Spelling Ability to Improve English Skills of Children

Retno Imaningsih
Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta
retnoimha@gmail.com

Abstract
This research is focused on spelling ability of children. Some children have an
unique method to describe or imagine something in English, they already know
about visual appereance of one thing but some of them made a mistake about the
written. Spelling can help the children to increase their ability of English skill,
especially their writing skill. This research show about interactive learning or
media which can help the children by some pictures, fill in the blank and missing
word. There was a pre-test and post-test who followed by one participant who
hasn’t get English Subject in her school. The result illustrated that Spelling
Ability with interactive learning can help the participant to memorize 70 words
from 90 words in month. It is very possible to get a great wriitten too.

Keywords: spelling ability, English skill, interactive learning

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

English as Foreign Language has some difficulity skill for children. In this
research, the main point is Spelling Ability. Many children have a problem with
this one. Some children are understand of onething in English but in a fact they
haven’t already know how to spell it and how to write it well.
Children have a strength memorize to input word or sentences. At school
some children have been introduce about spelling skill but they didn’t really apply
it. This research may show you about process of spelling, method of spelling, and
all about spelling. An interactive learning or method are necessary to improve
their spelling ability. Interactive learning can help the children to improve their
spelling skill, because most of children are interesting with visual method. Some
previous research about spelling show that spelling skill needed long process,
there are many method to improve it. So, this research will help you to find which
one the effectiveness method to improve spelling ability.

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 Teacher, parents, and children are one team. This research show you that
three component of learning can lead and help each other to find a better way
about spelling. Teacher and parents have own responsibility to control children
and know how long their children can take the material or method in their learning
process, especially for spelling process.

CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH METHOD

2.1 Subject
This research focused at one participant, She is Fadia Almira
Shidqiyyah. She is 6 years old. She study at Aba Nur’aini
Kindergarten- Ngampilan Yogyakarta. She hasn’t learning English at
school. She is an attractive child and very interesting with something
new. Although she hasn’t learning english, she already know about the
alphabet and number in English by television or some English song.

2.2 Materials
a. Pre-test
The subject had the paper, there are some pictures and interesting
colour, with the other hand are name of thing or pictures. The
subject will matching the pictures with the word. This pre-test will
help the teacher to know how much words that their children has
been know well. Examples:

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b. Post-test
The subject will write down the english and spell it with correctly.
There are some pictures and missing word would it be helping the
children through this post-test. Teacher will check each letters of
alphabet and the children would to spell it.
Examples:

c. Procedure
This research will be held at month, the subject will be given 2-3
words each day, and the teacher will give the spelling correctly by
memorize of alphabet in English. For a week, the children will be

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 check by the teacher about what and how to spell the word with
correctly. And after all the procedure, in a month the children can
memorize the word by spelling and can write down the word with
correctly. After all this procedure the writer expected that children
will familiar about an English of something and can write it too.
2.3 Instructional Timeline

Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session 5

Explain about theory, Treatment three Test and checking Treatment three Test and checking
and give a pre-test 10 words each day in about words have been words each day in about words have
words first week. Its memorize in first week second week. Its been memorize in
Activities: about animal. Activities: about colors and second week
Subject matching the Activities: Teacher mention about number. Activities:
words with the Spelling and trial the word and subject Activities: Teacher mention
picture. about writing, must spell and try to Spelling and trial about the word and
listening sounds write it. about writing, subject must spell
about alphabet. listening sounds and try to write it.
about alphabet.

Session 6 Session 7 Session 8 Session 9 Session 10

Treatment three Test and checking Treatment three words Remembering Final test
words each day in about words have each day in last week. about material in Activities:
third week. Its about been memorize in Its about clothes first,second,third, Subject must
thing around her third week example: and last week. answer about the
example: Activities: skirt,shock,shoes,etc. Activities: question and spell it
table,chair,bike ,etc. Teacher mention Activities: Subject can ask with correctly.
Activities: about the word and Spelling and trial about all of the
Spelling and trial subject must spell about writing, listening material because
about writing, and try to write it. sounds about alphabet. the final test.
listening sounds
about alphabet.
CHAPTER 3 DISCUSSION

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 3.1 Spelling Ability
Have you ever imagine how with only the 26 letters of the alphabet can turn
to thousand words? It’s magic! (Rhonda Jenskins, 1986). Yes, spelling is like a
magic. Many people assume that the important thing to learn English is how to be
a great speakers. If children can fluently spoke English its mean he can English
well. But in a fact some children had a mistake about their writing. For example:
children know about the english of “sendok” is “spoon” they can speak it with
correctly but in writing their may had a mistake about it. So, Spelling is same
important with speaking to have learn in a class. Spelling has a long process, it is
take a long time and must be sequencely to learning about it. For this process,
spelling have step by step to lead you how can spell with correctly. According to
Mandi M. Johnson there are 5 step to learn about spelling:
Step 1 : Look at the word
Step 2 : Say the word
Step 3 : Listen to the sounds
Step 4 : Write the word
Step 5 : Check the spelling
All of the step its show you that spelling is begin by simple one, spelling
needed process and habitually. Spelling is important to learn by children because
children needed to know about the basic one. Its can help children to improve the
other skill of English (reading,writing,speaking,and listening).
The first step show you we must look the word with correctly, What is the
alphabet on the word. And scecond step you must say the word, say each letters
and then say all of the word. The third is listen to the sounds, in this step teacher
must active to practice about the sound of word and maybe teacher will give you
sound of the word by a record. Step number four, you must learn to write the word
with correctly. Each letters of alphabet and then you must try it all of the word.
The last step is checking the spelling, in this step teacher will lead you how the
correct spelling and how your write it is, this sptep is very important to know how
about your spelling actually.

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 In this research subject have done a pre-test and post-test. When process of
spelling, Subject found a difficulty spell about vocal alphabet (a,i,u,e,o). In this
section teacher must pay attention because vocal alphabet have a unique sounds.
It’s so different with Indonesia spelling. Subject can fluently spell about vocal
alphabet after had three trial in same questions. So, spelling ability need a process
and more practice.

3.2 Spelling and Writing

Spelling and writing has close corelations. When children have great
spelling, automatically he know how to write it. In this research, the writer make a
post-test and pre-test like an examination. Writing is more help children to find
out what are they learn about (Judy Turner, 1986). This research give children
intructions to spelling and writing at the same time. When the mouth produce the
words, the brain are works to memorize what are children spell about. And then
children have been training about the writing.
In this section children and teacher must be a good team, because spelling
and writing is effective to learn in class. Teacher can make a material to improve
spelling and writing skill , and then children can explore their oppinion about it.
Children have a golden ages, its about 1-7 years old. In this ages children can
explore anything by their own thinking. They can imagine how its look like some
word or imagine what it is about. For example: when teacher say “apple” maybe
children not understand about the writing, so teacher lead children to imagine that
apple is red and it is favourite fruit. By the process, children make a discussion
with teacher to imagine what it is look like. Children will happy and write the
word by imagine the picture, it is very effective to improve their writing skill by
spelling one by one letters of alphabet.
This research show that subject learn about something new. It is about new
vocabulary or something around children. Subject felt comfortable about the
question because subject can write and spell with the picture beside her.
Difficullties of this section are when subject found about douuble alphabet in one
word for example glass, subject usually write glas without double s. And the other

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words is “mountain” subject know as well that the picture is mountain. But, to
write down the letters with correctly is needed more than one trial. Writing and
spelling are interesting section and teacher must becareful about what had their
children write about.

3.3 Interactive Methdod

This section will show you about interactive method to help learn spelling ability.
Interactive method will help children to increase their imagination or way of their
thinking. Children have a different method to get the best way to learn something.
Here are some method learn about spelling.
a. Visual Method
This method usually used by 1-7 years old. This method show children
about spelling by pictures or colors of something. The writer used 90%
of this method. Because children most learn something by visual
method. Teacher and parents can manage their children to know about
the pictures or colors step by step and then create them to fun learning
about something. Heather Fehring told that visual method have 4 step
that can help children to create interactive learning it is LOOK-
COVER-WRITE-CHECK. For example : scramble word, matching
picture, and etc. In this research the writer focused on matching
pictures and writing the words, the subject have their correct writing
after get morethan one trial especially about “thing around them” for
example : bike, mountain,window.
b. Sounds Method
This Method can used by every element of children. This method is
needed to process. It is needed of sound or record by song or spell the
word (letters of alphabet) or sound of material. This method must
manage with correctly. It is needed a special time, Children must to
listen record or song with sequencely. When children practice more
and more about what their had listen its can help children to improve
their English skill. Children will familiar about verb or vocabulary

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 about English, automatically their spelling or their listening will be
increase. This research used this method by alphabhet songs, subject
listen up that songs while writing the word.
c. Make an Active Situations
This method needed a team work by parents, teachers, and children.
An active situasions can held only when three elements of learning
being a good team. In this method may apply visual method and sound
method. Parents take their job in this method to lead children practice a
lot about what and how they learn at school. Parents must asking what
happened to their children and control about their spelling by checking
their spell word by word or checking their memorize. And teacher,
must be a good listener and good partner to lead children through their
spelling process. Teacher has important works to know about their
children and what had been learn. It is spelling or just memorize
something new.

CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSSION
Spelling ability is important to improve English skill of children especially
writing skill. Subject can improve her English skill with spelling who through at
month. Subject can remember about the pictures and write about the word
correctly. Although needed a time, subject was success to know about word and
how to spell it. This material is very basic to learn English, subject can explore
her own imagination about a thing around her and she could add her vocabulary in
English. At month subject can remember 70 words from 90 words in post-test.
Children interesting with something new or material which can lead to their
imagination. Visual method is one of the best way to create interactive learning at
class. Limitation of this research is about how to manage situation of learning
process and applying method. Suggestion and any advice is very important to this
research. The writer do hope that this research will give positive impact for further
research and reader.

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References

Brown, D. (2007). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. USA: Person

Education.

Jenkins, R. (1986). Spelling Is For Ever. Australia: Australian Reading

Association.

Johnson, M. M. (2013). The Relationship Between Spelling Ability and Reading

Fluency and Comprehension in Elementary Students. Arts of Education,
12-14.

Leguizamon, M. C. (2010). Improving Spelling Skils in Kindergarteners Through

Jclics Activities. Autonomous Learning Environments, 27-32.

Turner, J. (1986). Teaching Children Spelling Through Their Writing. Australia:

Australian Reading Association.