I teach special ed, and usually they're using the computers so if they ask, I tell them to spell it the best they can, and right click if a red squiggly line comes up underneath it. If there's no options, go back and try it again. Sometimes more than one option pops up, and for the most part they are able to pick the word they want from there. Cheating the system a bit, I know.
Personally I don't believe in spelling for children because how will they learn? I give them strategies and we do word work but spelling for them won't teach them anything. To be honest part of why I am such a good speller now is because as a kid whenever I didn't know how to spell something, Mom would force me to look it up in the dictionary. I'd say "Nevermind" and she'd go, "No, look it up. Now I want to know."
A major source of pain for me is "scribing" in which you have to write EVERYTHING for ESOL and SPED students. So if I say, "Draw a picture of your favorite and write a sentence about it" then they draw and I have to write the sentence. For seven children. How is that fair to the other kids?
I understand sometimes these students are lower and might need a little more assistance, but how will they function in the real world (or even in upper grades) if they don't start practicing this skill now?
EDIT: At my old school we had no ESOL students and during my two years there, I never had any SPED students, so I never scribed. Instead of Reading Specialist focused on "inventive" spelling.
Personally I don't believe in spelling for children because how will they learn? I give them strategies and we do word work but spelling for them won't teach them anything. To be honest part of why I am such a good speller now is because as a kid whenever I didn't know how to spell something, Mom would force me to look it up in the dictionary. I'd say "Nevermind" and she'd go, "No, look it up. Now I want to know."
A major source of pain for me is "scribing" in which you have to write EVERYTHING for ESOL and SPED students. So if I say, "Draw a picture of your favorite and write a sentence about it" then they draw and I have to write the sentence. For seven children. How is that fair to the other kids?
I understand sometimes these students are lower and might need a little more assistance, but how will they function in the real world (or even in upper grades) if they don't start practicing this skill now?
EDIT: At my old school we had no ESOL students and during my two years there, I never had any SPED students, so I never scribed. Instead of Reading Specialist focused on "inventive" spelling.
I have many kids with the scribing accommodation, but I do not write everything for them. If they only have to write a sentence, they can do it and I make them. They need to write for themselves where appropriate.
If the writing is difficult to decipher, I will have them read it to me and translate that onto a sticky note. I then attach it to their paper when they're finished so that we know what was said. They eventually get to the point, with assistance, where their writing is more legible.
I scribe for longer assignments IF they seem to need it and/or request it. And then, if it's a writing class assignment, I will write without punctuation or capitalization, and deliberately misspell some words so they have something to edit. Or I will scribe some for them, and they will write some on their own.
I have some students who have the accommodation and I've never written a word for them, ever. If they are able to write with some assistance in the time allotted, they don't need me to scribe.
A scribing accommodation does not mean they never have to write for themselves, ever. It's mainly put in there to help them with standardized testing. When we have those tests, I scribe for them if requested to do so by the student.
As far as spelling for students... if they're younger, they need to see if the word is on the word wall and copy the correct spelling. If it's not a sight word, they need to sound it out.
If they're older, they need to use the dictionary. I will happily help them use the guide words to find the word they're looking for. If I have a special needs student with a lot of misspelled words, I will correct a lot of them but leave them with at least a few to look up in the dictionary.
I allow certain students to check the spelling on Word, or to type their entire assignment on it. (These kids usually have goals in spelling and are impeded so much by this that they can barely write a coherent paper.)
If they're brainstorming, I tell the other kids to spell it the best they can and move on so they can get their words on paper. They can always check the correct spelling when they are editing.
I don't just spell the words. I tell students to think about the letters that make the sounds in the word so they are having to really think about the phonics. Some words are tricky and might have silent letters, etc., and in those cases after the student tries I would give the spelling. If it's a word we have studied I really want them to get it correct and usually have to remind them of when we studied the "ack" family (for example), or refer them to the word wall. Many times I write key words to go with what we are writing about, and those will be on the board for kids (all week we have been working on community, so I have left that word up for them).
I am embarrassed to admit that I do spell for students, and here is my reason: I want the word to be spelled correctly, and there is limited time. My thought process was that having them sound it out would result in them spelling it incorrectly, but when they see it modeled on the board, it's correct. Now that I have read what you have all said, I would like to change my approach.
I used to tell my 8th graders to use the dictionary and then realized no one had taught them (or they forgot) how to use the dictionary to help them spell a word, so I have a set of tips they glue in their interactive notebook . Tips include thinking about what other letters or letter combinations make the same sound such as sc, for the "s" sound, ph for the "f" sound etc. It also tells them about the schwa sound and I teach them how to be aware of that sound and that it can be made by any of the vowels. I actually found the tips accidentally on a web site - don't have the info with me, but it was something like spelling .com. You could probably search using "spelling using a dictionary"
From my experiences I've always been taught not to spell it for them because it develops learned helplessness. Too many times I've seen students in 2nd grade classrooms (with strong word walls and great teachers) sit with aides or substitutes and ask how to spell a word that is available on their WW. Instead of directing them there (and sometimes I would help them by saying what it starts with if it's a tricky digraph) they would simply spell it. ESPECIALLY with writing the student needs to see the process by making the error and then correcting it during editing. This helps solidify the meaning for them in the future, instead of just writing letters the teacher/adult dictates (because they aren't associated with sounds anymore).
My strategy would look something like this:
Student asks "how do you spell 'experiment'"
1. Tell the student to try to sound it out.
2. During editing or conferences ask the student to tell you what words they struggled with. From here you can either direct them to the word wall if the word is there, direct them to a dictionary to find the spelling, use the teachable moment for a small lesson on whatever attribute that word has (digraphs, vowel combinations, etc), or use another strategy.
3. Have the students correct the spelling of the word.
When it comes to common words the students are using regularly (especially in the content areas) I like the "ask three then me" rule, where the student needs to ask three other classmates to find the answer (this works with more than just spelling!) before coming to the teacher. Obviously, this wouldn't be used during a silent individual writing time, but it is a strategy worth exploring.
I caution the use of dictionaries with elementary students. Try to find a couple strong children dictionaries (scholastic has made some I've been happy with) that introduce dictionary aspects like pronunciations, parts of speech and multiple definitions without being too advanced. Of course, students need instruction on how to navigate a dictionary and use its components properly.
I grew up in the generation of "write your spelling words five times each" and I have a strong visual memory so for me I could regurgitate the information but I didn't truly LEARN how to spell those words based on sound features. Many times I forgot the spelling before the next week’s test. So when I came across words with similar structure I could not apply the knowledge I had learned since I did not learn to associate the letters with the sounds, instead I has just visually memorized the order of the letters.
Since I move from room-to-room, and am often not in another English teacher's room, there are no dictionaries, so I can't say to the class, "Look it up in the dictionary."
How is that fair to the other kids?
