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Don't just take AVKO's word for it:

Try the Sequential Spelling approach on your students

1. Ask your class to spell: beginning. Let's start at the beginning. beginning. Tell your students that all they have to do is put down some of the letters they think might be in the word beginning. Collect the papers. You will want to compare these misspellings with the spellings you will get on the 5th and 6th days.
     
2. Give the following tests on separate but consecutive class days. You say the word. Use it in a sentence. Give the word again. Every student must at least attempt to spell the word. After each student has tried and before going to the next word- give the correct spelling. Let each student correct his own paper.

Nearly every student, no matter what grade or how badly learning disabled, will learn to read, write, and spell the word beginning. Note: Even the very gifted students can increase their vocabulary  because this program uses many words to teach a few simple patterns.   

•   Words are sequenced horizontally during a five day week as in:
  

  Lesson 1	Lesson 2	Lesson 3	Lesson 4
  pin	pins	pinned	pinning

• Students correct their own spellings immediately after each word is given.  

• Students quickly begin to learn all the troublesome blends and structural endings.

• Each lesson has cross references to The Patterns of English Spelling and to Word Families in Sentence Context.

• Homophones are presented when they occur.  The second rime introduced is the e as in he, she, be, we.  So the homophones bee and wee (and the optional French oui in the footnotes) are presented early on in the program.

• "Insane" words or "outlaws" such as could and couldn't are slipped into the program and presented many, many times so that mastery is achieved.

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  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Why don't the words used follow grade levels?  The word scatter is a 7th grade word in our school's regular spelling text.   What is it doing in Sequential Spelling 1?

  ANSWER:  Regular spelling texts, as a general rule, pick grade levels for words according to when the specific words first begin to occur in the regular subject matter curriculum.  This would seem to make sense, but it does bring about some rather odd sequences.  Since the word ice may not occur in the curriculum until the 4th grade when it appears in the science class, its introduction is delayed until that time.   Note that in one spelling series the word nice occurs in the 1st grade, twice in the 2nd grade, price in the 5th, and rice in the 6th.  AVKO believes in teaching all the ice words in the same unit. 

  Regarding the word scatter,  AVKO teaches it only after the -at sound has been taught in 30 different words.  After the -atter sound has occurred in eight words, and directly after the initial c in cat and the consonant blend sc in scat, then and only then do we teach scatter.   Nearly every student gets it right the very first time.

• Why does Sequential Spelling contain so many words such as the word tat that are outside the vocabulary of normal adults?

  We don't believe it hurts anyone, even a child, to learn a new word.  But that is not why we use the word tat.  We use the word tat as an added practice in sounding out spellings of words having the initial /t/ sound and practice in spelling the ending rime -at.  It also gives the student a pleasant surprise and ego boost when he discovers he can spell a word that he believes he has never heard nor seen before just because he knows how to spell the sounds.

• Should the teacher count off for sloppy spelling?

  Since the students get to correct their own spelling, they should be expected to write clearly and legibly.  In fact, we recommend that these sequential spelling tests be used for handwriting practice because the patterns, being repetitive, can be a help in developing legible handwriting.  We further recommend that if your students print, that they use D'Nealian® manuscript or AVKO's own manuscript (See Let's Write Right). But whatever system of handwriting your school system may require, we believe that writing must be legible.  So yes, by all means, take off for sloppy handwriting.  The only exceptions would be for those who have a physical disability and insufficient small motor skills to write legibly.

• Where should I start?  I'm working with 5th graders.  Do I start with Sequential Spelling 5?  

  No.  Unless your students have been exposed to Sequential Spelling before, you should start them with Sequential Spelling 1 or maybe even Sequential Spelling 2.
    

• Do I give my students the words to study?  

  Only if you feel you must.  We have found that students prefer not having to study and that when they correctly spell words that they haven't studied, their self-confidence about spelling begins to zoom. 
    

• How do I give grades?  

  If you must give grades based upon performance, there are pretests and posttests for every 60 day period. 
    

• How many books do I need for my classroom?  

  Just one.  AVKO would love it if you bought one for every student.  But that's not necessary.  One student record book for each student would be very, very convenient and we do recommend that.  However, by using one student response book as a model, you can create your own model for your students to make from spiral notebooks.
    

• Can I give more than one test a day or repeat the same test later in the day?  

  Why not?  You're the teacher.  You know your kids better than we do.  The important thing is to have fun with the tests.  Help your students overcome their fears of making mistakes.  They'll love you for it.
    

  If you would like to order by credit card, please go to our other AVKO website by clicking here

  If you have comments about this website or questions concerning spelling, invented spelling, whole language, phonics, learning disabilities, homeschooling, etc., you may always e-mail DonMcCabe@aol.com.  We appreciate any comments that will help us make this website even more useful. 
  

  Call:  Toll Free 1-866-285-6612
  Fax:  (810) 686-1101
  E-mail: Webmaster: avkoemail@aol.com 
  or  Write:  
  Don McCabe, Research Director

  AVKO Spelling & Dyslexia Research Foundation
  3084 Willard Road, Suite W
  Birch Run, MI 48415-7801

   

  All donations are greatly appreciated.  If you would like to support our mission which is to raise the level of literacy to the point where the words, illiteracy, phonemic awareness, learning disabilities, dysgraphia, family literacy, adult literacy, and illegible handwriting will no longer have relevance, please mail your tax-deductible check (in U.S. dollars) to The AVKO Foundation, 3084 Willard Road, Suite W, Birch Run, MI 48415-7801.  The AVKO Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501(C)3 publicly supported organization working with teachers, parents, tutors, and home schooling parents, publishing materials developed by its research, and providing free daily tutoring at its local reading clinic.