Spelling

While at our local homeschooling convention, I attended a seminar on spelling given by Andrew Pudewa of Excellence in Writing Institute. I was amazed by what I learned! (And, I was happy that he recommended either his own spelling program or AVKO, which is what we're using this year.)

Alexandra always wants to practice spelling using a spelling bee format - and this is a great way to practice! I wanted to share what I'd learned from Mr. Pudewa, and his website did a nice job of summarizing:

"Spelling is the correct retrieval of sequentially stored, virtually random bits of information. To spell well, students need to correctly retrieve that information.

When we look at a word we see it as a whole. But spelling is sequential, and the correct sequence can be missed when seen as a whole. Spelling the word out loud, letter by letter, ensures accurate storage of the correct sequence in the brain. Hence, auditory input is the best possible way to store spelling information accurately."