Phonics Instruction to Improve Spelling

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Overview

In accordance with literature review research, a structure of direct instruction, multiple practices, and direct feedback to increase students' phonemic awareness will increase spelling capabilities. This will be completed via whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individual practices.

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Set Up

A six week time period was required for implementation of the research. An initial 34 word test to cover six phonics sounds and their distinctive spelling patterns. Students were grouped based on their scores from this test because it measured their baseline abilities in all the skills to be studied throughout action research. Nineteen students were put into four groups of four to five students in each group. The highest scoring spellers received differentiated instruction and practice. This group's practice was with words that still contained the targeted phonics spelling pattern, but were less frequently used or had more letters.  They also practiced words in a sentence context, which made them also practice their punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. The students who scored low to average practiced more common words with the phonics pattern with free-choice worksheets and asked to practice the words only in isolation so there was nothing else about their practice to focus on besides the phonics skill. Students were kept in the same groups throughout the course of the study.