How do I help someone who wants help with their spelling?

Question

My little brother is 15 and has horrible spelling. He's actually a very smart kid and does want help in the matter. What is the best way of helping him with his spelling? I've already turned the auto correct off on his computer, but I'm thinking of something more structured like a short lesson or spelling exercise. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Find some spelling-related teaching material for a grade level lower than his and have him do the assignments. Enlist a teacher with suggestions or ideas on new teaching methods and materials. Also, give him a good dictionary and a thesaurus. Both are invaluable to spelling and word comprehension. I can tell you as an employer, it makes a tremendous difference. When job applications are submitted to me with abbreviations and a high percentage of misspelled words, I do not even consider the applicant as a candidate.

Answer 2

The best spellers don't study spelling words. No, they do something I bet you aren't ready to hear. They read. Yes, the best way to learn spelling is to see the word in context. In the early 1800's the schools of education had a basic lesson, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Spelling wasn't actually part of the curriculum. These early school would read a passage out of the Bible and explain what each word meant. When the students saw the words repeatedly, they learned how they were spelled. Spelling as a subject was only introduced to supplement the reading. This was due to the fact that as each generation passes, the children read less. The reading level is now so substandard that there are High School text books that are written on a 6th grade reading level. Tragic

Answer 3

He needs help in recognizing word patterns, not only memorizing words. Show him that when you hear a certain sound in words, it will be a certain word pattern.

For instance, the words 'flower,' 'shower,' and 'power' all have "ow" spellings that make the ow! sound. By seeing the pattern within words he can use skills to think about spelling a word rather than just guessing or memorizing.

Go to any teacher supply store and buy some phonics books, maybe even a lower grade level. It seems that maybe he did not grasp some core concepts about spelling and word patterns in elementary school. There is nothing wrong with that at all, he just needs some extra help.

Anyway, the people at the store will be able to help you. Good luck and hope this helps.

Answer 4

The best thing I can think of for a 15 year old is to teach him to use the dictionary. He probably knows how, but he needs to use it to check his spelling.

Here's how that works. He writes a paper. You read it over it and circle the misspelled words. Don't correct them. He then, seeing that he misspelled the word GUESSES other possible spellings and looks them up in the dictionary (trial and error).

Nothing helps in the memorization process like doing some grunt work to obtain the answer.

Another option would be for him to keep a wordbox. When he misspells a word, he finds the correct spelling and writes it on a 3x5 index card, then files it in an index card file box. As he adds words to the box, he keeps them alphabetized for easy reference.

Another option to the card file box, would be to use a Rolodex to alphabetize his words.

Poor spelling can be the result of many things. It is not a reflection of his intelligence. When intelligent people, including teachers, have trouble spelling a word, they look it up in a dictionary (or on dictionary.com, as the case may be). ;-)

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Usually, spelling units for school focus on one specific "tricky rule" or "oddity" per week. This might be something to try....like words that change the 'y' to 'ies' when making them plural, for example. Also, you could try making up catchy rules or mnemonic devices that will help him to remember the correct spellings...for example, when trying to remember which spelling is the correct one for the man who is in charge of your school, remember that the principal is your PAL...not to be confused with the other spelling: principle.

Reading also helps your mind to get a visual picture of what the word should look like, so try to get your brother immersed in books as much as possible (it's also great for increasing vocabulary!). I hope that helps!

PS - I AM a teacher :)

Answer 6

You could try the spelling video games. But my mom had my brothers and I working on it everyday. Taking words from the dictionary. Writing it, along with the meaning. Using it in a sentence. All of that. In the long run, it helped. It was annoying as a child, but I notice myself doing it to my children now.

Answer 7

OK, none of your answers have been from teachers. Get the book Words Their Way by Bear, Templeton, Invernizzi, and Johnston. Administer the Spelling Inventory for High Schhol kids. Using the book to help you, grade the assessment. You will now know what his spelling level is. (He's probably in Syllables & Affixes). Read that chapter of the book to determine word sorts for him. If you don't want to figure it out yourself, you can spend $12.50 for the syllables & affixes book where it is already done for you. Basically, he sorts according to his own logic ... why did he sort the way he did? What patterns did he find? What does this tell him about those words? What are the exceptions? This way, he is becoming attuned to the phonetic rules of English. Now, as you continue to read his level's chapter, make note of the other things you can do with him (word finds in literature, making lists, using computer word generators, etc.)

Good luck!

Answer 8

The best way would be to try to ask a teacher at his school. Teachers are experts at teaching stuff, like spelling. And besides, they already know your brother, and can therefore give a better answer than a generic one given here.

Answer 9

1. A dictionary.
2. Starting writing.
3. Ban him from using the cellphone.

Answer 10

I know this sounds bad, I do, but it works. Video games with spelling. I know of some spelling games on Yahoo! Games also. It works, I learned my times tables playing games on Atari when I was younger.