Why Do We Want To See Dick

And Jane Run. Essay, Research Paper

Who exactly are Dick and Jane. Does Spot really exist. Dick, Jane, and Spot are all

characters that are used to teach Elementary School Children reading and spelling skills.

Spelling is a difficult concept to master, especially when learning the spelling of American

Standard English. “George Bernard Shaw said that the word fish might as well be spelled

ghoti–using gh as in rough, o is in women and ti as in vacation”(Glazer 99). Sometimes

the spelling of certain words can seem illogical and may have no other similar spelling in

the language. When a young child looks at these words, the student cannot use logic to

spell certain words. Learning Disabled children have a hard time conquering spelling and

it may be the hardest task for elementary school children with learning disabilities to

conquer. The question has been proposed of whether or not children with learning

disabilities need to be taught spelling differently in comparison to children without learning

disabilities. Children with learning disabilities learn at a slower pace and do need to be

taught spelling differently than students without learning disabilities.

According to the learning disability information web site,“ A learning disability is

a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in

understanding and using language spoken or written which may manifest itself in an

imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, spell, or do mathematical calculations.”

Basically, there are two parts to a learning disability: one is processing and the second

is discrepancy. Learning disabled students have a hard time understanding and

comprehending information. Learning disabled students know where they are going,

but have a hard time getting there because of the obstacles they face getting there. It is

like the information gets lost on the way to the brain. Discrepancy means the

connection between the learning disabled students achievement and ability. One

example the web site gives is, “ It’s kind of like a baseball player who has the ability to

hit home runs but is given a broken bat to use. He doesn’t have the chance to prove

how great he really is.” Learning disabled students are not all the same, but they all

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have similar processing difficulties and learning difficulties. Students with learning

disabilities require more patience and one on one attention from teachers, making it

difficult for them to be in a class with children who do not have learning disabilities.

These children are usually put in special education classes where the class sizes are

smaller and the teachers are trained to teach these children.

There are three methods that must be used to teach spelling correctly and

effectively. The first is that “spelling instruction should not be restricted to a study of

relationships between letters and sounds but should also entail a comprehensive study

of the structural and semantic relationships of words”(Hodges 419). Teachers must

incorporate spelling with reading and writing. A child will not be able to further his

spelling skills unless he is continuously practicing and using his spelling knowledge.

Also, if a child is constantly reading and writing this will help the child learn certain

spelling rules that he can only learn through practice. The second “is that spelling

instruction and vocabulary instruction are two faces of the same coin, particularly for

older students. Not only does a study of English spelling contribute to spelling ability,

but the stability of English orthography makes it possible to explore other aspects of

the language” (Hodges 419). It does not benefit a student if he knows how to spell a

word, but does not understand how to use the word in his conversations or writings.

Spelling and the meanings of words must be taught together in order for the student to

apply his knowledge of the English language to his life. The third “is that individuals

make few, if any, random spelling errors. Each incorrect spelling has a cause, whether

from carelessness or from insufficient or erroneous knowledge about the written

language” (Hodges 420). There are not many random spelling errors. If a student

makes an error it is usually based on what he has learned before and bases the spelling

of an unknown word on his previous knowledge. Susan Glazer writes, “ New young

writers spell fish as fs, fes, feshe, and sometimes fx….confirming the fact that matching

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letters with sounds can have more than one result.” (100) If teachers make students

apply their spelling knowledge to reading and writing, teach definitions along with

spelling, and correct their students spelling mistakes then the students will all be

successful spellers.

Two studies were performed in which the results proved that children with

learning disabilities need different instruction in comparison to childre

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