S.O.S. for reading

How scaffolded oral spelling can prevent or correct reading difficulties

In 1787, Noah Webster introduced his now-famous spelling book as a 'spelling book for reading.' Over?two hundred years later,?this landmark publication?still holds relevance as scientific reading research indicates that spelling is not merely a 'component' of early literacy but a highly effective methodology for teaching reading itself.

According to Ehri (one of the world's distinguished reading researchers) (1997), “Learning to read and learning to spell are (almost) the same.” (p. 237). This profound insight sheds light on the intricate interrelation of spelling and reading, a complexity that enriches our understanding of language and literacy.

Ehri further noted that “People read the spellings of words. People spell the spellings of words. People read the spellings they have spelled. The lack of clear distinction between these (spelling and reading) terms raises the possibility that we have been misled by our language and that reading and spelling are more similar than we recognize” (p. 238).

This interrelation of spelling and reading is supported by research. O'Connor and Jenkins (1995) also discussed how spelling made the alphabetic principle more concrete for students with disabilities. A 2022 Danish study by Moller and others further supports this by “highlighting the importance of integrated spelling and phonics even for children at risk of reading disability. In the Moller study, beginning kindergarteners at risk of early reading difficulties had significantly greater gains when integrating spelling with phonics instruction.” (Gentry)

The study's findings suggest that spelling can be a powerful tool in early literacy education, particularly for students at risk of reading difficulties because it helps replace phonological deficiency with phonological proficiency. Phonological deficiency refers to the challenges students face when they try to process sounds as symbols. Students with reading difficulties struggle to match spoken sounds to the letters that “spell” or represent those sounds in our symbolic writing system. ?Instruction that focuses on strengthening sound-symbol connections sharpens students’ abilities to analyze and convert spoken sounds into written words and to convert written words into spoken sounds.

What is the most effective way to use spelling as a pedagogical tool for preventing and correcting reading difficulties?

Scaffolded Oral Spelling?, or S.O.S. for Reading?, is the best method for using systematic spelling instruction to help students avoid or overcome reading difficulties.

What is Scaffolded Oral Spelling??

Scaffolded Oral Spelling is a systematic, scientific approach that guides students through the process of analyzing the sounds of spoken words and restating them as letters in the same sequence. This approach is called 'scaffolded' because it helps students progress from spelling phonemes, to syllables, to morphemes, and then words in a step-by-step manner. It is called 'oral' because instructors dictate each word sound by sound and syllable by syllable, while giving students ample time (and assistance) to map each sound unit to its corresponding alphabetical spelling. Students respond by repeating each sound, writing it down, and spelling it out loud until they've spelled, written, and read the word correctly. This method is effective because it helps students develop alphabetic and phonemic awareness, two essential foundations for building early literacy skills.

Scaffolded oral spelling sharpens phonemic analysis because it requires students to focus on segmenting and converting the sound structures of spoken words into the alphabetical symbols that represent those sounds. This approach requires children to learn words by sound instead of sight. It helps them develop a deep structural knowledge of language, essential for preventing or correcting reading difficulties such as dyslexia. By breaking down words into their constituent sounds and mapping these sounds to their corresponding spellings, develop strong analytical skills, which are crucial for reading and spelling proficiency. Moreover, phonological deficiency, a leading cause of reading difficulty, is replaced by phonological proficiency, which accelerates reading success.

Summary:

Why is Scaffolded Oral Spelling instruction effective in preventing or correcting difficulty in early literacy?

1. Words consist of sounds.

2. Each letter in our alphabet represents a distinct sound.

3. To spell, students must hear spoken sounds and "see" them as printed letters.

4. To read, students must see printed letters and "hear" them as spoken sounds.

6. Spelling requires students to listen and think analytically about alphabetic sounds.

7. Spelling is best because it limits the tendency to guess.

Brian Vieira The Academic Gym