Spelling Abilities and Attitudes
__ Views self as a capable speller
__ Considers and recognizes misspellings when proofreading
__ Locates the spelling of unfamiliar words in a dictionary, word wall, or other source
__ Employs temporary or invented spelling when unsure of a word
__ Recognizes spelling patterns and draws on spelling generalizations
__ Employs a strategy to learn the spelling of words

Stage of Spelling Development

Pre-conventional Speller
__ Stories and messages consist of scribbles and drawings
__ Strokes, symbols, and scribbles represent words
__ Identifiable letter formations appear

Emergent Speller
__ Uses one, two, or three-letter spellings for words
__ Uses significant consonant sounds (dg=dog)
__ Uses significant sounds (dagn=dragon)
__ Recognizes some familiar words
__ Uses key words in writing
__ Uses vowels in writing
__ Uses invented plus conventional spellings
__ One-half to three-quarters of the words are temporary spellings

Early Speller
__ Recognizes that word sounds represent segments or syllables
__ Matches sounds and letters (mak=make)
__ Vowels are used in most syllables
__ Refers to word banks, word wall, charts, and environmental print for spellings

Transitional Speller
__ One-half of spelling is conventional
__ Demonstrates sense of sentence
__ Three-quarters of spellings are conventional
__ Uses punctuation
__ Uses capital letters conventionally

Conventional Speller
__ Spells most words needed in writing correctly
__ Employs a spelling strategy
__ Builds a personal spelling list
__ Proofreads for spelling
__ Still struggles with consonant doubling and word affixes

Morphemic Speller
__ Spells multisyllabic words
__ Recognizes derivational relationships
__ Identifies own spelling problems
__ Spells key content-area words