Standard 2: Reading and Writing Foundations Students will develop foundational skills for reading and writing proficiency by working with sounds, letters, and text.

Spelling/Encoding: Students will encode and write words in context and isolation by applying phonics, spelling patterns, and structural analysis.

2.2.SE.1 ​Students will use correct spelling when writing the following sounds in words:

1. digraphs

2. trigraphs

3. vowel digraphs

4. r-controlled

Student Actions

Teacher Actions

• Students correctly use digraphs and trigraphs in writing.

• Students correctly use vowel digraphs in writing.

• Students correctly use r-controlled spelling patterns in writing.   

• Teachers provide daily lessons with explicit instruction following a gradual release model using the “I Do, We Do, You Do” framework using a logical, sequential order of skills. 

• I Do: Explicitly explain and model the principles that govern the focus spelling pattern.

• We Do: Students practice applying the spelling skill in isolated words and/or sentences with the teacher's guidance and feedback using dictation or similar technique

• You Do: Students independently use focus spelling patterns in writing. 

• For additional information about effective spelling instruction, see this module.  

• Teachers model spelling words using the correct spelling patterns and explaining how that spelling pattern is used in English words.  

• Teachers provide instruction in spelling on digraphs and trigraphs being a combination of consonants that are represented by one unique sound.

• Teachers provide instruction on spelling using vowel combinations being composed of vowels that have one sound.

• Teachers provide instruction on spelling using r-controlled vowel spelling patterns where the r changes the sounds of the vowel preceding it.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to practice spelling using appropriate spelling patterns through dictation, writing practice, sorts, games, and other interactive activities. 

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for feedback when students practice spelling using consonants, short vowels, digraphs, consonant blends, silent-vowel-e patterns.

• See 44 Phonemes for English phonemes and the related letter or letter combinations.

Recommendations

Key Terms & Related Objectives

When students struggle with using the correct spelling, teachers can…

• review letters and sounds that have been taught. 

• write a line for each of the major sounds and have students write the corresponding letter(s) on each line.

• Use Elkonin boxes to represent sounds and then write the appropriate consonant letter for the sound.

• provide sound spelling cards with pictures that assist the student in remembering the sound-symbol correspondence. 

Note: Be sure the name of the picture begins with the appropriate sound. For example, an appropriate picture for short a would be “apple” but not “alone” because “alone” begins with the schwa sound and not short a sound. 

• provide letter tiles to practice making words.

• use letter tiles for word-chaining activities.  A word chain is where only one letter changes from one word to the next. (e.g. sap, lap, lash, dash, etc.). Word chaining provides time for students to review previous skills and practice new skills. 

• give practice through dictation…

• Say the word 2 times and have students repeat it back two times. 

• Have students segment each sound in the word and then write the word as they say each sound.

• Have students read the word.

• As students become more proficient than teachers can dictate sentences. 

When students struggle with using more complex spelling patterns such as vowel combinations or r-controlled vowels, teachers can…

• compare short vowel and long vowel spelling patterns. For example, look at how the vowel changes between “bat” and “boat” or “fit” and “fir”.

• have students act out spelling the words by giving students large letter cards related to the focus spelling pattern. Have a group of students stand at the front of the room holding cards. Students in the class can read the word and write it on their white boards or paper. Have the students change places and discuss how the word changes with different combinations of letters. 

• give students a grid with squares large enough to write letters in. Follow these steps for phoneme-grapheme mapping.

• Say the word with the focus skill aloud and have students repeat the word.

• Students segment the sounds in the word and draw a dot in the corner of a square to represent each sound. For example, if the word is kite then 3 boxes would have dots because there are 3 sounds in kite.

• Write the letter or letter combinations that represent each sound. Each box should contain all of the letters that represent that sound. 

• Read the words. (See the example below from the International Dyslexia Association.) 

• Consonant Digraph: two consecutive consonants that represent one phoneme or sound (e.g., /ch/ in chip, /sh/ in ship).

• ​​Consonant Trigraph: three consecutive consonants that represent one phoneme or sound (e.g., /tch/ in match).

• Decode: to translate a word from print to speech, usually by employing knowledge of sound/symbol correspondences; also the act of deciphering a new word by sounding it out.

• Encode: to use letter-sound knowledge to write by applying phonics, spelling patterns, and structural analysis skills.

• Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping: a physical way to represent the relationship between phonemes and graphemes

• R-Controlled Vowels: the modified vowel sound immediately preceding /r/ in the same syllable (e.g., car, bear, cheer, for, heard).

• Vowel Digraph: two vowels together that represent one phoneme or sound (e.g., oa in boat).

• 2.2.PA: Phonological/Phonemic Awareness

• 2.2.PWS.1: Decode words through phonics and word analysis

• 2.2.W.4: Edit by correctly spelling words 

• 2.8.W: Independent Writing