Child Having Problems with Spelling

Hi M.,

I teach 4th grade, and invented spelling is very normal--even necessary--for 1st graders. Your son probably isn't doing well on spelling tests because he's stressed out about them.

Honestly, the ability to memorize and spell a list of words does not show that a child can spell well. The question is, can a child spell grade-level words when using them day-to-day.

There were three children in my class who had very poor spelling at the beginning of this school year. I encouraged them to spell the best they could in their writing, but to use the words they wanted to use. When editing, we'd look up the words and correct them. But I NEVER went through with the red pen and corrected them myself. It's the end of the year, and all are spelling at grade-level. Rote memory is not the way to do it.

Read with your son as much as possible. Seeing the words on the page will help. If at the beginning of second grade he is still having big problems and is headed for a low grade, request that his teacher set up an SST meeting (student study team) to come up with some ideas that might help.

My sister exhibited the exact same issues with spelling as your son, and at nearly the same age. She was always very smart: math came easily to her, her reading level and comprehension was well above the grade average, and she generally did well in most subjects. But it was very clear from 1st grade on that she could not spell, and absolutely not for lack of trying. The school had her tested for learning disabilities, and there was nothing. They sent her to special private tutoring which also yeilded little to no results in spelling. I myself spent hours teaching her, as did my mother and father. We tried everything in the book as you have, from computer spelling games to flashcards - and the end result is the same. Even though no one was ever mad or dissappointed that she couldnt spell, so much focus and attention was spent on this one thing she could not do, she became very anxious and sensitive about it which certainly does not help the situation. And the end result? She just cant spell. Her brain does not spell, and despite trying to memorize all of those strange nuaces of the english language, it does't stick. Some people can't do math, and some are horrible at PE. Other children, like my sister and your son, can't spell. It is not his fault, and his teachers need to understand that this is just one of those things unique to your child: my mother was able to make sure all of my sisters teachers knew about her spelling issues, and she was allowed a little bit more leniency when it came to certain things. Essays she wrote were not graded on simple spelling mistakes, but on quality. She was allowed to use spell check, and her spelling tests and words did not make up as much of her grades as others. She sometimes was given different spelling words and tests that were more appropriate for her level.
She will graduate high school this year with a 3.2 gpa, which could be lots worse seeing as that she couldn't spell her way out of a box! Having a good spell check program on your computer is the best thing you can ever do for your son, and if you speak with his teachers, Im sure that they will be willing to make some allowances for his spelling deficiet. Have you had him checked for learning disabilities? He may also suffer from dyslexia, or even have a vision problem. If these things have been ruled out, know that spelling becomes less important as he progresses in school, and by the end of elementary school, students are almost always required to do all homework and essays on the computer, which means he can use spell check to his hearts content.

I am also a single mom, I have had the same problem- spelling is difficult, my son enjoys school and when it comes to test or reading aloud and sounding out words, that is where the problem is.. I have had his checked for reading disability and he is a healthy child, negative results on that end so my next step is to put him in reading intervention and lots of readign at home.. we make up songs and watch baby movies all the time, like Dora and Blue's Clues.. yes they are for babies but you know what whatever helps his self esteem is what matters, he loves to think he is the smartest kid on the planet because he knows what the words say before Dora or Diego do!!! Good luck, don't be so stressed about this, if you believe in him, he will believe in himself.. you are right, words should have been spelled the way they actually sound, try the word LIBRARY!!!

M., This may sound kind of silly but I had the same problem when I was in first grade (i am now 23). But I had such a wonderful teacher. She had me bring my favorite stuffed animal and put him on my desk or in the pocket of my desk. It really worked because I knew that he was there and "we" had worked so hard that week together to learn these words and now "we were taking the test together". It sounds silly but something in this area just might help the anxiety. Hope I could be of some help. R.

First off, it is COMPLETELY normal for kids to use phonetics when spelling. (Why isn't Phonetic spelled fa-net-ic?) I used to flip my letters around, so "d" where "b", "q" were "p" and so on. I couldn't figure parts of it out until 2nd grade when the teacher wrote on my test "there are no 9's in people." That was the last time I wrote "P" backwards. If it's missing words because of this type of error, he's not wrong, he just needs to work on letter directions. I would certainly keep work with him over the summer. Phonics are GREAT. If he's haveing a lot of trouble with "f" sounds that aren't spelled with an "f", then go through as many as you can think of. Make "f" his mommy spelling words. "The p-h in phone says fuh, just like F. So does gh, like enough. can you think of other words that have a fuh saound in them?" You can then tell him how each is spelled. Have him write them done as "your spelling words for the week". Let him test you each day for your words, then test him on his words, or have a "spell-off" where you take turns spelling a word. Mess up on purpose sometimes so that he can see it's okay to forget sometimes. Let him correct you when you spelled it wrong. It will help him learn to recognize the way the sound of the letter looks. "Fuh" as a lot of ways to be spelled. Making it fun will help him learn it better.
Hope it helps, ~J

M. G,
I made up a game that helped my kids. What you do is break down the word, if you can. Like hippopotamus has hip-pop-ot-am-and us in it. Try having him learn the small words within a word. I also tried to make rhymes with the spelling words. He may be getting less right in school simply because he is getting distracted. I hope this helps.
Good Luck
K.