I administered the Gentry Spelling Assessment to Leo once more - it's only been one month since the first time he'd done it. However, I was astounded by the progress he has made.
1. Monster = mostr (phonetic)
2. United = ynited (phonetic)
3. Dress = jes (phonetic)
4. Bottom = botum (phonetic)
5. Human = h_____m (semiphonetic) Leo knew other letters were in this word, but he didn't know what they were so he spaced the letters out to signal something else went between them.
6. Eagle = Egul (transitional)
7. Closed = klosed (phonetic)
8. Bumped = bmt (phonetic)
9. Type = tip (phonetic)
Leo's spelling on the last lesson was almost entirely semiphonetic (one level down from phonetic), with one precommunicative (two levels down). But this time, they were phonetic, except for one semiphonetic and even a transitional spelling, which is a level UP from phonetic. This means Leo has moved up an entire level in just one month. He is beginning to hear vowel sounds, even the correct vowel sounds in many cases, and always hears beginning and ending sounds in words. The amazing thing is that no one is teaching him these spellings explicitly. He's simply noticing and absorbing information from all around him - in the classroom and in the world around him. This is why it's so important to have an enriching environment not only in school but in a child's home - because they learn all the time, not just at school.
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