In Year 7 English this semester a number of classes have begun to undertake the Spell-It program. The aim of this is to further develop and improve the standard of spelling for our students. We are hoping that the explicit teaching of this will be beneficial. Below is information on the program:

Outline of the Spell-It program

Spell-It is a flexible program* that assists teachers to plan and implement spelling instruction based on assessment of students’ current knowledge. Spell-It teaches the rules, conventions, structure and logic of the English language, to enable teachers to plan effective spelling lessons based on the needs of their students. Originally written by Joy Allcock from New Zealand, Spell-It has been adapted for use in Australian schools.

Who is it for?

• Students from upper primary (Year 4 onwards) through to secondary and tertiary levels
• Students who have average reading skills but poor spelling, rely on visual images of words but do not understand the system behind the patterns, or who over-rely on known sound-spelling relationships to write words because they do not know about alternate spelling conventions, may particularly benefit 

Key benefits

• Provides an explicit and structured approach to teaching spelling within a whole-class or small group framework
• Students benefit from improved writing quality and fluency, expanded vocabulary and confidence with spelling as they learn to apply strategies to unknown words and work out relationships between words
• Assists teachers to increase their own knowledge regarding the spelling system that underpins written English

Program content

Spell-It provides an explicit and structured approach to teaching spelling within a whole-class or small group framework. The program provides assessment tools for teachers to identify the spelling skills that are needed most, and to develop a teaching program to target these areas. Specific teaching strategies are included for each teaching topic, with alternative ‘routes’ for differentiated instruction, extensive examples and word lists for use within lessons.

Christopher Power

Leader of Learning English