Spelling and Word-Level Reading Intervention/Instruction
Presented by Kenn Apel
12-Month Subscription
Unlimited access to:
- Thousands of CE Courses
- Patient Education
- Home Exercise Program
- And more
Non-Financial: Kenn Apel has no competing non-financial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Spelling and word-level reading are language skills that are crucial for academic, vocational, and social success. A multilinguistic approach to word-level literacy intervention/instruction necessarily targets all five “building blocks” of word-level literacy (phonemic awareness, orthographic pattern awareness, morphological awareness, semantic awareness, and mental graphemic representations). This course will cover specific language-based activities to improve spelling and word-level reading skills. Specific suggestions for tasks that target the various linguistic underpinnings of spelling and word-level reading will be reviewed.
Meet your instructor
Kenn Apel
Kenn Apel, PhD, CCC-SLP, is professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. For more than 30 years, Dr. Apel has been conducting research in the areas of spoken and written language and working with children, adolescents, and adults who have…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Overview of Word-Level Literacy Intervention/Instruction
A multilinguistic intervention/instruction approach to improving spelling and/or word-level reading includes a focused attention on one or more of the five “building blocks”: phonemic awareness, orthographic pattern awareness, morphological awareness, semantic awareness, and mental graphemic representations. This approach contrasts with more traditional approaches (e.g., the “Friday Test”) or alternative, less effective strategies (e.g., use of technology such as spell checkers or speech recognition devices).
2. Improving Phonemic and Orthographic Pattern Awareness Skills
Students’ difficulties in spelling and word-level reading may be due to deficits in their phonemic awareness and/or orthographic pattern awareness skills. Once identified through assessment procedures, specific activities can be implemented that teach strategies for using phonemic awareness and/or orthographic pattern awareness to spell or read words. These activities can be taught in one-on-one or whole group settings.
3. Improving Morphological Awareness and Mental Graphemic Representations
Students’ difficulties in spelling and word-level reading may be due to deficits in their morphological awareness skills or because of poorly formed mental graphemic representations (MGRs). After being identified through assessment procedures, specific activities can be conducted that teach strategies for using morphological awareness and/or MGR knowledge to spell or read words. These activities can be taught in one-on-one or whole group settings.
4. Research Applications of a Multilinguistic Approach
Using a multilinguistic approach to improving students’ spelling and word-level reading (i.e., a focus on the five “building blocks”) is based on theoretical foundations and scientific research. Research supporting its use with individual students and classrooms suggests it is a viable means for facilitating the development of students’ word-level literacy skills.