A New Look at Spelling: What Parents Should Know

Spelling instruction has come a long way from the days of memorizing long weekly word lists. While spelling remains a vital part of a child’s literacy development, today’s research tells us that how we teach spelling is just as important as what we teach.

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Why Spelling Still Matters

Spelling is more than just getting words right on a test. It supports reading and writing development, helping children understand the structure of words, the sounds that letters make, and how words are formed. Strong spelling skills are closely connected to stronger reading fluency and comprehension.

Beyond Memorization

Traditionally, spelling instruction often relied on rote memorization of disconnected words. But research shows that students learn best when they understand why words are spelled the way they are. That includes learning spelling patterns, root words, prefixes and suffixes, and how English has evolved over time. Modern spelling instruction is about patterns and meaning—not just memorizing for a test.

How Parents Can Help at Home

You don’t need a weekly list to support spelling! Here are some simple and effective ways to practice spelling with your child:

• Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check: Have your child look at a word, say it aloud, cover it, write it from memory, and then check their spelling. The Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check Routine: In the CCSD ELA core curriculum, Wonders 2023 by McGraw-Hill, teachers use the following routine to practice words with the spelling pattern. Follow these same steps at home for practice:
  1. Look- Students look at the word. 
  2. Say- Students read the word aloud.
  3. Cover- Students cover the word and say the word aloud, sounding out each phoneme in the word. 
  4. Write- Students write the word without looking at the original. 
  5. Check- Students check against the original. Parents or siblings can check their work.
• Word Sorts: Sorting words is a great hands-on opportunity to study spelling patterns. Come up with words that match the pattern for the week and find ways to sort those words into different categories. Group words with similar patterns (like cake, make, lake) and talk about what makes them similar or different.
• Word Hunts: While reading together, look for words with the same spelling patterns your child is learning. Have students search texts (newspapers, magazines, books, store ads, etc.) to find words that have the same patterns they have been studying. 
• Play Word Games: Use games like Go Fish, Concentration, or custom board games with words to make learning fun. 
  • Word Study Games: Almost any card game can be adapted for word study.  
    • “Go Fish” Card Game: Using example spelling pattern words, create some cards, students match cards with similar spelling patterns. The student with the most pairs wins.  
    • Concentration: Provide a set of word cards with duplicates of each spelling word. Have students shuffle the cards and place them face-side down in rows. Students take turns turning over pairs of cards to find two words that match. The student with the most cards wins.  
    • Board Game: For each space on the board, write a word with a spelling pattern students have studied. The first player draws from a stack of pre-created spelling words cards. The player reads the words and moves to the first square containing a word with the same spelling pattern.
• Proofreading practice - Create some sentences with words that represent the weekly pattern that are written incorrectly, and spelled wrong, and have students proofread.
• Use Words in Sentences: Practicing words in context helps with memory and understanding. 

By supporting your child’s understanding of how words work, you’re helping them become a more confident reader and writer—skills that will benefit them for years to come.