Child Language Acquisition: Writing

Question 1

Name the 5 spelling stages.

Answer 1

Pre-phonemic, Semi-phonemic, Phonetic, Transitional and Conventional.

Question 2

What are the features of the pre-phonemic stage?

Answer 2

Pretend writing/ scribbling.

Some shapes could be made out.

Question 3

What are the features of the semi-phonemic stage?

Answer 3

Certain shapes represent sounds, children may use this to write sentences.

Question 4

What are the features of the phonetic stage?

Answer 4

Understanding phonemes are represented by graphemes.

The child will write more complete words.

Question 5

What are the features of the transitional stage?

Answer 5

Awareness of combinations of letters and patterns

e.g. the magic E rule.

Question 6

What are the features of the conventional stage?

Answer 6

Spelling most words correctly.

Question 7

Name the 7 spelling error categories.

Answer 7

Insertion, Omission, Substitution, Transposition, Phonetic Spelling, Over/under generalisation and Salient sounds.

Question 8

What is insertion?

Answer 8

Adding extra letters to a word.

Question 9

What is omission?

Answer 9

Missing out letters from a word.

Question 10

What is substitution?

Answer 10

Substituting one letter for another.

Question 11

What is transposition?

Answer 11

Reversing the correct order of letters.

Question 12

What is phonetic spelling?

Answer 12

Using how we sound out words, to guess the letters.

Question 13

What is under generalisation?

Answer 13

Only applying a rule in a specific context.

Question 14

What is over generalisation?

Answer 14

Applying a rule where it is inappropriate to do so.

Question 15

What is salient sounds?

Answer 15

Writing only the key sounds.

Question 16

What is emergent writing?

Answer 16

A child’s early scribble writing.

Question 17

What is meant by the term ‘ascender’?

Answer 17

The typographical feature where a portion of the letter goes above usual height for letters in any font.

Question 18

What is meant by the term ‘descender’?

Answer 18

Where a part of the letter goes below the baseline of a font.

Question 19

What is cursive script?

Answer 19

Joined up handwriting which can improve fluency.

Question 20

What is print handwriting?

Answer 20

Writing each letter individually which is the initial handwriting that children use.

Question 21

What is casual cursive script?

Answer 21

A mid-point between cursive and print handwriting with some letters being joined up and some not.

Question 22

What are homonyms?

Answer 22

Words that are spelt the same but pronounced differently.

Question 23

What are homophones?

Answer 23

Words that are pronounced the same but have a different meaning and may have a different spelling.

Question 24

What is a diagraph?

Answer 24

A cluster of two letters that present two sounds.

Question 25

What is meant by the term ‘grapho-phonemic’?

Answer 25

The relationship between symbols and sounds.