During my field instructor observation today, I began to notice how many students struggle with spelling. I was teaching a lesson on pen pals and I had students write questions to find out more about their penpals. I found that my students were so focused on spelling words correctly (which I appreciate), but as a result they were not focusing on the purpose of the lesson. They spend unnecessary time raising their hand waiting to ask my mentor or myself how to spell different words and then at the end of their writing block they have not completed very much. I also noticed that many of my students are not spacing out their words very well, so I will begin enforcing the importance of having good penmanship. What's the point of writing, if no one can read it? It's an art that I think has gotten lost throughout the years.
When I asked Judy how I could support my struggling writers, she gave an excellent suggestion. She said students can have writing folders with a list of common words or sight words that they can refer to at any time. I loved this idea and will definitely consider using this in my future classroom. I could also have students start their own writing journals and list commonly misspelled words. This would help minimize disruptions and allow the teacher to help students more with concepts, rather than spelling. I think it's very beneficial for students to take charge of their own learning and this would be a great approach.
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