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Who is this for? Students They’ve finished That Reading Thing or another speech to print program and are reading with more fluency, confidence and understanding. They consistently use the strategies from That Spelling Thing. They’re now ready to dive deeper into spelling and vocabulary both to improve reading comprehension and to develop … Read More

There are two reasons for teaching spelling through a consistent approach like That Spelling Thing. 🟢 The first is obviously to make sure students are spelling accurately and increasing vocabulary. 🟢 The second is equally important if not as obvious. That Spelling Thing helps create a culture of spelling in your classroom. … Read More

This is last post in the summer spelling series. It sounds like it’s only for linguists but I’m also interested in evidence from non-linguists for teaching ‘nasalized a’. When I saw ‘nasalized a’ mentioned in a science of reading group on Facebook I thought it must have been a random and outlying … Read More

Summer spelling series, Question 2 is a quiz. Answer yes, no or maybe for each of the following. 1. <pt> is a grapheme. 2. <pt> is part of a morpheme. 3. <eo> is a grapheme in ‘people’. 4. <o> marks something about the history of the word ‘people’. Someone has asked a … Read More

Question 1 of our summer spelling series: plural cancelling silent e. True, false or somewhere in between? Does the final ‘silent’ <e> in words like house, moose, because etc exist to remind people it is not a plural or a 3rd person singular? I’ve been told this comes from Orton Gillingham rather … Read More

We usually start with syllables, sounds and graphemes then look at morphology to support memory but sometimes the morphology needs to come first and this is such a time. Ask everyone to doodle the concepts as you talk through the words. 1. Start with ‘finite’. As with other words, you can start … Read More

Here’s an updated version of a post which was originally a response to this tweet: Of course #syntheticphonics is vital, but does it help a child spell photosynthesis in Yr. 5? We need to equip ALL children with ALL the tools to succeed. #syllables It’s a reasonable question that highlights two issues: … Read More

That Spelling Thing is an evidence-based method using the ‘bones of English’ – phonics and morphology – to support memory, ensure accuracy and increase vocabulary. Below are the steps to spelling that frame our CPD sessions. Spelling is a vast subject which, if taught on a word-by-word basis, can feel overwhelming. Instead, … Read More