Essentials – How to Correct Spelling Errors
Touch Spelling is a strategy for separating the sounds in a word, identifying them, and putting them in the correct sequence. To use Touch Spelling, have the student hold up the non-writing hand and assign one sound to each finger to separate the sounds that make up the word. For example, when writing the word "sat," the right-handed writer would hold up the left hand, palm toward the face, extend the thumb and say /s/, extend the forefinger and say /a/, and extend the middle finger and say /t/. The writer would then write the sounds assigned to each finger, in order, from left to right, to form the word "sat," saying each sound aloud while writing it. Words may have more letters than sounds. For example, to Touch Spell the word "day," the right-handed writer would extend the thumb and say /d/, then extend the forefinger and say the long sound of /a/.
For spelling error correction, follow these steps:
- Say: "Say /____ /." "Touch Spell _______. "
- Stop at the errored sound. "What sounds(s) do you hear?"
- "What letter(s) make that sound?"
- "If you made a mistake, cross it out and write _______ correctly."
- "Everyone write it again."