WHAT IS IT?
Spelling in Parts (SIP) is a strategy that students can use to encode (spell) and decode (sound out) polysyllabic words. The SIP strategy is a variation of the Look, Say, Cover, and Write (LSCW) strategy created by Ernest Horn (as cited in Powell & Aram, 2008, p. 568). The SIP strategy encourages students to listen closely to the word, use common spelling patterns, look for unusual spelling patterns, and divide the words into chunks. When a student is able to do these things, they are employing the three effective strategies all good spellers employ: visual memory, graphophonic knowledge, and morphomeic knowledge (Powell & Aram, 2008).
HOW DOES IT IMPACT STRIVING READERS/WRITERS?
Often times, struggling readers and writers struggle with encoding because they don’t have a strong understanding of sound-symbol relationships. The Spelling in Parts (SIP) strategy “…gives spellers opportunities to discover new spelling patterns for phonemes and helps children who are intimidated by big words to break them into small chunks” (Powell & Aram, 2008, p. 567) According to Powell & Aram (2008), students occasionally neglect saying each syllable in a polysyllabic word, which prevents them from hearing and spelling all of the phonemes correctly.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
As cited in Powell and Aram (2008), “good spellers have a repertoire of spelling strategies, including the use of sound-to-spelling strategies, visualization, and meaning” (Powell & Hornsby 1993; Snowball & Bolton, 1999). Students should possess and be able to use a variety of spelling strategies as they will continue to encounter and be required to use unfamiliar polysyllabic words in the upper grades. Students can learn these strategies both indirectly through reading and writing experiences and directly through direct instruction (Powell & Aram, 2009). Ultimately, when a student is able to chunk words into syllables when spelling, they will be able to transfer this skill to reading, which will benefit their decoding skills, and vice versa.
HOW WILL I TEACH IT?
Objective: Students will be able to use the Spelling in Parts strategy to encode polysyllabic words with vCe syllable patterns.
Engage: Students will use white boards with dry erase markers and erasers during this lesson.
Activity: The teacher will generate a list of polysyllabic words that contain the vCe syllable pattern.
| Word List |
| homemade milestone combine umpire compensate illustrate subscribe include |
Next, the teacher will model the SIP strategy using a few words from the list using the following steps:
- Say and clap the word in syllables.
- Divide the word into syllables and pronounce each syllable.
- Circle the syllables with difficult spelling patterns.
- Study the circled syllables and think of a mnemonic or analogy to recall the spelling pattern. (e.g., The mnemonic to-get-her may require the child to divide the word differently to remember the syllables; recall spelling of the first syllable in frighten by associating it with light– I was frightened by the light.)
- Cover a syllable, say the syllable, and then write the syllable.
- Check and repeat as necessary.
After the teacher has modeled using the SIP strategy to encode a few words, the teacher will provide students with an opportunity to participate in guided practice to use the SIP strategy. When the students are ready, the teacher will use the remaining words on the list and encourage students to participate in independent practice.
Assessment: informal observations; check lists (see below)
HOW WILL I ASSESS IT?
Teachers can assess their students’ knowledge of the SIP strategy in various ways. If the teacher simply wants to know if students can recall the steps of the SIP strategy in chronological order, they could present the student with sentence strips containing each step and ask students to place the sentence strips in chronological order. If the teacher wishes to assess the student’s ability to effectively use the strategy, the teacher can present a list of words to the student and ask them to use the SIP strategy to write each word on the list. The teacher may wish to use a checklist, such as the one provided below, to determine which steps the student is able to perform successfully and which steps may require more practice.
DIFFERENTIATION
In order to differentiate this lesson, teacher can choose different spelling patterns as a focus. In addition, teachers could provide students with different manipulatives to spell the words such as: magnetic letters, letter tiles, wiki sticks, Play-doh, etc. Teachers could also provide students with visual representations of spelling patterns, such as the ones included below, to help students remember the sounds of common spelling patterns.
STATE STANDARDS
Arizona English Language Arts, Grade 5
| 5.RF.3 | Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding multisyllabic words in context and out of context. a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences to accurately read unfamiliar multisyllabic words. b. Apply knowledge of the six syllable patterns to read grade level words accurately. c. Use combined knowledge of morphology to read grade level words accurately. d. Know and apply common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots to accurately read unfamiliar words. |
REFERENCES
Arizona Department of Education. (2020). Arizona English Language Arts Standards. Arizona Department of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/k-12standards/english-language-arts-standards/
Powell, D.A. & Aram, R. (2008). Spelling in parts: A strategy for spelling and decoding polysyllabic words. The Reading Teacher, 61(7), 567-570. https://doi:10.1598/RT.61.7.6
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