Download DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF SPELLING

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF SPELLING
SCRIBBLING
These marks are children’s first attempts to communicate through writing. As early as 2
years of age, children use different types of “scribble” to represent drawing and writing.
Difference functions and forms of writing – lists, letters, stories – also show up during
the scribble stage.
RANDOM
This stage of spelling is equivalent to babbling in oral language development. Children
realize that the letters are the particular marks that communicate messages but have no
sense of how particular letters relate to particular sounds. At this stage, you will see
children use a random ordering of letters and numbers to represent words. Example:
aR3st could stand for any word on the list.
PRE-PHONETIC
At this stage, children have realized that letters represent certain sounds but in their
spellings they represent only a few of the sounds. It is common at this stage to see
one, two or three-letter spellings. These spellings contain mainly consonants and omit
sounds the children here. Examples: MSR could be monster or mister. KLZ could
represent closed.
1. Letter represents initial sound
2. Letters for initial and final sounds
3. Letters for initial, middle, and final sounds
PHONETIC
Spellings at this stage are characterized by an almost perfect match between letters
and sounds. This does NOT mean that the spellings are conventional. However, other
people can usually read almost anything the children write. Examples: MONSTR for
monster, TIP for type. Spelling is at the articulation (where the tongue is in the mouth
when saying sounds), also using the name of the letter for the sound.
Examples:
AT = ate (letter for sound)
CHRUK = truck (articulation)
Jive = drive (articulation)
TRANSITIONAL
Children are beginning to stabilize conventional spelling at this stage. You will,
however, see unusual spellings as the children try to make spellings conform to the
rules being learned. One major characteristic of this stage is that a vowel appears in
every syllable of words attempted. Examples: YOUNIGHTED for united, EGUL for
eagle.
CONVENTIONAL
At this stage, all vowel sounds are represented, most words are spelled accurately.
They are now ready for homonyms, contractions, irregular spellings, beginning to
internalize rules that govern more difficult vowel and consonant combinations, word
endings, prefixes, suffixes
Movements from:
Tongues
Eyes/Ears
Knowledge/Sight
Sight/Ears
Random
Beginning sounds—not letters
Beginning and ending sound
Beginning, middle and ends