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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to promote spelling with imagery as a method for improving the teaching of spelling in schools. [191360] Mr. Stephen Twigg: Developing good literacy skills, including the ability to spell with accuracy and confidence, is crucial to raising standards in English and other subjects, and for equipping pupils with the skills and knowledge they need for life beyond school. The National Literacy Strategy's Framework for Teaching sets out detailed guidelines for what pupils should be taught in each year of primary school, including key principles and activities for the teaching and learning of spelling appropriate to individual year groups. The Framework supports a balanced approach to teaching spelling which includes both the development of phonological awareness as well as the use of visual skills to support pupils in their learning. The use of visual skills might include recognising common letter strings and checking critical features of the word in terms of shape and length. Through the Primary Strategy schools can access a wealth of materials to support the teaching of literacy. For example the Planning Exemplification and Spelling programme for years 2 and 3 provides teachers with a range of structured activities to support pupils' spelling. These include a variety of highly visual activities such as labelling pictures and diagrams or "spotting the difference" between pairs of similar words.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c631-2W; 191360

Session

2003-04

Subjects

English language Teaching methods

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk