The Spelling Detective Project - A Year 2 Explicit Instruction Spelling Intervention

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Teaching spelling is controversial because classroom approaches vary, and teachers may rely on visual strategies, theme-based word selection, or student choice instead of explicit instruction in the phono-morphological structures of words. A nine-week spelling intervention using these structures and contextualised sentence dictation was designed for Year 2 students in a NSW mainstream school, supporting learners including those with learning difficulties and EALD backgrounds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The School Context

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 3 | Article 5 | | --- | --- | | 2020
The Spelling Detective Project: A Year 2 Explicit Instruction Spelling Intervention
Sally Robinson-Kooi
Edith Cowan University, [info@eslconsultantau.com](info@eslconsultantau.com)
Lorraine Hammond
Edith Cowan University, [l.hammond@ecu.edu.au](l.hammond@ecu.edu.au)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons | | Recommended Citation Robinson-Kooi, S., & Hammond, L. (2020) . The Spelling Detective Project: A Year 2 Explicit Instruction Spelling Intervention. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(3) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n3.5](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n3.5) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss3/5](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss3/5) The Spelling Detective Project: A Year 2 Explicit Instruction Spelling Intervention Sally Robinson-Kooi Lorraine Hammond Edith Cowan University Abstract. Teaching spelling is controversial because teaching approaches vary considerably in the contemporary classroom. Teachers may privilege visual over linguistic strategies, select words based around themes or let students choose spelling words, rather than focus on the explicit teaching ofphono-morphological structures of words. A nine-week intervention spelling project that included the phono-morphological structure ofwords and contextualised sentence dictation was designed to support Year 2 students in a NSW school and is described here. The intervention aimed to support all students including those with learning difficulties and an English as an Additional Language (EALD) background, within a mainstream setting. The high-impact instruction was cumulative in design; it provided simple to more difficult target spellings; massed practice during instruction; distributed practice during generalisation; editing and dictation tasks; and continuous formative and summative assessment. Post-sentence dictation results showed that the students who received the intervention had improvements with modest to strong effect sizes. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to describe and justify a spelling intervention for primary aged students. Lack of fluent spelling can affect the development of reading and writing competence, leading to long-term personal and social issues (Graham & Perin, 2007; Joshi, Treiman, Carreker, & Moats, 2008; Schlagal, 2013) . In addition, correct spelling is greatly valued by society (Moats, 2006). The potential seriousness of poor spelling outcomes is stated in the NAPLAN Standards Results and Reports (ACARA, 2018) . ACARA notes that those students performing at Band 2, the national minimum standard, are likely to require additional assistance in order to reach their potential. Those students “who are below the national minimum standard have not achieved the learning outcomes expected for their year level. They are at risk of being unable to progress satisfactorily at school without targeted intervention”(ACARA, 2018, para. 5) . Learning to spell is a linguistic undertaking (Joshi et al., 2008), not just a rote task of memorising letters and words (Moats, 2010).“It requires students to develop the knowledge about oral sounds and written patterns in language”(Joshi et al., 2008, p. 7) and to develop knowledge about the alphabetic principle and combinations ofthe 26 letters. Spelling researchers (Henry, 2010; Joshi et al., 2008; Moats, 2010; Treiman, 2017, 2018; Westwood, 2018) propose that students of all ability levels need a program of well-sequenced linguistic spelling instruction based on a word level spelling development progression. Such a progression is seen as vital, with

FAQs

Why is spelling instruction described as controversial in the study?

Spelling instruction is presented as controversial because approaches differ widely in contemporary classrooms, and many teachers may not prioritise explicit teaching of phono-morphological structures.

What did the nine-week intervention include?

The intervention combined explicit instruction in phono-morphological structures with contextualised sentence dictation and structured practice, alongside continuous formative and summative assessment.

Who was the intervention designed to support?

It was designed for Year 2 students in a NSW mainstream setting, with support intended for all students, including those with learning difficulties and students with an English as an Additional Language (EALD) background.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy