While I was reading Chapter 5 of the textbook, I was particularly interested in reading about the spelling development on page 168. It's interesting to think about the way that children learn a process that most people seem to take for granted a lot of the time. It's vital in our society to be able to read and write, but it's often something that I've found is not given as much thought as it should be. In my experience, it can be a rather difficult process for students and it can also be quite frustrating for them if handled incorrectly.
The children that I work with are very young, so the part of this process that I get to see is the "Emergent Spelling" step mentioned on pg. 168 of the textbook. Just learning how to hold the pen or pencil correctly can be difficult and this often seems to relate to their level of development, but the children are usually eager to learn. Clipboards, little moveable letters, dry erase boards, and chalkboards are, in my experience, excellent tools to use with younger children who are just taking their first steps into this venture because it makes the experience fun. If the experience is a frustrating chore then most children aren't going to want to bother with it when there are so many fun toys to play with, but make it into a fun activity when they get to write on something interesting and that makes them feel more grown up, then, in my experience, it seems like they might be more willing to forgo other sorts of games to play this fun interesting one that involves them learning more about the way that words function.
These early steps might seem basic to us, but to a young child, each step is a new challenge and, in my opinion, it's important that we approach it in the right way so that it's a welcome new challenge rather then a boring chore that is only getting in the way of their fun. Practice is a big part of learning to write, just as it is a big part in learning to read. If the students enjoy practicing, they are more likely to work harder in their lessons and even practice on their own. In the class that I worked in, there were several students who really liked to draw and it was not uncommon for them to practice their letters as well as writing things that they knew how to write like their name during these periods.
This website seems to have some good information on various activities that can be used to encourage writing at the various stages of development.
Hi Jennifer, this is Kristen A. from your class. I like your post, and think you have a good perspective on the idea that literacy learning should be fun, not just a dry, boring experience.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine told me that when he was first learning the alphabet, at the beginning of each week his teachers would bring out a brand new inflatable letter for the class to see and talk about. Each letter had a face on it, and they named them accordingly; such as "Tall T", and "Hairy H". He said the kids in his class would be very excited to see the new letter each week. Through this process, they learned the alphabet easily, associating each letter with a friendly, happy character!
I agree that learning to spell shouldn't be limited to standard activities such as tracing letters or words over and over; it should be an engaging and fun experience.
Thank you for your post!