4th-Grade Spelling - Week 26 Day 1 - Words

4th-Grade Spelling - Week 26 Day 1 - Words

Spelling lessons for homeschool families.

The Importance of Spelling by Jackson Best

Spelling is important for three reasons:

Communication: Spelling is a critical component of communication
Literacy: Spelling and reading skills are closely related and help develop overall literacy
Employment: Spelling quality has a direct impact on employment opportunities

While autocorrect and spelling software have become a given in our lives, the importance of spelling hasn’t lessened – it’s actually never been more important.

Why is spelling still so important?

As spelling and literacy have reached their apogee across all of human history, so too have the demands on the quality of delivery.

Poor spelling can interfere with:

Our basic ability to communicate

85% of people around the world are connected online and receive an email, while 62% of them communicate through social media. The spectrum of risk can be negligible, like sending someone to the wrong address, to lethal, if sending someone instructions on prescriptions.

Employment opportunities

Online job hunting and posting are growing exponentially, and the first impression most employees will have with their employees is their resume or CV. However, where a person might be forgiving with a misspelling, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which scan applications for keywords lack any remorse.

It doesn’t end at professional documents either – employers are increasingly surveying applicants' personal social media to check for suitability.

Perceived trustworthiness

Tolerance for typos is low. On printed materials, it makes the producer look careless or cheap, while online it’s become a signal of phishing or scam attempts.

Spelling and the development of communication skills

Communication skills are essential for children to grow and interact successfully with the world. Communication usually begins with simple body language, gestures, and vocalizations. As children progress to verbal communication, they naturally develop an early understanding of their native language.

Making the connection between verbal expression and written communication is much more complex, and requires a combination of observation and formal instruction. The foundational skills for successful written communication are learned at this time, such as the ability to identify letters by sight and build associations between written patterns and vocal expressions.

Spelling and its role in literacy development

Spelling, the art of correctly assembling words from their letters, is one of the essential components of successful writing. Being confident at spelling leads to confidence in all aspects of literacy. The ability to recognize the links between words of the same origin and understand word relationships has been proven to aid comprehension skills.

Research has found that spelling, reading, writing, and comprehension skills are all closely linked. A research study conducted by L.C. Ehri for the Scientific Study of Reading found that spelling instruction improves reading ability, as it builds a learner’s knowledge of the alphabetic system as it is used in reading.

Teaching young spellers the strategies, rules, and concepts to grow their spelling and vocabulary knowledge benefits them in all aspects of their learning, as well as in their everyday life.

Learners who feel confident with letters and word patterns can read and comprehend more complex texts. They also have the necessary language tools to better convey their ideas through both written and verbal communication.

The relationship between written words and sounds can seem arbitrary and difficult for many learners. But building a strong foundational knowledge of the links between forms, letters, sounds, and meaning is essential for students to become confident communicators.