This will produce the data you need to plan effective
differentiation for the encoding component. I will email you
separately a copy of my Outlaw Words spelling assessment.

Mark On 11/15/10, Krista wrote:
> Mark - what do you have on 1st grade differentiation? I'm
> experiencing difficulty in finding what works best for my kiddos
> while using the Dolch list as our spelling words. Argh..

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