Is Spelling Becoming Obsolete?

Posted by Christine | 0 comments

Ever since hearing from a friend whose kids are in public school that their teacher doesn’t pay much attention to misspelled words, I’ve been feeling troubled. She said that since computers fix kids’ spelling for them, the teacher doesn’t think it’s worth the time to really focus on that skill. I’ve spent time pondering and researching this topic and tried to figure out a great three-point argument in defense of the seemingly dying skill of accurate spelling. I’ve not come up with any pithy bullet points, however, and have instead ended up relying on my experiences, observations and opinions.

So I ask you: in a world of spell check and “C U L8R”, is spelling becoming obsolete? Why bother teaching it?

Personally, I cringe when I see a word misspelled on a billboard or a document sent in the mail from a reputable company. It seems that more people misuse “your/you’re” and “their/they’re/there” than actually know how to use them. Numbers and single letters take the place of words in texts and emails; I am guilty of using them too, for the sake of convenience and time. Many young people, however, see these as legitimate parts of the English language and use them in school or professional life (so I’ve heard from some teacher friends). Are we raising generations of kids that rely more on a computer to fix their errors than their own minds? And why does it matter one way or the other?

For me the answer primarily lies in the problem of mediocrity. Would I be satisfied graduating my children from our homeschool as so-so spellers, destined to trust spell check every time they write a professional email or application? The answer is the same as if someone asked me if I would be satisfied if my children could only do math problems with a calculator. A resounding “no”. In the professional world, details and excellence matter. I compare it to the affect on people’s impression of a person when they are sloppily dressed. Do you assume that person keeps a neat house or office? Spelling is akin to appearance. We need to give our children the skills to always make a polished impression. There is only one chance to make a first impression, as the saying goes.

Homeschooling is many things, but it is not perfect. Neither are our children (and neither are we, for that matter!). Homeschooling has pros and cons, and our children have strengths and weaknesses, and we work with those in our everyday learning. We cannot necessarily assure that our children will leave our homeschool with perfect spelling skills, but we can instill in them the desire to be their best, in whatever subject, and that achieving excellence is reliant upon hard work, personal intellect, and their faith in their God-given abilities to overcome obstacles.

So what are some ways to boost spelling skills?
• I don’t have anything against packaged curriculum, but I have decided to forego it this coming year in favor of more literature-centered spelling activities. We take spelling words from the literature we are actually reading, so it is in context. I pre-read a chapter or two and have my children define some new words so that when they come to those their meanings will be fresh in their minds.
• In my family, we talk about spelling, word roots, prefixes, suffixes and patterns in our everyday life. Weird? Probably. But I find that it keeps my children actively thinking about words and their uses in a more holistic way.
• We play a lot of games- scrabble, boggle, homemade games like Spelling Baseball*, and even iPhone apps.
• We take apart words and talk about where they came from and perhaps why they are spelled the way they are.
• I use a phonics-based approach to spelling and start them early. Research shows that fully 70-80% of English words are phonetic, and much of the rest of them are partially phonetic.

I am a die-hard spelling advocate. I’m not perfect in my spelling, but I am careful about it! I do believe that it is important and shouldn’t be left to wither and fade in favor of the linguistic, technological advances of the day. Let’s teach our children that excellence is glorifying to God and that we should strive to be our best in every life pursuit.

Yes, I admit it, I’m a spelling nerd.

Don’t even get me started on grammar!

* Spelling baseball: In this game, I sit on the couch and the kids establish the four bases around me. I write a list beforehand of words of four varying levels for each child (even the preschoolers) for each base. These are words they would come upon in their reading, sight words, previously learned words for review, etc. Each child gets a chance to spell words (from first base words up to home base words) until they get either get a run, or are “out”. A misspelled word is an “out” and the turn moves to the next person. We play until I run out of words for them, or until someone gets frustrated that they’re not winning! I will sometimes give two chances for a difficult word, and for the preschoolers I use a white board. I will write a letter or simple phonetic word for them to identify or sound out, and they eventually move up to harder words with multiple syllables and can spell them out loud like the older kids. The kids love it!

Here’s an example of words I’d use for each child at each “base” level:
• 5th grader- frighten, unique, ambition, manufacturer
• 2nd grader- bucket, could, across, twice
• Kindergartener- pot, swim, crack, jumped

Christine Hiester is a Christian, homeschooling mom to three boys and a girl, ranging in age from 10 to 3 years old. She is a musician by trade, eclectic in homeschool style, and continues to grow and learn along with her children in this journey of life and discipleship at home. Visit her blog at Fruit in Season.