to creatively spell or not to creatively spell

Throughout last semester and this semester of my masters program, I've had the opportunity to work in various elementary classrooms through substitute teaching and a field placement. During these experiences I've heard the term creative spelling used repeatedly by teachers in the classroom. Initially, I don't think I thought much about the term, until I began helping students during writing workshop and with other literacy related projects. Students soon began asking me how to spell words and I was forced to think about how to respond to their questions, 

• Should I provide the student with the correct answer?
• Should I have the student use other resources to find the correct spelling?
• Should I allow the student to use creative spelling?

These were just a few of the thoughts that ran through my head.

After working in many different classrooms, I have found that teachers vary widely in the freedom they give their early childhood students when it comes to literacy and writing. As a pre-service teacher, I am looking forward to developing my own techniques of teaching reading and writing to my future students. 

I was initially unsure of the the term creative spelling and the reasoning behind the use of creative spelling.  In Kate Foley Cusumano's article, Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and the Community Members about Young Children's Writing, the author writes, "...at first glance, most family and community members will notice the apparent mistakes before noticing the strengths of the piece, while as a teacher, I am looking for the message, the content of the story first, before conventions."Cusumano demonstrates that it is not the mistakes that we should be seeking out in a a student's writing, but we should be looking for the message that the student is able to communicate through his or her writing. 

In Teaching Phonemic Awareness by Rasinkski and Padak, the authors' write, "...invented spelling, is a powerful way to help students develop their phonemic awareness as well as basic phonics knowledge..". This strategy provided by Rasinkski and Padak shows that creative spelling may even improve a student's literacy abilities down the road. 

As a soon-to-be teacher, I hope I am able to implement a literacy culture in my classroom that supports creative spelling and encourages children to make mistakes so they may in return learn from those mistakes to become better writers and readers. 

Observing Literacy in Action: Community Literacy Dig

This week I participated in a literacy dig with four other people from my primary reading and language arts class. We decided to visit a major discount retail store to observe different forms of literacy taking place within the store.

Map of Store

The physical environment of the store was bright and inviting. Huge signs with labels hung from the ceiling to note where specific departments were within the store. The signs were red, the carts and baskets were red, the information kiosks were red, and all of the employees wore red shirts. 

The people within the store were mainly female adults. Some of the adults had young children with them. Most of the people were shopping alone. There was a wide variety of races observed, including White, Asian, African America, and Indian, While these people were shopping, many of them had their cell phones out or were just browsing the shelves. 

Aisle

Several forms of conversation and talk were taking place inside the store. Between shoppers, the conversation appeared to be very casual and relaxed. The talk between shoppers and employees was very scripted and rehearsed. Each employee at the checkout kiosk used the same phrases when checking out customers.

The store had a large amount of written literacy. Many of the phrases were not exclusive to this retailer but are exclusive to the retail shopping world. For the first time shopper, these words could be overwhelming-- price scanner, check price, check stockroom, clearance, 30% Off, F30 (aisle marker), self-checkout, express checkout, and carts have self locking wheels. Along with the written literacy, there was a large amount of spoken literacy at the store, particularly at the checkout kiosk. Some phrases that might be confusing to first time shoppers might be, "How will you be paying?", "Credit or Debit?", "Would you like money back?", "Enter your pin.", Would you like a bag?".

Price Tag

At the store we observed many different types of literacy and people using these types of literacy. People were using visual literacy to read labels, technological literacy to use the self-checkout kiosk, and written literacy to sign their name after using a credit card.

Through all of these observations we realized just how much literacy we use in a simple situation, such as making a trip to the grocery store.  Though we may think the day we leave high school or university we are only using our literacy skills on a limited basis, the truth is, literacy is everywhere!

In the article The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom by Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson, the authors write about Situated Literacy. Powell and Davidson write, "Situated Literacy is when literacy is embedded within real-world events. The model engages students in real life literacy and values students' worlds and their way of making meaning." As a future educator, I can't help but think of the many ways this connects with the community literacy dig and the relevance of connecting literacy education with real life experiences.

As children grow up they will do much more than just use their literacy techniques in the classroom. Literacy is about engaging yourself in the community and connecting yourself to the world. In order to do this, the children must be taught literacy using situations that are culturally relevant and engaging, in order for them to have an authentic literacy experience that will far outlast the years they spend in the classroom.

Literacy Framework: Finding a Best-Fit Reading Theory for Young Readers

As I begin the second semester of a three semester licensure program in elementary education, I am excited to learn about literacy in early childhood education. After spending my first semester of the program studying literacy in intermediate grades, I am eager to learn more about how our young people develop the necessary skills in order to learn how to read. 

After a discussion in our primary reading class last week, it was apparent that many of us have no recollection of what skills, theories, or strategies we used when learning to read. Though we have no memory of the reading learning process, many of us do have recollection of individuals who influenced our reading habits and perhaps taught us the joy of reading in the early years of our lives.  

In the book, Catching Readers Before They Fall, Pat Johnson and Katie Keier discuss two common literacy theories that teachers employ in the classroom to help young students learn how to read. Through the use of a simple reading theory, a teacher may concentrate reading time on visible reading tactics, such as, phonics, sight words, parts of speech, and punctuation. Through the use of a complex reading theory, the student is able to make meaning of the text as he is learning various visible parts of the text. 

Johnson and Keier discuss the importance of how a teacher understands the reading process and the role that understanding will play in determining what literacy theory is implemented in his or her classroom. Though both theories are beneficial in countless ways, as a teacher it is important to understand the needs of each student and how the implemented literacy framework will benefit the individual. Not one strategy or both may be effective for all learners. 

As teachers we must consistently re-evaluate the literacy theories and framework we employ within our classrooms depending on individuals in our classrooms. Though it is unlikely that our students will remember the theories we used to help them learn how to read, the decisions we make as teachers when implementing literacy strategies in the early childhood classroom will have a lasting impression on each students understanding and perception of reading. 

Most importantly, if we have done our job well as teachers, we will have helped teach the child how to learn to read through a best fit theory and be remembered for instilling a joy and love of reading in that child's mind.