How analytical spelling helps kids learn to read

What is analytical spelling?

Analytical spelling is spelling from dictation--not from memorization. Students listen and respond to spoken words by converting sounds and structures into letters and letter combinations. Analytical spelling requires students to take words apart and put them back together by focusing on sounds, meanings, and grammatical structures. It requires students to ask the most critical questions: Why is the word pronounced this way? And how do the word's definition, origins, grammatical structures, and usage determine its spelling?

How analytical spelling helps kids learn to read

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.

5. Spelling requires students to listen and to think carefully about alphabetical sounds.

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

7. Spelling makes students bright because it teaches them to read and write by focusing on sounds instead of sight.