In my classroom I encourage a lot of invented spelling. The mental act of writing comes before and supports reading. “Writing before reading” refers to this sequence. When writing, students already have a word in mind and are deconstructing it into individual sounds. Reading is a more advanced skill. When reading, the word a student is deciphering is abstract. They may have some context for the word via a clue or picture, but generally they are decoding each sound and then blending those sounds together until they sound like a familiar word.

While most language activities in my classroom support writing before reading, there does come a time when spelling can be introduced. After all, as a society we are tied to formal language and agreed upon standards. As children become more advanced in reading, they will be exposed to words that are not phonetic. This happens almost immediately in the English language.

Typically, students are introduced to phonics and spelling rules as they advance in reading. Some of these rules will begin to appear in their writing. Teachers can remind and encourage students to use these rules when writing too. For example, a student who understands the “Silent E” rule can begin to add an E to the end of a word to change the pronunciation of the first vowel to it’s long sound.

Students at this level of invented spelling are great candidates for spelling work. Copying words is a straight-forward, independent exercise that students can begin with. I like to start putting out these Word Books near the end of the PreK year. In my Montessori classroom, students are allowed to choose (or not choose) their work. I encourage everyone to copy at least one book. A lot of students are happy to pick up and complete one word book each day, without any prodding. They can put their finished book in the Author’s Chair basket and read it to the class at the end of the work cycle. This reinforces the reading of non-phonetic words.