READING TIPS AND NOTES / EXPERT ADVICE
Learning about English spelling does not end in elementary school. While there are a few words that continue to bedevil most people (such as remembering whether “weird” is spelled with “ei” or “ie” or whether “accommodate” has one M or two), upper-grade students and adults alike can develop spelling skills as they expand their vocabulary. This is because the spelling system represents both sound and meaning.
Older students and adults can explore this relationship by paying attention to the parts of words. For example, the words “immigration” and “emigration” are often confused in both spelling and usage. When we break them down, we see they both contain “migration,” which means “to move.” When the prefix “im-” (meaning “into”) is added, the meaning becomes “moving into.” On the other hand, the prefix “e-” means “out,” meaning “moving out of.”
Once students have a good understanding of prefixes and suffixes and how they combine with words, the rich terrain of Greek and Latin word parts, or roots, is open for exploration. For both spelling and vocabulary, it is helpful to group words together according to their common roots. Keeping a word notebook facilitates this. It can be a section of a spiral notebook that students use as their writing journals.
For example, how are “pterodactyl” and “helicopter” alike? They both have the Greek root “pter,” meaning “wing.” Notice that the P is not pronounced in “pterodactyl,” but you hear it in “helicopter.”
The words “diction” and “indict” share the same Latin root--”dict”--which means “to say” or “speak.” Knowing this helps to clear up the common misspelling “indite.” Literally, “indict” means “to speak against.” When you look up “exhilarate” (often misspelled “exilerate”), you will see references to “hilarious”; these words share the root “hilar,” which means “glad, cheerful.” Realizing this link between these two familiar words helps us remember their spelling as it helps us to see them in a new light.
The different pronunciation of “pter,” “dict” and “hilar” in these words illustrates how the meaningful parts of words tend to be spelled similarly despite changes in sound.
How can older students and adults get this type of information about words? A good unabridged dictionary breaks words down this way. Students need to learn that the dictionary can do far more than provide the meaning of a single word when they need it.
Isn’t this a lot of extra effort to remember the spelling of a word? Not at all. The most powerful strategy for expanding vocabulary is to break a word into parts and think about the meaning in relation to the spelling. Unavoidably, connections are made to other words--some of them familiar, some of them new.
Older students and adults need to develop the habit of thinking about English spelling as a clue to the meaning of words--and, in turn, how the meaning can be a clue to the spelling. Once we understand the relationship between these two, we will not only become better spellers, we will have richer vocabularies and become better readers and writers as well.
BOOK EVENTS
* Monday through Thursday in Baldwin Hills: Grandparents and books, storytime for children at 2:30, Baldwin Hills Branch Library, 2906 S. La Brea Ave. (323) 733-1196.
* Tuesday in Porter Ranch: Preschool Story Hour at 10 a.m., Porter Ranch Branch Library, 11371 Tampa Ave. (818) 360-5706.
* Wednesday in Tarzana: Storytime for 2- and 3-year-olds at 10:30 a.m., Pages Books for Children & Young Adults, 18399 Ventura Blvd. (818) 342-6657.
* Saturday in West Los Angeles: Actress Lily Flanders provides an introduction to Shakespeare for children at 10:30 a.m., Children’s Book World, 10580 1/2 Pico Blvd. (310) 559-2665.