How to Master The National Spelling Bee

The 2010 National Spelling Bee is currently underway.  This is the time of year where tweens and teens are featured on ESPN and get more national attention than Kobe Bryant.

Here are some sample words during this year’s competition have caused contestants to exit the event:

• fustanella
• dysautonomia
• phytoplankter

It is amazing how children are required to  spell these challenging words by only using their ears.  The first step in mastering spelling – and possibly mastering The National Spelling Bee is to understand and be aware how written English is constructed.

By our count, there are 59 sounds (including diphthongs) in English, and these sounds must be made by a combination of only 26 letters in the alphabet.  What makes English even more challenging is the fact that some of these sounds have many different spellings – hence why the National Spelling Bee is so entertaining.

The first challenge a participant has to face is the need to break down the word he or she hears into its sounds and spellings.  How many beats and how many sounds do the words fustanella, dysautonomia and phytoplankter have?  By breaking the words into sounds, the participants can then start to mentally rebuild the word based on the various spellings. This requires years of practice to master – however, it can be done simply as I will show you in a minute.

One of the common ways to confuse the participants is the use of the schwa.  The schwa is a low energy vowel sound used in words such as father, mother, chicken, ever, chorus and restaurant.

The following image shows the words fustanella, dysautonomia and phytoplankter with our universal color code.  Our universal color code attaches one unique color to every sound (including the diphthongs which are given two colors).  The schwa is in bright yellow.  As you can see from these words, the schwa is represented by the letter a, o and e.

Another major benefit to our universal color code is that it makes words easy to deconstruct.  If we ask the questions how many sounds does a word have, the color code makes it easy.

• fustanella  - 9 Sounds
• dysautonomia – 11 Sounds
• phytoplankter – 12 Sounds

As mentioned before, the participants would then have to reconstruct the sounds based on the appropriate spellings.  Herein lies the challenge, the schwa sound for example has 23 different spellings – this requires the participant to know which one to use.

Our Words in Color program is designed specifically to help students to master reading, writing and spelling.  You can take a look at all the spellings in American English organized by sound and color on our Fidel Phonic Code – can you find the schwa?.  (Note: once you are on the page, simply click on the image to view a larger size.)

We will be posting some of the winning words in an upcoming blog post.

Tags: English, Fidel, How to win National Spelling Bee, How to win Spelling Bee, National Spelling Bee, National Spelling Bee Tips, Spelling Bee Tips, Words in Color
Category Words In Color Blog | 1 Comment » | Malcolm

New Educational Solutions Products Available

We are continuing to add new items to our store.   Some of the new items include:

Leocolor Books (Spanish Words in Color)

• Leocolor – Libro 1
• Leocolor – Libro 2
• Leocolor – Narraciones Breves
• Leocolor – Ocho Cuentos
• Leocolor – Para la enseñanza de la lectura

The Silent Way (Foreign Language)

• Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools The Silent Way
• The Silent Way – A Thousand Sentences
• The Silent Way – Eight Tales
• The Silent Way – Short Passages
• The Silent Way – The Common Sense of Teaching Foreign Languages
• The Silent Way Algebricks
• The Silent Way American English Fidel Large (42cmx60cm)
• The Silent Way American English Large Set (42cmx60cm)
• The Silent Way American English Mini Set (20cmx14cm)
• The Silent Way American English Small Set
• The Silent Way American English Sound-Color Chart (42cmx60cm)

Visible and Tangible Mathematics

• The Science of Education Part 2B: Awareness of Mathematization
• Visible and Tangible Mathematics Algebricks Large Box
• Visible and Tangible Mathematics Algebricks Small Box

Click on the individual products above, or Click Here to view all our products.

Tags: Leocolor, The Silent Way, Visible and Tangible Math, Words in Color
Category Gattegno Math, The Silent Way | No Comments » | Malcolm

Barnaby – Teaching Reading to a Dyslexic Boy

As a part of Exceptional Children’s Week, we are releasing “Barnaby” an anecdotal story about how a teacher using Words in Color was able to teach a dyslexic boy how to read.

Written by Sister Mary Leonore Murphy, the book is very easy to go through and worthwhile for parents and teachers of children with special needs.

“Barnaby” is on sale for $9.99 at our online store. We have a very limited supply of these classic books (originally printed in 1968), so once they are gone, they are gone.

Description:

“Barnaby is diagnosed with dyslexia.  He is nearly ten years old and he cannot read,” said our school inspector to me one day towards the end of June. “He has been attending the X Clinic since early last year. The speech therapy program he is receiving there is splendid but he needs a course of remedial reading.” Then he challenged me, “Do you think that you could teach him to read using the Words in Color method?”

Barnaby’s case is more than one child learning to read when every investigator of his case had concluded that he might never. The book will be perhaps an eye-opener for all teachers who will read it. It tells that they must be less quick at putting all the blame on the learner who fails to learn. Because there is so much we miss about learners with the ordinary tools of testing centered on teaching, we should be more guarded.

Tags: Barnaby, books, dyslexia, Words in Color
Category Words In Color Blog | No Comments » | Malcolm

Words in Color will be Exhibiting at the International Reading Association Convention

The 55th International Reading Association (IRA) Convention will be held this year in Chicago Ill from April 25-28th, 2010.  Educational Solutions will be proudly exhibiting our Words in Color literacy program there.

The IRA is the leading reading association in the world with over 90,000 members.  We look forward to interacting with the over 10,000 teachers, principals and reading specialists that will be attending the convention.

If you are attending the convention we would like to meet you…we will be in booth #746

Tags: IRA, literacy education, Words in Color
Category Re-inventing Education Blog, Words In Color Blog | No Comments » | Malcolm

Words in Color Hits the Road

Educational Solutions has started the trade show season. Here are a couple of pictures from our first trade show of the year: Celebration of Teaching & Learning 2010 in New York City. We’ll keep you posted on more events in the U.S.A. and Canada. Look for our colorful booth!

The Words in Color booth

Tags: conference, Words in Color
Category Re-inventing Education Blog, Teachers Education Blog | No Comments » | Amy

Visit to the Bronx School – Day 3

My first class this morning was grade 3’s working on equivalent fractions.  When I arrived the students had just picked up their personal boxes of rods and were starting to build individually, their patterns for 12, 16 and 20,  using only trains of the same colour.   On the board the teacher makes the patterns for 12 and 16 using the magnetic rods.

Students were able to look at a pattern and hold up the rod that shows 1/3^rd in the 12 pattern (purple),   or with the 16 pattern –  2/4 is 2 purples.   They could separate the rods that showed ¾ and tell us  equivalent fractions such as  6/8  and 12/16.

With more and more equivalent fraction challenges the kids got more and more excited to provide their mostly correct answers!

Next it was time for the “Math Challenge!”

(1/3 x 12) + (2/4 x 16 ) + (1/4 x 12)  = ______

The teacher asked for the  strategy to get the answer.  Four different kids give their strategy, which mostly involves getting the answer from the twelve pattern for the first part of the equation (1/3 x 12) and so on.  The excitement builds as the kids want to say the answer.  Finally they get to say the answer!

Another challenge :  (½ x 8 ) + (2/4 x 20) + (4/8 x 16) = ______

and then another   (2/3 x 9 )+ (¼ x 8 ) + (1/3 x 6) each time many students could describe a correct strategy and then provide the answer.  They seemed to be having more and more fun with each challenge.  A few of the kids had trouble, but most seemed comfortable with the math.

As I sat there and watched the attention, the high level of engagement, and the building excitement and enthusiasm of the students in the lesson,  I was thinking,  this is what should be happening in all classes. This is the way learning should take place.  It was very impressive to see how much they enjoyed it!  Event the teacher was enjoying the lesson! I  noticed she was smiling, even as she tried to get some of the students to contain their excitement to give the answer.  It is a smile I have felt on too few occasions in the classroom.

After a visit to another grade 1 class doing math and multiples, I sat in on another seminar by Dr. Bruce Ballard on Words in Color with a kindergarten and grade 1 teacher who had some questions on using the charts with their class.  Participating with them in the process of how to teach vowel sounds that go with the “r” sound gave me some more valuable experience in seeing how useful the charts can be.  The amount of support and professional development available at the school is far beyond what is available at most schools.  In two short visits with Dr. Ballard, I learned some of the basic ways the charts can be used in the classroom.

Tags: Bronx School for Better Learning, math, Visible and Tangible Math, Words in Color
Category Gattegno Math | 1 Comment » | Mike Hofer

Visit to the Bronx School – Day 1

I have been tutoring grade 4 math for three months, using Cuisenaire rods and working from a few of Gattegno’s math books attempting to teach in a way that is fun, challenging and promoting a deeper understanding of math.  It has been frustrating at times, I believe due to my inexperience teaching math, using the rods, and trying to use a new teaching approach all at the same time. I felt it was time to get some more experience and ideas on how to use the “subordination of teaching to learning” method.

I also know that if I someday use Words in Color and the language charts I should see how they are used in a real classroom!   So what better place to go to fulfill these needs than the pre-eminent school in North America fully dedicated to using Gattegno’s approach, The Bronx School for Better Learning.

This blog will document briefly some of the experiences and learning I had there.  Out of the many different activities I observe each day I will highlight the ones that apply most to the teaching approach and tools of Gattegno.

Monday Jan 25^th

I arrived on Monday morning just as classes were starting.  I was invited to sit in on a grade 1 class.  When I arrived they were working with shapes and blocks at group tables – a sort of free play with blocks and other shapes– and obviously busy and having fun with the task.  After some time the teacher asks them to come over to the carpet area and sit quietly.  Once they are settled and quiet he asks each in turn what they did with the materials they were using. Some made patterns, stairs,  many made spinners, one girl described building a castle to protect the King and Queen.  I noticed that they were very attentive to the teacher and each other during this time.  They wanted a turn to say what they did and hear what the others did also.

The Spanish teacher arrived to give a 30-minute lesson to the Grade 1’s using the Spanish charts.  The teacher used the Fidel to help the class say some of the vowel sounds and other word charts for numbers.  The kids were very excited to be using their Spanish words and often shouted out answers and repeated their answers several times. While the class was working on some Spanish numbers, one group of kids started using their knowledge of Korean numbers and started a discussion on that!  While it was all a little less “orderly” than some lessons, the level of interest and engagement of the students was very high and many were working hard to learn to say the words well.

During two visits to grade 1 classrooms to see English language arts lessons, I observed students who knew the color rectangle chart very well.  From the teacher’s silent direction of pointing to a sequence of colors, they were able to say the words.  The lesson was handled on an orderly way; each time the teacher pointed to a sequence, many hands went up, all excited to tell their answer.  Next, some students came up to point to the colors to show the word they wanted the class to know.  The teacher did not tell the student they were right or wrong but asked the class for a vote.  This seems like a clever way to delegate responsibility onto the class for deciding on correct answers.  It was very energizing to see the teacher and students using the charts so comfortably!

At the end of the day I was fortunate to participate in  a seminar for new teachers on using the language charts.  Two teachers, new to the school, had some questions and concerns about how to use the charts effectively.  They suggested the charts were difficult and possibly confusing to use with some students.  One question asked was about the order of the words on the charts and the order of the charts themselves.  There was also some concern about the order of letters on the Fidel.  Rather than addressing these concerns directly, the seminar leader simply led them through the approach that they could use with the materials.  He started with the “quay” (pronounced key) and led us through the steps of how to say it correctly, then showed us using a table and wall what it a “quay” was.  We also worked on how to pronounce “blackguard” using the Fidel.  The point I believe, is that the colors help them through the process of how to say some words.  They can then be asked to use the words in sentences to show meaning, and so on.  The colors (the Fidel) help them solve the problem or the challenge of learning English.

We then worked on using the Fidel to say the sounds, sliding our arm/pointer down the column of different spellings for the same sound as we did so.  The leader of course did not once tell us how to say any words or sounds correctly.  He did not “model” the sounds!

This was only the second time I had seen how the charts could be used to advance vocabulary with correct pronunciation. Although I came to this seminar just to observe, I found myself eagerly particpating in the learing process.  At the end, we all had a more clear idea of how use the charts and a better sense of their rational organization.

Looking forward to the next day!…….

Tags: Bronx School for Better Learning, caleb gattegno, deeper understanding, math, math tutoring, tutoring, Visible and Tangible Math, Words in Color
Category Gattegno Math, Re-inventing Education Blog, Teachers Education Blog, The Silent Way, Words In Color Blog | No Comments » | Mike Hofer