I Love Learning to Spell using Sentence Dictation!
Spelling can be fun!
And now when we correlate spelling with phonics instruction, ALL students, struggling and non-struggling, connect both sides of the sound/symbol relationship coin! Reading and spelling makes sense.
It’s important to realize that this applies to ALL learners:
· struggling learners,
· non-struggling learners, and
· gifted learners.
ALL learners deserve to understand that reading and spelling are connected.
As mentioned in my last blog post, it is essential that spelling instruction correlate with phonics instruction.
One of the most important spelling components I wrote into Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” is sentence dictation.
In Silent Elephant “e”, sentence dictation connects decoding and encoding with comprehension in one meaningful activity that is consistent throughout Parts 3-14. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, this consistency in instruction is vital for dyslexic learners and truly ALL learners.
To make sure students connect the relationship of decoding and encoding, sentence dictation does not occur until children are fluently reading the sentences on their Partner Practice pages and have discussed what the sentences are about with their partners.
This ensures that students are not trying to learn to spell/write a word that doesn’t have meaning for them, as that would only cause them more confusion and frustration.
When students fluently read and comprehend the sentences on their Partner Pages in each phonics lesson, they are ready to move into the encoding part of the lesson—sentence dictation.
To ensure children’s success in sentence dictation when working with their partners, teach these skills before they begin:
· Children take turns reading a sentence to their partner. This necessary step works on decoding and promotes active listening.
· They discuss the meaning of the sentence by sharing what they are picturing/imagining in their brain—comprehension.
· Each child reads the sentence one more time.
· They turn their Partner Practice page over.
· Both children take turns repeating the sentence from memory, first together, then separately. This works on both auditory and visual memory. If they need to review the sentence again, they can turn their Partner Practice page over.
· Only then do they begin writing. This, of course, is encoding as they are thinking, “What sound am I hearing and what letter(s) do I use for that sound when I’m writing?”
· When they have finished writing their sentences, they first proofread their own work and then proofread their partners. They proofread by:
o Checking for space between words
o Checking for a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence
o Checking for an end mark—a period, question or exclamation mark
o Checking for capitalized names
o Checking for spelling accuracy
· Last, each child proofs their work for accuracy by looking at their Partner Practice page, and then high-fives their partner for their good work. Smiles all around!
As you can see, decoding and encoding skills utilized in sentence dictation engage numerous parts of the brain:
· Visual processing, visual sequencing and visual memory
· Auditory processing, auditory sequencing and auditory memory
· Tactile handwriting skills
· Comprehension of text
· Analytical thinking--comparison of decoding and encoding
Sentence dictation is a fun activity that children enjoy doing together without being completely aware of all the elements enhancing their learning—they’re just having fun and learning to share and support each other as they read and write.
Because sentence dictation is such an important component in Silent Elephant “e”, when classroom teaching or tutoring, encourage parents to dictate sentences at least once a week (of course, more is better) with their children at home. To inform parents of your expectations of how to do sentence dictation, send home the sentence dictation skill list above. Parents will recognize the importance of sentence dictation and the decoding and encoding skills that sentence dictation strengthens.
My next blog post will provide you with a list of ten additional activities to further promote spelling achievement. Children will enjoy these fun, challenging activities!
If you have further questions about spelling the Silent Elephant “e” way, feel free to contact us.