StarSpell Spelling Guide - Fisher-Marriott Software

This Guide aims to demystify how spelling is learned. It shows smart ways to help learners, both using StarSpell and with activities away from the computer. All the practice in the Guide is based on actual classroom experience

StarSpell Wordlists for each learning category

Here we relate each learning category (see finding your place) to word lists within StarSpell. As has been noted, StarSpell approaches learning from a "Stage not Age" perspective. No two learners are alike. Progress differs. These lists are given as guidelines only.

Preparing for Phonics: Lists

Phonics Lists: Tops & Tails

Phonics Lists: Phase 2: Groups 1 to 4; Phase 3: Groups 1 and 2

Listen & Build: Lists

Early Phonics: learning straightforward letter-sound matches

Phonics Lists

· Phase 2: Introducing simple graphemes for phonemes

· Phase 3: The remaining phonemes, with graphemes

· Phase 4: Adjacent consonants

· Phase 5: Introducing more graphemes.

The StarSpell Lists

· One letter for one sound

· Letters combined for one sound

· One letter alters another

· Words with silent letters.

Note: TheseStarSpell Lists include alternative pronunciations and spellings, although they are not labelled as such. Your use of The StarSpell Lists at this point, for Early Phonics, will be selective; likewise your use of them later in Further Phonics, when the multiple mapping of letter-sound matches is introduced.

Further Phonics: learning new letter-sound matches

· Phonics Lists: Phase 5: Introducing more graphemes

· Phonics Lists: Phase 5: Alternative pronunciation and Alternative Spellings

· The StarSpell Lists: Select as needed from Headings 3, 4 and 5; also include Further explorations > Groups 2 to 5.

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: Year2 Term 1, Year3 Term 1 and Year 5 Term 1

Further Phonics: the concept of multiple mapping

· Phonics Lists: Phase 5: Alternative pronunciations and Phase 5: Alternative spellings

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: lists for Year 2 Term 1 and Year 5 Term 1

· The StarSpell Lists include alternative pronunciations and spellings, although they are not labelled as such. Take your lead from Phonics Lists to select complementary lists.

Note: You may usefully mix and match across the three sections. For example, you could choose Phonics Lists: Phase 5: Alternative pronunciations > Other sounds of y, ch, c, g, ey > y as in fly, to match up with The StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > More vowel sounds > y as in cycle

· The StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > Homophones, along with Yr2 to KS3 Support: Year 4Term 1.

Work within Words: Lists

Further Phonics: Learning syllabification

· The StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > Syllables and spelling

· The StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, suffixes, roots: for early work on syllabification go to Living word formation (list 1) and Prefixes on real words (lists 2 and 3). Afterwards, the remaining lists under Prefixes, suffixes, roots afford ample material for the study of multi-syllabic words.

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: Year 2 Term 2 > Compound words; Year 3 Term 3 > Add prefixes to existing words; Year 2 Term 3 > Syllables and Spelling.

Further Phonics: learning to generalise spelling "rules"

· The StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, suffixes and roots > adding suffixes > lists 7 to 15

· The StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, suffixes and roots > lists for tenses, plurals, and comparatives

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: adding suffixes: listswithin Y2 T2, Y3 T2 and Y5 T3

· Yr2 to KS3 Support:tenses Y3 T1; plurals Y3 T2 and Y4 T1;comparatives Y3 T2.

The Spell, StarPick and StarGuess modes each offer varied opportunities to rehearse these lists, towards formulating the insights gained into statements about "rules". Sessions 25 and 26 suggest approaches to "Hunting the rule".

Further Phonics: developing morphemic understanding

See Stage 4 of the Spelling Route. This is an area in which Yr2 to KS3 Support really comes into its own, alongside the StarSpell Lists.

The coverage is shown as a table in Developing morphemic understanding to help you use these two sections in parallel.

Further Phonics: developing etymological knowledge

· The StarSpell Lists: Further exploration > Interesting derivations and Words from other tongue; Prefixes, suffixes, roots > Groups 17 and 18

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: Y5 T3 and Y6 T1.

Beyond Phonics: general

· StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, suffixes, roots

· StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > Homophones, Interesting derivations, Words from other tongues and Words often misspelled.

· Sessions 22, 23 and 24 demonstrate Look & Learn strategies.

Beyond Phonics: prefixes, suffixes, roots

The lists in StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots provide a resource bank. StarSpell's five modes lend themselves to this area. See in particular the development of morphemic understanding. Affixes are dealt with in Sessions 26 and 27.

Beyond phonics: generalising spelling rules

The lists in StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots provide a resource bank. The lists are details here. The Spelling, StarPick andStarGuess modes each offer varied opportunities to rehearse these lists. Sessions 25 and 26 suggest approaches to "Hunting the rule".

Beyond phonics: homophones

There is a rich seam of examples of all these categories, including those 3-way homophones, in StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > Homophones and Words often misspelled. Once you've selected the appropriate list, the StarSpell modes, Spelling, StarPick andStarGuess offer varied opportunities to rehearse these words. Speed challenges in Sessions 28 and 29 could be used here, for instance.

Look & Learn: Lists

Early Phonics

The lists dedicated to High Frequency Words are hugely important:

· Phonics Lists: 100 high frequency words

· StarSpell Lists: Important 'sight' words

· Yr2 to KS3 Support: 100 and next 200 most common words.

In addition, the Listen & Build lists above are still appropriate.

Beyond Phonics

Session 28 "Wait for It" indicates the potential of the StarSpell Lists resource bank. See StarSpell Lists: Further explorations > Words from other tongues and StarSpell Lists: Prefixes, suffixes, roots.

The lists dedicated to High Frequency Words may well remain important: