Spelling:
DAR Mastery Level 5

Introduction:

The TTS for Spelling at Levels 4–9/10 assess whether students find it easier to learn to spell
commonly misspelled words by visualizing them or by creating their own strategy for
remembering based on analysis of their errors. The second strategy provides an opportunity to
review and assess learning.
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Strategy: Visualizing Words

Materials Needed:
TTS-Sp-DAR 5-VW and EA.pdf

Say:     I’d like you to learn how to spell some difficult words by taking a picture of the
words in your mind. Let’s start with the word _____.

Show the student Word Card 1.

Say:     Let’s begin by looking carefully at the word on this card. This word is _____. What
is the word?  (Allow the student to respond.)

Now close your eyes. Can you still see all the letters in the word? (Allow the student
to respond.)

Look at the word again. When you closed your eyes, did you see it correctly?

Repeat this process until the student is confident that he or she knows the word.

Say:     When you think you’ve got a good picture of the word in your mind, turn the word
card over and write the word on your paper.

After the student has written,

Say:     Now turn over the card and check to see if you wrote the word correctly. Did you
get it right?

Show the student Word Card 2.

Repeat the procedure using Word Card 3.

On the Student Record Form, note how many attempts it took the student to spell each word
correctly.

Then go on to the next strategy, Error Analysis.
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Strategy: Error Analysis

Materials Needed:
Included in Strategy: Visualizing Words

Select Word Card 4 but do not show it to the student.

Say:     This time I’d like you to learn how to spell some difficult words by looking at your
errors and figuring out a way to correct them. Let’s start with you writing down the
following word: ______. (Read Word Card 4.)

After the student has written,

Say:     Look carefully now at the word on this card. (Show the student Word Card 4.) Check
each letter. Did you spell it correctly?

Repeat the procedure using Word Cards 5 and 6.

On the Student Record Form, note how many attempts it took the student to spell each word
correctly. You may wish to note the strategies a student used to remember how to spell words he
or she found difficult.

If the student has written all the words correctly, ask him or her to think of a word that seems
difficult to spell. Discuss methods he or she can use to remember how to spell this word
correctly, suggesting possibilities such as: exaggerated pronunciation of difficult word parts,
identification of root words, word associations, spelling the word aloud, and copying the word
over correctly several times.

Finally,

Say:     Let’s review the words you’ve been working on. I’ll say a word and use it in a
sentence. Then you write the word.

Dictate all six words that the student has been working on. Read the word, read the sentence
provided for the word, and then read the word again.

 On the Student Record Form, note the words that are spelled correctly.
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Interpreting and Using TTS Results:

Commonly misspelled words are best taught in groups of a few words, with brief daily review.
Students may use any strategy that makes it easy for them to master these words. Provide
students with ways to see their progress in learning to spell these difficult words. Whenever
possible, encourage students to incorporate their spelling words into their writing assignments.