In the past, spelling was usually taught as a separate subject; memorization was thought to be the key to its mastery. Even now, most elementary schools using spelling series and treat spelling as a subject separate from the other language arts.

However, during the past decade, language researchers have she new light on the spelling process. The acquisition of spelling rules is now viewed as a complex developmental process.

Once the stages of the process are identified, elementary teachers can help students develop strategies for learning standard English spelling, and they can assess students’ progress more accurately. For this activity, students used blocks to spell the word PLANET. Initially, they were presented with a scrambled jumble of letters.

They were then asked to point out the identification of each letter. Following this, the teacher helped them with figuring out which sound each letter made. Lastly, the students matched the block letters with the letters on the word mat to spell PLANET!