Learning To Write and Spell

Question 1

What are the 5 functions of writing

Answer 1

• Practicality
• Job related
• Stimulating (thought provoking)
• Social (thank you notes etc)
• Therapeutic (express feelings)

Question 2

What are some features of the English Writing system?

Answer 2

• Holding and controlling the pen
• Left to right, top to bottom
• word spacing
• Letter direction
• Upper and lower case

Question 3

What did Barry Kroll do?

Answer 3

Recognised 4 stages of writing development

Question 4

What is the first stage of Barry Kroll’s development theory?

Answer 4

Preparatory Stage (4-7)

Basic motor skills develop +principles of the spelling system acquired

Question 5

What is the second stage of development (Barry Kroll)

Answer 5

Consolidation stage (7-9)

Use writing to express what they can say. Reflecting spoken language with colloquialisms etc

Question 6

What is the third developmental stage (Barry Kroll)

Answer 6

Differentiation stage (9-10)

Writing becomes different to speech and follows its own patterns.
Errors are common due to new standards.
Children encounter different genres and audiences.

Guidance is needed about structure and functions of writing.

Question 7

What is the fourth developmental stage (Barry Kroll)

Answer 7

Integration stage (11+)

Children have a good knowledge of language and can vary the style to suit genre purpose and audience.

Question 8

What is Kathy Barclays first stage of children’s writing?

Answer 8

Scribbling

Random marks on a page.

Question 9

What is Kathy Barclays second stage of children’s writing?

Answer 9

Mock handwriting

Wavy scribbles resembling cursive writing

Question 10

What is Kathy Barclays third stage of children’s writing?

Answer 10

Mock letters

Letter like shaped resembling alphabet letters

Question 11

What is Kathy Barclays fourth stage of children’s writing?

Answer 11

Conventional letters

A string of letters across a page that a child reads as a sentence.

Often first a child’s name

Question 12

What is Kathy Barclays fifth stage of children’s writing?

Answer 12

Invented spelling

Clusters of letters to make words, not always in a correct order or readable however readable to a child

Question 13

What is Kathy Barclays sixth stage of children’s writing?

Answer 13

Phonetic spelling stage

Association between sounds and letters

Question 14

What is Kathy Barclays seventh (and last) stage of children’s writing?

Answer 14

Conventional spelling

When a child’s spelling becomes more accurate

Question 15

Describe drawing and sign writing

Answer 15

When children experiment with sign writing, different to drawing

When they begin to understand we use marked on paper to pass ideas from writer to reader

Sign writing displays characteristics of writing (eg writing left to write)

Question 16

Analyse drawing and sign writing

Answer 16

Children recognise there is a difference between drawing and writing (shapes and signs)

They understand writing consists of straight lines and goes from right to left and that spaces are important.

Question 17

Describe Letter-like forms

Answer 17

When signs written begin to show letter like features

Question 18

Analyse letter like forms and copied letters

Answer 18

Children recognise shapes from the alphabet and copy them.

They learn to associate these shapes with sounds or names.

Difficulty arises due to letter changing shape for upper and lower case and sound changing based on context.

Question 19

Describe copied letters

Answer 19

Children can overwrite, underwrite or copy letters well enough to be recognisable.

Question 20

Describe Child’s name and string of letters

Answer 20

Children can independently write strings of letter and usually their own name

Question 21

Analyse ‘Child’s name and strings of letters’

Answer 21

Children begin to recognise that groups of letters occur together.

Usually occurs in connection with their name, first learn it as a sight word and can’t break down into letters.

Begin to recognise that other frequent words have the same string of letters at the beginning and the end.

Question 22

Describe ‘words’ in relation to learning to write

Answer 22

Children learn that the sounds associated with spoken words they know.

They understand that we can represent the spoken words with letter.

Question 23

Describe ‘sentences’ in relation to the stages of learning to write

Answer 23

Children learn to write confidently.

Can express ideas in writing that link to concepts and use clause or sentences to do this

Remove capital letters and full stops with purpose (use other punctuation)

Question 24

Analyse the ‘sentence’ stage of learning to write

Answer 24

Children learn the conventions we use to show how groups of words are linked into sentences.

Systematic use of punctuations begins to occur

Question 25

Describe ‘text’ in relation to the stages of learning to write

Answer 25

Writing texts involves combining clauses or sentences to express related ideas

Question 26

Analyse the ‘text’ stage of learning to write

Answer 26

Children learn to combine clauses and sentences into longer texts.

Texts are coherent and cohesive.

Sentences are connected

Question 27

What are the 7 general stages of learning to write

Answer 27

1. Drawing and sign writing
2. Letter like forms
3. Copied letters
4. Child’s name and strings of letters
5. Words
6. Sentences
7. Text

Question 28

What are the 4 general stages of learning to spell

Answer 28

1. Exploration
2. Semi-phonetic
3. Phonetic
4. Transitional

Question 29

What are the conventions of stage 1. Exploration (learning to spell)

Answer 29

• Pre-letter writing
• Random writing on a page
• Repetition or familiar letters
• Left to write direction
• Random sight words

Question 30

What are the conventions of stage 2. Semi-Phonetic (learning to spell)

Answer 30

•Random spaces in writing
•Use of few known words in correct places
•Letter-sound correspondence 
        -uses initial consonants 
        -uses partial mapping of words

Question 31

What are the conventions of stage 2. Phonetic (learning to spell)

Answer 31

• Total mapping of letter-sound correspondence
• Vowels are omitted when not heard
• Writes quickly
• Spaces words correctly
• Letters are assigned strictly on the basis of sound

Question 32

What are the conventions of stage 4. Transitional (learning to spell)

Answer 32

• Vowels appears in every syllable
• Silent ‘e’ becomes fixes
• Inflectional endings (“s” and “ing”) are used
• Common letter sequences are used
• Child moves towards visual spelling
• May include all letters of a word
• Some letters may be flipped (form instead of from)

Question 33

What did J.R. Gentry suggest

Answer 33

That there are 5 stages in learning to spell, depending on individuals and teaching techniques

Question 34

What was J.R Gentry’s 5 stages in learning to spell

Answer 34

1. Pre-communicative stage
2. Semi-phonetic stage
3. Phonetic stage
4. Transitional stage
5. Correct stage

Question 35

What is the Pre-Communicative stage? (J.R Gentry)

Answer 35

When a child realises symbols can be used to create a message and have a meaning.

Symbols may be invented

Question 36

What is the Semi-phonetic stage? (J.R Gentry)

Answer 36

Child begins realising letters have sounds.

May abbreviate words in writing and use pictures for words they don’t know.

Question 37

What is the Phonetic stage? (J.R Gentry)

Answer 37

Child spells through sound-symbol correspondence.

May not be aware some strings of letters don’t exist in English.

Question 38

What is the Transitional stage? (J.R Gentry)

Answer 38

Child uses the basic conventions of the English language system:

Become aware of the patterns in spelling beyond phonetic spelling.

Question 39

What is the Correct stage? (J.R Gentry)

Answer 39

Child now understands basic spelling patterns and knows about word structures.

Use visual strategies to spell.

Have a large automatic spelling vocabulary and can distinguish between homonyms and homophones.

Have control over loaded language (language that evokes emotion) and Latinate lexis.

Question 40

What can go wrong with spelling?

Answer 40

Placeholding (using consonants to represent words)

Children with weak visual memory forget what words look like and get confused when writing

Children with weak auditory memory forget what syllables represent what sound and can’t hear individual sounds in words. Often poor spellers.