Spelling

1. Should I conduct the daily Dictation as a spelling test?

No. The daily Dictation routine is meant to be practice, not a test. As you do the dictation, provide guidance and feedback as needed to ensure children encode correctly. This regular guided practice will help develop children's encoding skills. While the routine is not meant to test mastery, you will be able to identify children who are struggling and need additional practice or reteaching.

2. How are children taught to encode letters for medial and final sounds and consonant blends?

Children are taught that each letter stands for a unique sound, regardless of where it appears in a word or whether it's a consonant or a vowel. Understanding this concept enables children to spell words by starting at the left and encoding letter-sounds in sequence.

3. Why doesn't Meet the Superkids teach children to memorize the spelling of phonetically irregular words?

Expecting children to memorize the spelling of irregular words at this level could undermine their understanding of the alphabetic principle—that there is a predictable relationship between written letters and spoken sounds. This principle is reinforced when children discover they can encode the words they can decode. By the end of Level 2, most children have strong enough decoding and encoding skills that they are ready to start memorizing the spelling of irregular words taught in Levels 3 and 4.

4. Should I have children correct misspelled words in their own writing?

Yes, if the words are spelled with letters and sounds children have been taught. Help children hear the sound or sounds they encoded incorrectly in a word. Remind them that they know the letter that stands for the sound. Have them write the word with the correct spelling.