How Should I Address Errors in Spelling You See?

Chunking Activities
Work closely with your student when they mark letters for the first time in a lesson. These activities are meant to be a learning exercise. As you check your student’s work, make any corrections together. If an error is made (the wrong chunk is marked), it should be erased and corrected as soon as it is noticed. The student can use this page as a reference when completing subsequent chunking pages.

Copywork Activities
Encourage the student to take their time and copy accurately. The goal of this activity is not to complete the entire passage; students should complete as much as they can in ten minutes. If a student does make an error, encourage the student to erase and rewrite the word as soon as it is noticed.

Dictation Activities  
The most important part of dictation is to understand that the goal is to spell words correctly, not to finish the dictation paragraph. In levels that have two dictation exercises, encourage your student to ask for help during the first dictation. This reinforces the process of correct spelling.

Students should not erase during the dictation exercises. Instead, they should cross out the word that is wrong and write the word again. Don’t stop your timer while your student is correcting the misspelled word. This process encourages students to exercise a visual memory for correctly spelled words. 

Provide feedback immediately and in a positive manner as soon as an error is made or you notice hesitation—not at the conclusion of the ten minute exercise. If you don’t give your student feedback until the end, you’ll lose an important opportunity to help them make a meaningful connection to long-term memory.

When dictation is complete, counting the number of words spelled correctly, rather than any errors, is a powerful way to encourage the student.

Should I Keep a List of Words That My Student Misses?

No, it is not necessary to keep a list. Words that are commonly misspelled will come up again in future lessons. 

Using this method of dealing with errors should help your student make steady progress in spelling without becoming frustrated or discouraged.

Should My Students Erase During the Copywork Activity? During Dictation Activity?

Copywork Activities: It is important to copy words correctly, so the student should erase if necessary.

Dictation Activities: When students are completing dictation, it is important not to erase. Give the student the chance to write the word multiple times, if needed, in order to see which one looks right. Have them draw a line through the incorrect words.

Is My Student Allowed to Ask for Help During Dictation Activities?

Yes. It is a positive step when students articulate their questions. Encourage the student to ask if they are confused by something. For example, if they aren’t sure if “cab” starts with c or k, have them ask rather than write the word incorrectly. We want to help the child succeed by eliminating opportunities for mistakes. It is better for a student to have the correct visual image of the letter or word rather than an incorrect one.

Related Articles & Blog Posts

The Value of Dictation in Spelling You See
Five Core Activities of Spelling You See
Parent Involvement in Spelling You See
Handwriting in Spelling You See

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