For Charles and all interested in transitional spelling.
 Please note, Charles, as I have said to you before most children go through 
 these stages very quickly in the first year of school. Those who don't are 
 the ones who have probably already had most of my spare time, most of my 
 aide time, some speech or language therapy and will probably get caught in
 the "net" -our system of standards for year 2. This is not a standardised 
 test but a series of goal posts and is open to the vagaries of the 
 differing perceptions of the teachers.
 
 .........
 Transitional spelling I could get technical but the class view is best.....
 .. .......
 Initial stages include letter like formations. ie an E may have four 
 horizontal strokes. 
 ........
 Random letter combination of lower and upper case.
 All my children where at this stage or better at the beginning of the year.
 No foreign bodies. All letters just didn't say anything.
 At this time I write what they dictate to me so they can then read back the 
 correct words. Sometimes this is enough to stimulate further development.
 eg. IKJHSKL etc We write the letters we like most and often mostly ones in 
 our name.
 ........
 Then some letters become apparently appropriate.
 eg. current 
 
 ILfHATASRPPBeGKH. and about six more similar lines
 She dictated I like kangaroos...etc
 You may not see it but I and L at the beginning are an indication of 
 something happening, just a sign, not dramatic but the full stop at the end 
 of every line is also very encouraging. She realises these icons have 
 meaning. This is one of the two children I was talking about in an earlier 
 post. She is still 5.
 ........
 ILXJHNDOG.
 I like dogs. He can't hear the s on the end of dogs and he knew he needed a
 few extra letters.
 ..........
 about the same stage is the initial consonant...
 Iltgttp
 I like to go to the park.
 .........
 Then some finals are added as well...
 I lk t g t t pk.
 I like to go to the park.
 ..........
 Then, because the teacher has noticed a lot of them writing certain words
 and has put them on the notice board and told them to use them...
 I like t g t the pk.
 ..........
 Children can't hear vowels and diphthongs very well so the next stage may 
 include all but the vowels and sight words correctly spelt.
 .........
 Here are some of our first attempts at poems inspired by poems about tigers
 written by our internet buddies in Christchurch, New Zealand.
 Translations in brackets.
 ...........
 Emuw (emu large Aussie bird) fust (fast)
 Emuw stog (strong)
 Emuw quik (quick)
 Emuw quiet
 Emuw is aslip (asleep)
 age 6 
 ..............
 Animals. are, creeping. in the birs. (bush)
 Samtyms (sometimes) I go in the birs.
 aged 5
 ...............
 lion fast.tigertee.th.sharp
 (Lion is fast. Tiger has sharp teeth. Yes he put these spellings in his 
 dictionary. Aged 6)
 .............
 Cheetahs cool
 Cheetahs rule.
 ..............
 Big raf ....more that I can't read
 (Big grey elephant)
 Age 5 can hear the most obvious sounds)
 .....
 Kitten sleeping
 Kitten purring.
 (came and asked for spelling)
 ........
 Magpie magpie? wot ur yoo eatin (What are you eating)
 shoogu (sugar)
 for? (What for)
 I like shoogu.
 I will hid it. (hide)
 I will tri (try) to fid (find) it.
 ...........
 Monkeys play
 Monkeys cool
 Monkeys swing by ther tayls. (there tails)
 (Word monkey is on the notice board. She know ay says eI.)
 ..........
 Jaguws in the jangll (jaguars in the jungle)
 japing hear and tere (jumping here and there)
 qele jagua passs (quickly jaguar pounce)
 gets its pay. (gets its prey)
 (got the poem idea very well. Spelling not to bad; influenced by 
 slight accent. He gets his little list correct every Friday morning.)
 ...........
 Kangaroo 
 fast runing
 it is looking for food.
 (Would be very upset that she missed the second n in running)
 .........
 Cheetah runs
   "    isaes (eats)
   "    osam (awesome)
   "    fast.
 ............
 linsne       (lions are sneaky)
 and crep     (and creepy)
 and so u tigs (and so are tigers)
 
 This guys mother says he writes all the time at home but she said she 
 couldn't understand what he was writing. When I explained that he was 
 writing the letters of the words he could "hear" most she said it was 
 as clear as day. Phonics really!!!
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 That's a ramdom selection. Comments welcome. 
 
 I will type these up on the computer and the children will read them 
 WITH CORRECT SPELLING thus turning WRITING into READING.
 We will illustrate a copy to send to our buddies in NZ and keep a class 
 "BIG BOOK" that someone will get to take home at the end of the year.
 BYE.
 Has anyone commented on the influence of phonological constraints on 
 the child's ability to spell at this age? I've asked the question twice.
... I never said I could type...    
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
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