Over the years, I've noticed that kids can't spell. Plain and simple. It started a couple of decades ago, when there was a lack of phonics instruction in primary grades because of education reform. We were told that kids would figure out how to read by just reading a book. I disagreed then, and I still disagree.
The people who thought up this brilliant plan didn't understand that kids have to know the sounds of letters, blends, etc. in order to decode words. Short, long vowel sounds. What sound does "CH" make?
What happens if you put an "E" on the end of HOT? We, who had phonics instruction and were taught spelling rules, know that an "E"added to the end of a CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word, gives the vowel "O" a long sound. If kids don't know the CVC rules, how are they going to master spelling at a young age? What about two vowels together? We learned "When two vowels, going walking, the first does the talking". Isn't this true of the word BOAT? What vowel do you hear? Right! "O". Any child that isn't taught the "rule" might have no idea of how to pronounce it.
One year, when I was teaching fifth grade, a boy pronounced "boat" as "BO- AT". It really didn't shock me because I knew that he had little or no phonics instruction up to fifth grade. That's a perfect example of why we need to stress spelling and pronunciations of words.
Another year, I was giving a "Back to School" presentation and told the parents that even though we weren't "allowed" to teach phonics, I teach it. I got a HUGE round of applause! One parent told me that she had been frustrated because it wasn't being taught, and she was teaching her daughter, phonics and spelling rules at home, the best she could.
That's a long story about why I created this "How to Spell Plural Nouns chart and activity! Why is it free? I'm hoping that MANY teachers download it and use it with their students, then hopefully, future generations will know how to spell!
