Hi Dude,
While I admit that is can be frustrating for me to read stories with misspelled words, I understand the theory behind inventive spelling. First, it helps to liberate the child to express him or herself without being bogged down by the mechanics. This way, he or she focuses on the true purpose of writing: communication and expression! The other useful aspect of inventive spelling is that children use their knowledge of letter sounds to work out words which can solidify their phonemic awareness etc. I know all this, but I guess I think my child is ready to move beyond this stage, and was wondering if other kids showed a gap between reading skills and spelling / punctuation skills. She knows all the rules, but forgets them in the "heat" of writing a story. She can spell words that are easily sounded out like "acrobat" or ones that follow rules she already knows,and all the basic words, but she sometimes makes surprising errors because she is rushing through her story. I know substance is more important than mechanics, and that there will be plenty of time to master the details, but I do think she is ready to move to the next step and I do worry about her patterns of kipping the small stuff. Some kids learn grammar and spelling almost by osmosis just like they learn to read simply by being read to, but it does seem that spelling often takes more work for reading even among kids who are very verbally gifted. Maybe I think there is more of an issue than there is because she learned to read by two with no formal lessons and so I expect her spelling mastery to be as effortless.
Last edited by TwinkleToes; 06/14/12 10:24 AM.
