by Gene Ouellette and Monique Sénéchal
Original article: LINK
This study wanted to see if 5-6 year old’s encoding (invented spelling) abilities made a difference to how they write and read when they are older.
They found that children’s abilities to encode (produce spellings informed by their phonological knowledge) had a positive and direct impact on how well they read later on. It also positively influenced their future spelling abilities.
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Before children become really good at conventional spelling, they start by using what they know about how words sound and how they look to write ‘invented’ (or phonetically-informed) spellings. These spellings show us how children are learning to connect what they hear to what they see in writing. They’re practising how to understand the sounds and letters in words (called encoding). An ability to encode also helps children to get better at hearing the different sounds in words and so improves their early reading too.
Phonetically-informed spelling is when children write words on their own, without necessarily following strict spelling rules or patterns. At first, they might just put down the first sound they hear in a word, like writing “D” for “DOG.” They might also add random letters at this stage. But, as they begin to learn more and more about letters and sounds, they start to include more and more sounds in their spellings. For example, they spell “CAT” as “KAT.” Eventually, with instruction and practice, they understand that spelling involves more than just sounds. They learn about things like orthography (spelling patterns and rules) and morphography (the meaning of prefixes, suffixes and root words).
Phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is all about understanding the sounds in words. Knowing how sounds work in words is important when decoding texts and trying to read. But phonological awareness isn’t just about early reading; being good at hearing and working with sounds also helps children with their early writing.
- Children who are good at understanding sounds in words tend to be better spellers.
- Children who are invited to write using invented spellings get better at decoding.
The findings of this study also support the hypothesis that teaching and actively encouraging children to write ‘invented spellings’ uniquely predicts their positive future performance in early reading and writing.
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For more on teaching children encoding strategies, download our book: Getting Children Up & Running As Writers: Lessons For EYFS-KS1 Teachers