If a student suffers from this!!!

Rcode · Post by **Rcode** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:27 pm

Hello teachers…
I wanna know the best way 2 solve the following problem:
A student suffers from the misspelling & always makes mistakes writing words…..
What's the best way 2 get this student avoid making such an orthographic mistake?
Is it by making him/her write the word million times or by getting him/her 2 compose a sentence including the word in or what???!!!

Lorikeet · Post by **Lorikeet** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:30 pm

You don't say where you are working, what language background the child has, or whether he has been or can be tested for dyslexia. Perhaps you can add some information?

Rcode · Post by **Rcode** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:51 pm

The student's come from an Arabic background. She hasn't been diagnosed as having dyslexia. She's in her 7th grade. She has the ability 2 compose creative sentences but with lots of spelling mistakes. I've tried 2 get her write the words she can't spell many times but most of the time I got no result in her orthographic- progression. Her aural/oral ability is much better than her nonverbal ones. I hope u've got some useful infor.

EH · Post by EH » Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:42 pm

There are a lot of ways a student can mess up spelling, and each type of error demands a different remediation technique.

Your first step is to figure out exactly what sort of mistakes are being made. I recommend a standardized spelling test. The Test of Written Spelling-3rd Edition (TWS-3) is one I've used before and can recommend. I'm sure there are others as well. The TWS-3 will help you determine whether the student has more trouble with phonetically regular words (lacking understanding of phonics rules--and which rules specifically) or with irregular words (an orthographic memorization problem).

Once you know where the student's true weaknesses lie, you will be better able to teach her strategies to overcome them.

If you want, feel free to PM me, including a paragraph or two of the student's writing. I could probably tell you from that where you might want to start with spelling instruction. I still recommend more objective testing, though, as well.

Good luck,
-EH

Sally Olsen · Post by **Sally Olsen** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:50 pm

If she has been diagnosed as dyslexic, does she do the same in Arabic? You might want to look into referring her to someone who does Irlen Syndrome testing. If her brain is wired differently no amount of writing words over and over will help because she won't see them the same each time. Does she know how to type? Often the fingers can learn to type correctly because it becomes automatic, at least for some words and then she will have a spell check on the computer to correct some mistakes. You could also look into a nutritional product called Soil Based Organisms. They seem to help people with dyslexia. There are special programs on the computer as well to help with writing - they give you a choice of words after you have typed two or three letters which gives the dyslexic person a chance to write a little faster than they normally would. They don't learn the spellings this way and probably never will so don't worry too much about it. They can still learn and do anything they want with understanding and some accomodation from teachers and employers. Since their brain is wired differently they look at the world differently and that can be a huge plus in situations that require creativity. How does it effect her reading?

JorgeGreenwood · Post by **JorgeGreenwood** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:23 am

Alot of times when a student misspells a word they do it in an attempt to spell it phonetically. Just take their mistake, see if it actually sounds anything like the word they are trying to spell. If it is phonetically correct yet misspelled that is a good sign. Being dyslexic, that might have some other issues. If you see them reversing the order of letters, point it out and have them write the word 10 times, use flashcards to reinforce this exercise, and have them write it 10 times again. Simple repitition of the spelling in the case that they phonetically have it correct is a good way to have it stick.
If they are not phonetically spelling it correct, be sure they are saying the word correctly. Of course the language difference is going to effect how they pronounce certain syllables. If they can't say the word correctly, you have found the root of the problem. Go from there.
Keep us posted on your student's progress.