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Learn
to Spell 500 Words a Day, Book 1:
Introduction
Who
Is This Book For?
This book is primarily for adults and some children
who are able to read but have difficulty remembering
the spelling of words. It is for anyone who wants to
spell, read and write better. The method in this book
is designed to benefit everyone. The instructions can
be used both by the learners and by the teachers. In
the event that the learner is not ready to read or to
comprehend the instructions, then a teacher or tutor
will need to explain the instructions.
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The
Reading Aloud Approach (RAA)
Lately, most educators have been concentrating on the
importance of the differences in people’s learning
styles. They agree that there are differences in the
ways in which people learn, and that we each have an
individual learning style. They have applied their findings
to the role of the senses. Some of us learn best by
seeing (the visual mode), some by listening (the auditory
mode), and all of us learn through the sense of touch
or by performing an action (the tactile-kinesthetic
mode). In the practice of teaching phonics to adults,
educators often overlook the importance of the auditory
mode. The acts of reading aloud and spelling aloud encompass
three learning modes at one time. Reading aloud means
that the mouth feels the words, the eyes see the words,
and the ears hear the words, all at the same time. The
learner will best absorb the spelling of words when
the brain receives information from all of the three
sensory learning channels at the same time. Learning
in this manner is obviously much more efficient and
much more effective. The reading aloud approach is a
breakthrough, which enables learners to read, spell,
and write with the least wasted effort. The Reading
Aloud Approach (RAA), which I advocate, is a method,
which can be adapted to all learning styles. Following
this approach, and with sufficient practice, learners
of various levels and backgrounds can naturally acquire
the ability to spell.
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The
Understanding Before Memorizing Approach (UBMA)
There are, of course, differences in the way in which
individuals memorize a piece of information. We each
have our individual memorization style. Children are
able to memorize without having to know what they are
memorizing. Some of us, especially as adults, are able
to memorize only after understanding the subject, which
we are about to memorize. The latter situation I call
the Understanding Before Memorizing Approach (UBMA).
This book is especially useful for those who learn best
using the UBMA. For all learners, however, constant
practice is required to master the art of spelling
Unlike
most children, adults are rarely able to memorize the
spelling of words without first understanding why words
are spelled the way they are. There are two effective
practices which permit the spelling of words among adults,
logic and repetition (logic+repetition = memory). This
book provides explanations and justifications as to
why words are spelled the way they are. In addition,
it offers practice. The practice is presented by listing
groups of words of a similar spelling pattern and using
the words in simple sentences and again in stories.
All learners are asked to do to enable them to memorize
the spelling of words is to read aloud.
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The
Difference between Being Able to Read and Being Able
to Spell
Millions of people are able to get by with their various
reading abilities. Yet, they are unable to spell the
words, which they read. Remembering the spelling of
words can be achieved in two ways both involving reading.
There is reading for the sake of comprehension, wherein
the focus is directed toward the sentences and not the
words. We do that type of reading from first grade up
until the spelling of words is memorized. Since adults
do not go back and spend twelve years learning, they
are not able to learn in that way. The second way for
adults to memorize the spelling of words is to specifically
read, not for comprehension, but for spelling purposes.
The focus in such reading is shifted from sentences
to words. Allowing this shift of focus, an adult gains
an awareness of words’ sounds and spelling patterns.
As a result of reading for spelling purposes, learners
are able to progress from writing just words to writing
sentences and to writing paragraphs. The extra benefit
from learning to spell in this way is that the learners
are also being prepared to read better. Teaching the
sounds and the spellings of words in this way is indeed
like teaching a new discipline. In fact, spelling ought
to be taught as an independent discipline.
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Adults
Can Memorize the Spelling of Five Hundred Words a Day
Again, because adults memorize through logic and repetition,
isolating topics (each vowel in an entire chapter) insures
presenting one cohesive logical thought at a time. The
four sounds and the ten spelling patterns of the vowel
"a," for instance, are presented in logical
order in a chapter, which isolates the "a"
from the other vowels. To keep the focus on a specific
spelling pattern, each group of word patterns is also
isolated and repeatedly used in practice. In addition
to learning the five vowels, the learner will use more
than 100 helpful newly discovered spelling rules. Learners
are able to see a rule, apply it to a list of fifty
words or more, and then use the rule in the provided
special practice until the spelling of all the words
is learned. A few such spelling rules are in Book One.
They are presented as needed in different chapters.
The rest of the spelling rules are presented at the
end of Book Two of Learn to Spell 500 Words a Day.
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The
Language Used in This Book is Plain Spoken English
In order to make the spelling of words accessible to
every level of readers, an attempt has been made to
use simple sentence construction in this book. The language
used is plain spoken English. Precisely, it is educated
spoken English. To ensure that readers of various levels
and backgrounds can learn the spelling of words in this
book, the major emphasis remains on sounds and word
patterns, not on sentences.
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This
Book is Aimed Toward Learners
What may seem obvious to a teacher is not always obvious
to a learner. A few sections of this book may seem repetitive
to teachers, but are well received and appreciated by
learners. Difficult points must be repeated and explained
in a variety of ways to ensure understanding and learning.
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This
Book Is for Everyone
As indicated in the title of this book, it is designed
to teach the spelling of words and provides a method
for memorizing them. It is designed for adults of various
backgrounds, but children can benefit from it as well.
The method in this book accommodates the needs of many
levels of learners. The levels can vary from first grade
learners to university graduates. An adult can be a
native or a non-native English speaker, so long as that
person is able to understand and communicate in basics
English. The levels of learners who can benefit from
this book are divided into four groups:
Group
One: The advanced learners in this group can
learn with or without the help of a teacher. This group
is usually composed of people who, for one reason or
another, missed out on memorizing phonics (the spellings
of words) as children, but were still able to function
in schools and universities. Most of this group’s
members have had the experience of reading and understanding
books, which are more difficult than this one. This
book is precisely for people who are able to read and
to comprehend what they read, yet have difficulty remembering
the spelling of words as they begin to write them. Those
able to read and to comprehend find this book to be
self-explanatory. They read the simplified given instructions,
follow them, and are soon able to spell and read fluently.
Group
Two: Learners in this group are able to read
but still have some difficulty understanding written
instructions. In this case, a teacher’s help is
needed. After a teacher explains the instructions, students
should be able to read the practice portions without
a problem. There are other learners in this group who
do understand the written instructions but prefer learning
in a classroom setting. Many of the students in this
group continue to attend classes because they feel secure
having a teacher available to answer questions.
Group
Three: First time readers can also benefit
from the practice portions in this book, but need help
from their tutors. Their tutors can help them in taking
those very first few steps. Some may need help learning
the ABC’s. Others may need help selecting the pages
which are most appropriate for their level. Learners
at this level need to begin by reading the short vowels
and the consonant blends and should skip over the difficult
and the multiple syllable words. To reinforce learning,
a very useful experience for the advanced learner is
to volunteer to tutor a peer who is a beginner. Then,
each one can truly teach one.
Group
Four: This group is composed of non-native
English speakers. These individuals need to possess
a minimal background in basic communication skills to
be able to understand what their teacher is saying.
If a non-native individual is able to speak some English,
he or she may belong in groups one, two, or three. Everyone,
natives or non-natives, can learn to memorize the spelling
of words with this method.
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Suggestions
for Teaching in a Classroom Setting
The instructions in this book are for both teachers
and students. However, Chapter Four can suffice
as a teacher’s manual.
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It
is reasonable to assume that in the U.S. there are
no English classrooms which teach reading that are
not multilevel and multi-cultural. To accommodate
such diverse needs in one classroom, the following
suggestions may be implement:
Keep in mind that the same classroom may have college
level students and elementary level students. But,
students can read aloud independently of one another.
A multilevel classroom is possible. One role of
the teacher is to explain and show how a study group
is formed.
-
Each
group should have no more than two. Because learning
phonics is a long program, a group of two saves
time. In a group, one reads aloud and the other
listens; then they rotate. Make sure that everyone
is reading every page and not just listening.
-
If
a student wants to learn faster, he or she may choose
to read alone.
-
The
teacher supervises answers questions, explains points,
and checks to be sure that the instructions are
being followed correctly. When needed, the teacher
may lecture on a major point to the whole class.
This book is self-explanatory and instructions are
simple. Yet, there are many students who at first
don’t take the given instructions seriously
and don’t realize the importance of reading
aloud. Some may not read aloud until they see that
their peers, who are reading aloud, are learning,
and they are not. Only when they begin to see the
value of reading aloud will they do it. For this
reason, the teacher needs to stress the value of
reading and spelling aloud from the beginning to
the end of the course.
-
If
a new student comes into the class, he or she can
begin learning with another new student until he
or she catches up with the others. The overall experience
should be a classroom filled with noise, for students
are reading and spelling aloud from different parts
of the book.
- The
reading material (this book) must be made available
to every student. The teacher may choose to distribute
copies of this book to the students and collect them
back at the end of the class period. But, too many
students assume that their teachers’ books are
inaccessible to them. Therefore, teachers may inform
the students that they can purchase the book to study
more at home.
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The
Process of Learning or Teaching This Method
There are eight chapters to completing this
learning process. This book, Book One, contains four
chapters, and Book Two contains the other four chapters.
Looking at the table of contents, any teacher should
be able to see the style of the learning process in
this book. Some people may not read the introduction
or may read it and forget what’s in it. Consequently,
most of the explanations are presented as needed throughout
the entire book, enabling the learners to benefit from
reading them in a specific context.
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Brief
Descriptions of What to Expect in Each Chapter
Chapter One: This chapter is a preview
of the thirteen unstable letters, which have more than
one sound and more than one spelling pattern. The focus
of Chapter One is on the six unstable consonants c,
g, h, q, s, and x. At the end of Chapter One, there
is a preview of the five short vowels in short words
and in long words. Throughout the entire chapter, learners
are asked to focus on each change that each letter has.
To ensure repetition, so that the learner will learn
about such changes, nearly all of the useful words in
each changing pattern are presented. All of the presented
words are divided into syllables, the fonts are enlarged,
and each phonic to be learned is bolded or doubly underlined.
Learners are asked to see the pattern and to read the
words aloud. Seeing such changes of sounds and spelling
patterns ahead of time, learners gain an early awareness
of how half of the English letters can be relearned
in a new way. Moreover, learning about the short vowels
ahead of time (at the end of Chapter One) prepares the
learners for learning the rest of the vowels.
Chapter
Two: This entire chapter is devoted to learning
the vowel A including its four sounds, its ten spelling
patterns, and its use in nearly all of the useful words
which fall under each pattern. The words are then used
in simple sentences that rhyme and in stories. The idea
of isolating a whole vowel in one lengthy chapter is
a new learning approach. Doing so allows the learners
to see the logic behind what it is they are memorizing.
Because Chapter One covers the first vowel to be learned,
it involves learning more than the vowel A. It involves
learning the vowel A, the new concepts, the rules of
what makes a vowel short or long, a schwa, and other
sounds.
Chapter
Three: This entire chapter is devoted to learning
the vowel E and all of its changes. Learning the vowel
E becomes much easier than learning the vowel A because
most of the logic has already been learned in Chapter
Two. The rules of the vowels A and E are similar. Thus,
the learners are able to focus more on learning the
spellings of words and are able to reinforce their learning
of the vowel’s rules in this chapter.
Chapter
Four: This chapter explains the meanings of
the concepts used to explain the entire learning process.
Many of the spelling rules are also explained in this
chapter. Students are not expected to memorize such
concepts, but they are expected to gain an understanding
of them as they read or as a teacher uses them.
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Common
Questions Answered Throughout the Book
Usually, answers to any questions are best understood
right after a question is asked, not beforehand. Thus,
points are covered throughout the entire book where
they can best be learned. You will find many of the
answers to your questions written next to where a question
is expected to arise. For instance, during the process
of learning the sounds and the spellings of the vowel
A in Chapter Two, questions are often asked about the
fact that the sound of /k/ is in many letters. Thus,
the sound of /k/ is presented in Chapter Two with the
vowel A.
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Learn
to Spell 500 Words a Day, Book Two
The complete learning process of this method is covered
in two books. Book Two follows this one and includes
four more chapters. In it, the four chapters are arranged
as the Vowel I, the Vowel O, the Vowel U, and all of
the suffixes and the newly discovered 100 spelling rules,
each accompanied with practices.
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