Stages of Spelling Development

Stage 1: Emergent Spelling

In this stage:

• children are not reading conventionally
• have not been exposed to formal reading
• age ranges from 0 to 5 years
• most toddlers and preschoolers are emergent spellers, most kindergarteners, and some first graders at the beginning of the school year.
• can range from random marks to leggitmate letters that have a relationship to sound

Stage 2: Letter Name-Alphabetic Spelling

In this stage:

• period of time which children are taught to read, typically during kindergarten and first years and into the middle of second grade
• most alphabetic spellers are between the ages 5 and 8
• apply alphabetic principle to consonants
• students spell the first sound and then the last sound of single-syllable words. the middle elements of syllables, the vowels are usually omitted.
• only the first sound of a two letter consonant blend it represented. ex: ft for float

Stage 3: Within Word Pattern Spelling

In this stage:

• students can read and spell many words correctly
• stage begins when students transition to independent reading toward the end of first grade and expands through the second and third grades and even into fourth.
• they move away from linear, sound by sound  approach of the letter name  alphabetic spellers.

Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Spelling

In this stage:

• achieved in upper elementary and middle grades
• students consider spelling patterns where syllables meet meaning and units such as affixes.
• students are between 9 and 14 years old

Stage 5: Derivational Relations Spelling

In this stage:

• most of derivational spellers are found in middle, highschool, and college
• derivational relations- when students examine how words share common derivations and related base words and word roots.
• students spell most words correctly
• errors have to do with reduced vow

The stages of spelling were found in: Words THeir Way by Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Francine Johnston