Is Spelling a Subject?

Does your homeschooling family focus on spelling as a subject or do you let spelling happen naturally within the realm of your learning throughout the year? In this day of texting, program spellcheckers and email one may wonder why spelling is even something we should teach. Others feel that focusing on correct spelling may hinder a child's creative writing. I feel that spelling is important because it helps a child read.

Learning to spell helps to cement the connection between the letters and their sounds, and learning high-frequency "sight words" to mastery level improves both reading and writing. Joshi, Treiman, Carreker and Moats describe this connection:  "The correlation between spelling and reading comprehension is high because both depend on a common denominator: proficiency with language. The more deeply and thoroughly a student knows a word, the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing." They also note that "the major goal of the English writing system is not merely to ensure accurate pronunciation of the written word – it is to convey meaning. If words that sound the same (e.g., rain, rein and reign) were spelled the same way, their meanings would be harder to differentiate."

We do a formal short spelling lesson each day in our homeschool. Each child has a spelling book that correlates with their "grade" and they complete a lesson each day with a test at the end of the week. They practice writing the words, spelling the words out loud, as well as using the words in a sentence. To keep it fun we also play online spelling games using their spelling list. For my younger ones,we "paint" the words in flour, shaving cream or paint and sometimes try to spell the words with other materials such as pipe cleaners, Legos or yarn. I am a firm believer that to try to teach my kids something, there has to be a level of fun to keep their attention.

Zombie Boy and Squidward also have their written spelling corrected within their daily work. Zombie Boy knows how to use a dictionary and spellchecker and if I see a misspelled work within his reports then he has to find the correct spelling. Squidward writes daily in a notebook and we circle misspelled words, he looks them up in a children's dictionary and then adds them to his Word Wall, a large yellow poster board that has many correctly spelled words written on it throughout the year.

What does your family do for spelling? Do you do a formal spelling program?