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Assessment and Analysis of Jilliann’s Spelling

Danielle Hobbs

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

MCE3063 Basics of Phonics Instruction

April 11, 2013

Professor Linda Pickenpaugh

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To begin assessing her word knowledge, I first gave Jilliann the Developmental Spelling

Analysis: Screening Inventory. This assessment consisted of twenty words that ranged in

difficultly from beginner to advance. The words were broken down into four separate categories

or levels. Each section was comprised of five words. Based on her ability to correctly spell each

word in a given category, I was able to pinpoint which stage of development she was currently

in. In the first two stages, Jilliann correctly spelled nine out of the ten words she was given. In

the third section, she misspelled two of the five words. In the final section of the screener

assessment, she was unable to correctly spell all of the words. This information helped to

determine what stage she was most comfortable in and which level she needed to improve upon.

To further assess Jilliann’s knowledge of words, I gave her a feature inventory

assessment that focused on a specific development skills linked to a stage. Based on the

inventory score, Jilliann correctly spelled 12 words altogether. According to Ganske, this placed

her in the syllable juncture stage of development (2000). To better evaluate her skills, I gave her

two feature inventories to clarify her understanding of the within word patter stage. This allowed

me to determine where to go next to help build upon her skills and improve her weaknesses.

While analyzing her feature inventory score from the within word pattern section, I

realized a number of strengths that existed within this stage of development. She correctly

spelled and identified the features for 23 of the 25 words. Therefore, I felt comfortable marking

her off as both competent and confident in these areas. This analysis is in accordance with

Ganske’s scoring guide outlined in chapter two of Word Journeys. Jilliann correctly spelled each

of the words containing the features for long vowels (VCe), other long vowels, complex

consonants, and also abstract vowels. Within this feature, she displayed signs of weakness in

correctly spelling words that involved the R-controlled vowels. Due to her lack of understanding,

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she completely missed two of the five words within this grouping. For example, she wrote

“glair” for “glare” and “feer” for “fear”. However, within this set, she was able to correctly write

“girl”, “short” and “hurt”. Despite her struggle with R-controlled vowels, Jilliann displayed a

strong sense of knowledge for the within word pattern stage of development.

Continuing on with my assessment of Jilliann’s word knowledge development, I gave her

the feature inventory for the syllable juncture stage. Of the 25 words she was given, she correctly

spelled and identified the feature for 16 words. Within the words that she missed, she was able to

identified three more additional spelling features for the words she was given. According to

Ganske, Jilliann is clearly in the stage of development for syllable juncture (2000). Based on my

observations during this assessment, she was “confronted with new spelling issues that challenge

existing understandings about how the orthographic system works” (Ganske, 2000, pg. 37). By

reviewing the feature inventory, I realized that she displays a significant understanding in three

of the five categories for this section. She correctly identified each of the features for the long

vowels (stressed syllables), but only spelled four of the five words correctly. She misspelled

“explode” and wrote “exploude”. Jilliann received a four out of five in identifying the word

feature for double & e-drop with ed and ing; however, she was only able to correctly spell three

of the five words. She miswrote “pailing” for “piling” and “claped” for “clapped”. For the

unstressed syllable vowel patterns, Jilliann identified four features and correctly spelled four of

the five words. The only word she missed within this section was “salute” because she wrote

“solute”. The two sections she struggled with the most in the syllable juncture developmental

stage were other syllable juncture doubling and R-controlled vowels (stressed syllables). In both

of these, she identified three features for each. Additionally, she was able to spell three of the

five words correctly for the other syllable juncture doubling words. She misspelled “bagage” for

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“baggage” and “meno” for “minnow”. For the R-controlled vowels, she spelled two of the five

words correctly. She missed “fernous” for “furnace”, “curcis” for “circus” and “burdain” for

“burden”. Although she did correctly identify the “-ur” feature in the final word, she did misspell

it. Based on these findings, I concluded that Jilliann possesses a solid foundation of word

features within the syllable juncture developmental stage, but still requires instruction to improve

her skills to help her move onto the next level.

By using these assessments, I was able to detect Jilliann’s strengths and weakness related

to her word knowledge. When comparing the two word feature inventories Jilliann completed, I

found it interesting how she clearly struggled with R-controlled vowels. Of the ten categories she

was presented with, she correctly identified the feature for five sections totaling 25 different

words. She also received a score of four for two additional word feature categories totaling 8

more words. Finally, she scored a three in the remaining three sections totaling 9 words. By

adding these featured scores together, Jilliann correctly identified 42 out of 50 word features

giving her an 84% success rate. In regards to the number of words she spelled correctly based on

the two inventories combined, she received a score of 39 out of 50 giving her a 78% rate of

success.

With this information, I am confident in Jilliann’s ability to improve her spelling skills

with instructional guidance. To help her, I plan to focus mostly on the basics of the R-controlled

vowels. To begin, I will introduce a fundamental principle to help her better understand the word

feature. I will explain to Jilliann that “when a vowel is followed by an r, the r makes the vowel

sound a little different. Sometimes you can hear which vowel it should be, and sometimes you

just have to know the word” (Wilde, 2008, pg. 173). Due to the complexity of this feature, it is not

something that can be explained with a set of rules. Also, because Jilliann struggled with R-

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controlled vowels in both features, it is important to start with the basics that coincide with the

expectations of the within word pattern stage before moving onto the syllable juncture. I will

explain to Jilliann that when followed by an r a vowel can hold either a long or short sound with

only a few exceptions. The five basic R-controlled vowels features are –ar, -er, -ir, -ur, and –or.

To help better illustrate this idea, I will explain to Jilliann that when followed by an r a vowel

can hold either a long or short sound with only a few exceptions involving a long oo, ow sound

or the schwa sound. This perfectly demonstrates why it is confusing to know which vowel is

correct. I will suggest to Jilliann that if she is struggling in how to spell an R-controlled vowel

featured word to first sound it out completely. I will ask what parts she distinctly hears by saying

the word repeatedly out loud. Next, I will have her write down each combination to help her

visually see if she is able to rule out any of the options. To provide her with more practice, I will

give her a list of R-controlled vowels. I will ask her to search through the words and underline

the feature in each. Next, I will ask her to complete a closed word sort with those words. Here,

Jilliann will use the list of words and sort them into different categories based upon the pattern

within the words. After she has completed the sort, I will ask her to review each category and

explain to me her reasoning for choosing to place the words where she did. If she incorrectly

places a word, I will only identify for her which of the categories is wrong. This will allow her to

first see if she is able to catch her own mistake; however I will provide her with help if it is

needed. Within the word sort I will include words such as “order”, “tornado”, “guitar” and

“shirt”. To conclude the mini-lesson on the basics of R-controlled vowels, I will have her write

an example word that would suffice each category in her word sort. Finally, we will review the

word feature principle relating to R-controlled vowel to check for understanding. This mini-

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lesson should be able to provide for her a solid foundation of the basics outlined in the R-

controlled vowel feature for the within word pattern stage of development.

Through these assessments, I have come to recognize Jilliann’s strengths and weaknesses

more specifically in regards to her word knowledge. Although she still struggles in some areas,

Jilliann displays the qualities of a strong speller. With instructional guidance, I will work to help

her improve her spelling skills and grow deeper in her understanding. My goal is to provide her

with the necessary skills to not just memorize the right way to spell a word, but to really

understand why a word is spelled as it is. By incorporating a variety of activities, I hope to spark

a greater sense of confidence in Jilliann’s spelling ability to help her excel to the next level in her

development.

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References

Ganske, K. (2000). Word journeys: Assessment-guided phonics, spelling and vocabulary instruction. New

York: Scholastic, Inc

Wilde, S. (2008). Spelling strategies and patterns: What kids need to know. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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This artifact displays Jilliann’s answers for the Screener. It was used to help determine what stage of spelling development she is currently in. I concluded that she is in the syllable juncture stage based on her results of correctly spelling 12 words.

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Feature Inventory: Within Word

Word Feature Word Spelled Correctly Feature Spelled Correctly

Incorrect

Long Vowels (VCe) 5 5 0

R-Controlled Vowels 3 3 2

Other Long Vowels 5 5 0

Complex Consonants 5 5 0

Abstract Vowels 5 5 0

Here, I observed that Jilliann struggled with the R-controlled vowels. She correctly spelled and identified the word features for 3 of the 5 words. However, she missed both the feature and the spelling on two of the words.

Feature Inventory: Syllable Juncture

Word Feature Word Spelled Correctly

Feature Spelled Correctly

Incorrect

Doubling & e-Drop with ed & ing

3 4 1

Other Syllable Juncture Doubling 3 3 2

Long Vowels (Stressed Syllable) 4 5 0

R-Controlled Vowels (Stressed Syllable)

2 3 2

Unstressed Syllable Vowel Patterns

4 4 1

In this inventory, I noticed that Jilliann struggled in several of the sections to spell the word correctly even after identifying the word feature. If she missed the word altogether it was marked as incorrect. She received one point for spelling each word correctly. In addition to this, she also received a point for correctly identifying the word feature even if she did not spell the whole word correctly.

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Lesson PlanPrincipleWhen a vowel is followed by an r, the r makes the vowel sound a little different. Sometimes you can hear which vowel it should be, and sometimes you just have to know the word.

Common Core StandardCCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.5.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Teach (5-8 minutes)Materials: pencil, R-controlled word sort chart, list of wordsPrinciple: When a vowel is followed by an r, the r makes the vowel sound a little different. Sometimes you can hear which vowel it should be, and sometimes you just have to know the word.

1. First, I would begin by asking what the student notices about these words: car, bird, short, sure, and person. (They each have a vowel follower by an r).

2. I would describe the principle to the student to help introduce the topic. 3. I would explain that for the purposes of this lesson we will be working with the five basic

vowel patterns within the feature. (-ar, -er, -ir, -ur, and –or). 4. I will give the student a list of R-controlled vowel words. I will ask the student to search

through the words and underline the feature in each. 5. Answers will be discussed before the student is able to move onto the next activity.

Apply (10-12 minutes)

- The student would be given a closed word sort involving each of the five basic R-controlled word patterns. Each of the categories will be listed for him/her in a chart. The words that are to be used within the sort will be provided on a separate sheet. Using the 15 words, the student will sort these words based on their pattern, not sound.

- The student must then provide an additional example word to best match each word pattern.

Share (5-10 minutes)The student will be required to provide a rationale for each of the words chosen for the R-controlled word feature categories. If an error has been made, the student will be told which of the five categories contains a mistake. It will be the student’s responsibility to decide which word was misplaced and then place it in the correct section. Assistance from the teacher will be offered if help is needed by the student. Finally, the student must write the learned principle in his/her own words.

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R-controlled Vowel PatternsUnderline the feature in each word.

card turn number

after shark carpet

bird person order

store firm tornado

fur urban guitar

Place each word in the appropriate category based on the pattern of the word.

dark church more

stir cord sure

gofer sir corn

purr word car

teacher carpet shirt

R-Controlled Vowel: Word Sort

-ar -er -ir -ur -or

Principle: