Unlocking the Mysteries of English Spelling: A Structured Word Inquiry Approach
Andrea Dalland, M.Ed, MLS
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(117)
If learning rules with tons of exceptions and rote memorization of words isn't working, it's time to try a new approach. This class will transform learners' understanding of words and how spelling works while also improving vocabulary.
Class experience
US Grade 7 - 10
Intermediate Level
If you are like most speakers of English, you’ve been taught to spell a word by “sounding it out.” But you probably also know that this strategy only works a small handful of times. Between silent letters, letters that can make more than one sound, and words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently…..the number of obstacles in the way of “sounding out” words makes this strategy inefficient at best and frustrating at worst. If rote memorization of lists of spelling words,...
Throughout the course of this class, students will learn to: -break words apart into prefixes, bases, and suffixes -understand how to identify the graphemes, morphemes, and phonemes that create a word -understand that words that are connected in meaning will also be connected in spelling -understand how adding a suffix can change the spelling of a base word, for example by dropping a silent -e or doubling a final consonant -use provided flow charts and matrices to make decisions about spelling when adding a suffix to a base word -approach spelling problems by "thinking like a scientist," making a hypothesis about a word, testing their hypothesis, and seeing the results -be able to do research into the etymology of a word to learn more about its meaning, origin, and spelling patterns -know how to do research into a word's morphology and etymology
I have had extensive professional development in the ideas presented in this class, including working directly with Peter Bowers and WordWorksKingston to learn the principles of Structured Word Inquiry, and I have seven years of experience teaching this content in a classroom setting. I have also been involved in the creation of resources for colleagues to use in their teaching as they implemented SWI in their own classrooms.
Homework Offered
Most weeks, I will post some optional homework that will provide extra practice for the concept we learned in class. It should take students no longer than 10-15 minutes to complete. Some weeks will not have homework, depending on the content of the class.Assessments Offered
Grades Offered
It is recommended for students to keep a small notebook for taking notes, writing word sums, and keeping lists of prefixes, suffixes and bases that we discover during the class.
Parents, be aware that this class could turn your child into a logophile (not sure what this word means? Check a dictionary, think about the parts that make up this word and see if you can think of words that are related in meaning and spelling. Now you're on your way to becoming a logophile yourself!) and will make them notice and ask questions about words and the spellings of words all day. You have been warned!
The content of this class is based off the work of Melvyn Ramsden, Peter Bowers, Sue Scabetta Hegland, Fiona Hamilton and many others. Some of the resources used were created by Peter Bowers and used with his permission. More about his work with the WordWorks Literacy Centre can be found at: https://wordworkskingston.com/WordWorks/Home.html During the class, we will use online resources including dictionary.com, thesaurus.com, etymonline.com and a word searcher website. Students will not need to access these sites directly, I will share these via screen share.
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(117)
I love being a teacher and have wanted to be one for as long as I can remember! I now have 20 years of experience teaching elementary school and I hold two Master's degrees; one in Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction, and one in Library...
Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 17 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
4-12 learners per class
