Stages of Spelling Development

For many years, people treated spelling like a distinct subject that needed memorization to achieve mastery.

In the present times, some schools continue to refer to spelling as a different subject. 

But, from the last decade, language experts have exposed a different perspective in the spelling procedure.

They view the spelling acquisition rules as a complicated process of development.

With the individual stages specified, elementary educators can assist students in making strategies to learn the English spelling from a standard version.

Invented Spelling

The attempts that young children make for the best spelling judgments are known as invented spelling.

Charles Read, who was a linguist, was examining the writings from thirty preschoolers.

These youngsters were able to specify and name the alphabet letters.

They were also able to identify the name of those alphabets with sounding words.

Thereby, these preschoolers ended up “inventing” spellings against the words with letter arrangement. 

Spelling Development Stages

Preschool and elementary school children improve through various stages of spelling development as they explore the complexities in printed English.

They go through the five stages involving – pre-communicative, semiphonetic, phonetic, transitional, and correct.

1. Pre-communicative

A child might choose alphabetical symbols without expressing any knowledge in letter-sound correspondences.

He or she might lack the basic knowledge in the left-to-right direction or the upper case and lower case differences.

2. Semiphonetic 

The child gains an understanding of the letter-sound correspondences.

He or she gets the knowledge of sounds being assigned to the letters.

In this stage, the child uses rudimentary logic in single letters that represent sound, syllables, and words.

3. Phonetic 

A letter or a group of letters is used by the child representing individual speech sounds they hear from a word.

These words are understandable as they are systematic.

Yet, some of its choices fail to comply with conventional English spelling. Like the words EN for “in '' or KOM for “come”.

4. Transitional 

The Speller starts to gather together all the alternatives to represent the sounds.

They move forward from their phonology (sound) dependence to word structure with the help of understanding and visual representation.

The examples can vary like “higheked” for “hiked” or “egul” for “eagle”.

5. Correct 

The speller becomes aware of the fundamental rules in the English orthographic system.

The person who can spell correct spellings also has the ability to possess suffixes and prefixes, irregular spellings, consonants, or alternative spellings.

With the accumulation of vastly learned words, the speller begins to recognize the incorrect word formations. 

The change that takes place between each of the above stages is gradual.

Examples from different spelling development stages can alternately coexist in a particular writing sample.

The Final Conclusion

Therefore, we find that the above passages discuss the gradual developments that take place in spellings.

The situation changes as the child experiences growth.