Delightful Reading My Word Book

This is very helpful post.  I hope it’s alright to add a question… my 6 year old daughter remembers the words she’s learned, but not how to spell them. I’ve tried getting her to record the words herself – but I don’t know that it made a lot of difference, because when she’s writing, she seems to think about the individual letters rather than the whole word.

I’m trying to help her to see them in her mind’s eye – and I know she has learned to read them because she has no problem reading them later (she loves reading and would read all day if I let her).  But when she tries to write something on her own, I notice she hasn’t remembered the spelling of the same words she’s learned to read. Which makes me think she’s somehow not seeing them properly in her mind’s eye. Am I going wrong?  Or is this OK at this stage? Thanks

ruthm, some of the issue might be that your daughter is trying to remember how to form the letters and write them correctly; that’s a lot to remember all at once along with the spelling. If you use letter tiles for her to informally get acquainted with spelling, that would isolate that skill a little more so she can give it her full attention and would also incorporate other sensory learning. Then use copywork (short passages) for her to practice handwriting and gain fluency in that. The more she sees the words, the more they will become engrained in her mind.

alnels, your daughter’s actions seem to be pretty common for a beginner. Most children play with word spellings as they are learning; that’s okay. Somehow they seem to know that there is a difference between their experimenting and the real thing during their lessons. I wouldn’t be too concerned. What you want to do is always show her the correct spelling when she asks. (I know it can be a pain sometimes, but it will pay off big in the end.) Don’t allow abbreviations in her school work. And try to give her practical informal assignments that require a focus on correct spelling, like writing notes on cards for loved ones or adding items to the grocery list. Encourage her efforts; gently correct when necessary; don’t squelch her enthusiasm for writing on her own.