Children's early spelling attempts (invented spellings) and underlying component skills were evaluated in a sample (N = 115) of 5-year-old children. Letter-sound knowledge and phoneme awareness were shown to be important predictors of invented spelling performance in this age group. The results also showed associations between invented spelling…

This investigation examined the effects of currently available word prediction software programs that support phonetic/inventive spelling on the quality of journal writing by six students with severe writing and/or spelling difficulties in grades three through six during a month-long summer writing program. A changing conditions single-subject…

Almost every first grade has at least one Peter, one youngster who delivers the important note from his mother at the end of the day instead of in the morning and yet, he is not making much progress toward learning to read and write. He has all the characteristics that mark him as being one of those children who will struggle throughout his school…

Tested 93 children on reading-related skills four times over 1.5 years. Found that the invented spelling measure was stable, highly associated with traditional phonological awareness tasks, and substantially predictive of standardized spelling and word and nonword decoding tests over time. Orthographic and phonological processing were associated…

Investigates the role of phonological and orthographic information in vowel selection across grades 1, 2, and 3. Results suggest: (1) beginners make best-guess decisions to spell ambiguous vowels based solely on phonological information; and (2) as they acquire more sound-letter correspondence knowledge, children start to use orthographic…

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a training programme, designed to make preschool-age children's invented spelling evolve, on their phonemic awareness. The participants were 90 children who were divided into 3 experimental and 3 control groups based on the nature of their invented spelling. Children's phonemic skills were…

Investigates whether 8- to 9-year-old children are sensitive to rime unit correspondence frequency when spelling words and nonwords. Finds children's spelling cannot be described according to one-to-one phoneme-grapheme mapping. Claims children are sensitive to lexical factors such as rime unit sound-spelling correspondence. (NH)

This succinct guide notes that spelling rules are sometimes strange and wondrous and often more than a little complex. The guide presents rules for: (1) forming plurals and "s" forms of verbs; (2) forming possessives; (3) adding suffixes; (4) forming prefixes; and (5) the "ei" or "ie" rule. The guide notes the…

Finds that good inventive spellers learned to read two sets of phonetically simplified words more effectively than poor inventive spellers. Confirms a strong relationship between spelling and reading even when spellers are found in classrooms where spelling is not taught. (RS)

Examines how students decide how to approach spelling questions in their writing. Suggests several strategies to help students improve their spelling abilities. Concludes that all of the strategies place the burden of responsibility on the writer--the student--to communicate effectively. Notes the importance of students shifting from inventive…

This study was designed to investigate the development of a 5-year-old child's language and literacy development in English and Chinese within a 10-week tutoring context where the primary materials were wordless picture books. Storytelling in English and Chinese were the primary activities in each session. Extended activities included labeling,…

Examines the historical background of children's invented spelling, describes and exemplifies the stages of spelling development, and discusses current research concerning the effects of the use of invented spelling on learning to read. Explores the development of invented spelling in journal writing and articulates ways to foster children's…

Investigates possible developmental trends in children's invented spelling (or spelling errors) in Chinese elementary schools. Notes that regression analysis for linear trend shows that a developmental trend in the use of spelling strategies exists: at the lower elementary level, phonological strategies predominate; as grade level advances, the…

Many individuals who work with young children between birth and age 8 assume that literacy activities must be planned and executed as elaborate, formal lessons. The increasing pressure seeping through national accountability measures and the renewed focus on early literacy is trickling down to this age group. The Division for Early Childhood of…

Since one way to study a non-reading primary child's phonics knowledge is to examine his/her invented spelling, a researcher's quandary led to a quasi-experimental design study, employed to answer three questions: (1) Do primary non-readers possess phonics knowledge? (2) Do primary non-readers possess phonemic awareness? and (3) Do primary…