A Powerful Way to Improve Spelling Skills

Are you aware that over 50% of the spelling words in the English language don’t follow phonetic rules? That means they don’t “play fair” and you can’t sound them out - like the word ‘enough’. That is why students often feel frustrated with spelling. However, a simple way to learn and remember the unfair words is to have students look up and spell the words in their mind's eye. The seeing part of the brain is so important for memory.

I have had quite a number of clients over the years that would spend an hour a night having their child practice spelling words for the Friday spelling test, only to have their child still fail the spelling test. However, once I share this technique with students, their grades tend to improve right away. Parents report their study time often drops to about 10 minutes a day and students get far better grades on their spelling tests.

If you ask someone a question, you will sometimes see them look up before they answer. They are getting a picture in their mind’s eye, as that is the most effective way to remember information. This same technique applies to spelling. Most people look up to the left for memory. However, some people look up to the right. Have your child look up to the spot where they can see the words more clearly, and it is comfortable. Some students can’t see anything in their imagination initially, or the letters are fuzzy. As students practice, the words typically become more clear in time. A good way to check if they are truly picturing is to ask the students to spell the words backwards. Parents are often amazed when their child correctly spells a word backwards, but if a student has clearly pictured the word this is an easy task. You can also ask, "What is the third letter or the fifth letter?" If they visualized well, they will answer this correctly. If not, then the child should spell the word again until they can see it clearly.

This technique is addressed in further detail in my program Read-A-Rific Reading Comprehension - The Smart and Easy Way. This powerful technique can make all the difference in learning how to become a better speller.