Dyslexia: Multisensory Spelling Strategies

A very interesting article by Karina Richland, M.A., E.T.

Studies from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development have shown that for children with difficulties learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective way for these students to learn.

Multisensory teaching means the teacher must tap into all learning modalities – see it (visual), feel it (tactile), hear it (auditory) and move with it (kinesthetic). Here are a few suggestions on how to make spelling lessons fun, creative and engaging.

• Trace words with a pencil or pen while spelling the word. Then trace with an eraser. Get up and do 5 jumping jacks. Now write the word and check for accuracy.

• Write the words by syllables in different colored markers.

• Pair up with another student and write words on each other’s back with a finger. Have the partner guess what the word is.

• While sitting on a carpet, write down each word directly onto the carpet with two fingers.

• Trace over each word at least three different times in different color crayons so that the words look like rainbows.

• Pair up with another student and take turns jumping rope while spelling the words out loud.

• Clap your hands to each letter as you spell the words out loud.

• Type each of the words in 5 different fonts, colors, and sizes.

• Bounce a ball to each letter in the word.

• Practice writing the words with neon gel pens on black paper.

• Write the words on individual chalkboards using colored chalk.

• Finger-paint the words using frosting on wax paper or paper plates.

• Spell the words using alphabet manipulatives such as magnetic letters or letter tiles.

For more information check out Karina's website www.pridelearningcenter.com