How Do I Spell Because

Here'due south the 2nd function of thinking near making upwards sentences every bit a way of remembering how to spell words.

'Big elephants tin always understand pocket-size elephants' is by far the nigh popular one I've heard at all levels.

What'southward the alternative and why is it improve? When you've got a word that many of your students detect tricky, 'building with puzzle pieces' is a superb solution because it'south a failsafe mode into spelling, and that makes everyone happy!

For the purpose of this lesson, I'one thousand assuming the students are young and they don't know much about building with puzzle pieces.

First - make up a puzzle like this with one sound per piece - but hold onto it or keep information technology covered until the right moment. (The TST transmission comes with a download of several hundred words coded for puzzles.)

Second - Become everyone to say the give-and-take clearly and count syllables. We merely tap on the table lightly, putting out a finger for each syllable. Anything else is distracting and/or embarrassing for older students.

Instructor voice in red & Pupil voice in blue.

How many syllables in 'because'?

Two

Say them conspicuously.

bee cuz

That's where y'all introduce the "spelling manner" of saying a give-and-take. In this case, say something like:

We're going to make this easier to spell by maxim bee cauz.

The TST community is global and that <au> in 'crusade' has a multifariousness of pronunciations, and so go with the standard accent of your students.

Information technology's imperative that every child says the whole word out loud. This won't work if they're but listening.

Once you lot're sure they've all said it conspicuously and correctly, put down/reveal the puzzle pieces and ask,

What's the first syllable again?

exist

What'south the first sound in exist? Can you see which puzzle piece we demand to movement?

b (sound, not letter of the alphabet name)

They indicate at the <b>. You motion the <b>, maxim the sound, and they write b on their spelling worksheet while saying the sound. More than able and older students will say and build whole syllables. I'one thousand assuming these students demand to be working sound by sound.

What'south the next sound in be?

This will ensure they know the syllable 'be' has ii sounds: /b/+/ee/. That's most important for those students who might want to spell a syllable with a letter of the alphabet name.

Movement the next piece, proverb 'ee' while students write, saying 'ee'.

Echo with each audio, remembering that /au/ and /z/ are spelt with two letters each. Say the one audio while writing both the letters. If anyone is maxim, "a" "u" and "suh" "e", that'south what I telephone call 'toxic phonics'. They should exist saying "au" and "z" continuously while they're writing.

Y'all will end up with:

Then everyone can copy this saying the sounds equally they write, syllable by syllable and so all one word.

Finally, get everyone to decide what their tricky bit is. Which fleck are they going to have to concentrate on remembering? It's probably going to be the <au> and might be the <se>. Get them to underline their tricky chip or $.25.

The last step is to think of a familiar discussion which will be the header for a package. If their tricky bit is the <au>, then my Canadian accent says bundle information technology with 'August' and 'haunt'. If your accent is dissimilar, you might bundle it with 'sausage' and 'Commonwealth of australia'. (Thanks to Spelfabet for those ones.) Advise other ones that piece of work better with your accent.

If the <se> is likewise a tricky bit, and then bundle information technology with 'cheese' and 'please'.

At present, when your students are writing 'because', they'll have a self-talk script to become them through.

considering - bee - cauz -

be? like shooting fish in a barrel - be

cause? - co - no it'southward the same as August - becau

z? becaus - no, it's the same as cheese - because

If they're stuck, then they can enquire:

How do you spell the 'z' audio in because?

They're on their way to existence able to spell 'because' just they've also gained a style of talking well-nigh all spelling. That Spelling Thing students don't say, "How do you lot spell ....? of "I can't spell....." Instead, they piece of work through the process and narrow the word down to the chip they don't know, then ask virtually that. They apply precious memory but for the $.25 that don't come automatically. The more they practice, the more comes automatically.

Both methods are fun and don't require specialist knowledge, only making upward a judgement like the elephant story has major flaws.

It focuses on the visual representation of the piece of work without connecting information technology to speech communication or meaning.
Information technology doesn't indicate students to the logic of English spelling just rather re-enforces the myth that English spelling is chaotic.
It doesn't differentiate between what a educatee recalls easily and what they demand to work on remembering.

Learning the TST strategy has many benefits:

It improves a student'southward speaking and listening as well as their spelling by starting with clear pronunciation.
Instead of focusing on one give-and-take, information technology expands vocabulary and causes students to run into patterns and tendencies in the language.
It gives anybody in the classroom - teacher and students - a mutual vocabulary for talking almost spelling.
It's cumulative and collaborative. Everyone can participate and add information as they notice it.
It still requires retentiveness but quickly shows each individual where they need to concentrate.
It works for whatever person beyond the emergent spelling stage. Feedback is that teachers and tutors with their own spelling insecurities are improving their spelling while using TST confidently.

If you'd similar to see what a more grown-up building lesson sounds like, take hold of a pen and paper and sentinel this brusque video that accompanies the TST manual.