Spelling for Life
COURSE INFORMATION
By the end of the course you should:
- Be able to implement the full Spelling for Life course in a classroom, small group, or 1:1 setting
Welcome to Spelling for Life!
We hope you will have a wonderful time and learn a lot about teaching the structure of English spelling.
Course Format
There are five modules in this course, each containing several pages on a given topic.
Within those pages there is a theory section, a selection of videos to watch and a forum that contains a quiz, a question or a chance to interact.
Your videos
Spelling for Life has been around for a long time and has had many recordings made of the lessons within. The videos that you will see on this course are in three formats:
- Video explainers
- Recently recorded sessions with a live adult audience especially for this course
- An optional “Jim Jams” session, where, during lockdown, Lyn recorded some free live sessions in her pyjamas (Jim Jams) for kids around the world who had stopped going to school because of the COVID pandemic.
Your downloads
There are three downloadable files for you to use during the course and to keep for future reference. They are:
- Your course manual containing lesson plans and example lessons
- Your worksheet file for pre-printing and distributing to your students
- Your PowerPoint presentation file to use when doing your lessons
As time goes on, you will need the manual less and less, so we have separated the worksheets from the manual for easy reference.
There are also some magnetic tiles in many of the videos. This is the link to where you can buy them.
Books
Lyn has written three books on the subject of literacy and language, supported by online courses too. The links below will take you to each book.
Hi Lyn,
I can’t wait to complete this course. I enjoyed reading the book which provided a new outlook on spelling. Thank you!
Looking forward to hearing about your progress, Raelene!
I teach Year 5 and I eager to learn more about spelling so to improve my teaching of spelling to not only my students but to share my learning with other teachers within my school.
Welcome aboard, Melissa!
Hi, I teach in a high school and am looking for ideas to support students and teachers to improve students spelling and word understandings.
Great to have you here, Melinda. I do hope you find lots of useful material!
I teach in the vocational sector. I am keen to consolidate and build on my understanding of spelling so that I can teach it more effectively and confidently in class.
Glad you’re aboard, Nicole!
Hello, I am looking forward to learning so much. I have a student who is a very strong reader. None of the assessments our school uses for placement in Intervention would have flagged for him. He can read the HFW bur he cannot spell a majority of them. He does not retain the spellings after we have worked on them (based on what I know up to this point)
Which goes to show how different spelling and reading really are, right? If they’re in intervention for spelling, chances are they missed out on a lot of foundational knowledge AND have the sort of brain that doesn’t take to spelling well. It can be so hard for these students.
Hi, I’m Sharon Nicholls, an MSL educator/registered teacher and am looking forward to doing this course to build my knowledge to help students with spelling.
Lovely to have you here, Sharon!
Hi,
Discovered the JimJam videos while searching for a way to help the students I tutor who are just stuck on retaining spellings. Then read the book and found it super interesting and useful (I have a Kindy teaching background, so have never actually learned or needed to consider much of this content). Hoping the course will help consolidate my own understanding of spelling conventions and the best way to teach these to help my students.
I hope so too, Louise!
Hi Lyn
I am teaching Year 4. Your course came highly recommended and I enjoyed your presentation in the SoW course through LDA last year. Really looking forward to learning about the best way to teach spelling.
Great to have you here, Tessa!
Hi, my name is Laura, and I’m very excited to be learn more about the structure of the English language.
Hello,
Really looking forward to completing this course. I’m hoping to pick up some strategies about how I can improve spelling in a high school setting.
Welcome aboard, Michelle. I hope you do too!
I am looking forward to furthering my knowledge about spelling. I have read Spelling for Life and look forward to implementing the strategies in the classroom.
I do hope you’re finding many useful items here, Tricia!
Hi there. I am a primary school teacher and I teach a 3/4 composite. I want to broaden my knowledge on spelling as I feel this an area that my professional development would benefit the students. .
Great to have you on board, Kylie!
Hi. I’m a speech pathologist who works in schools and out of schools at my small business Think Play Say and I find literacy SO interesting. I have come from a sounds-write background but felt like it wasn’t fulfilling the needs of some of my older students especially. I’m also wanting to help my own kids, who despite being avid readers are struggling to be spelling stars.
Hi Christine,
Yes Sounds Write certainly does a good job at the transcription of sounds level, but the finer points of the writing system need an approach that takes in the rules. Systems operate on rules. No need to hide from them!
Hi,
I’m Leah. I want to know more to make spelling accessible to students and utilise the things that support learners- most of which I was never taught. Be “conscious” spellers- not guessers or memorisers.
Hi, I just finished Writing for Life and I liked it so much I’ve signed up for another course!
Hi there, my name is Gillian and I’m a speech pathologist in Sydney. I have quite a few older clients who are struggling with spelling so decided to do this course to learn other strategies to use in our sessions.
Hi Gillian,
Hope you find many helpful things here!
Looking forward to diving in and completing this course. I have finished the book and am reading to kick off my learning journey.
Great to have you here, Stacey!
Hi,
My name is Tasha Blechynden and I am from Perth, Western Australia. I teach Year 3 but am also on the school leadership team and the Literacy Curriculum Co-ordinator at my school. I have always been fascinated with language and have done some further study in this area when completing my Masters degree. I was recently recommended your book by a friend and I loved it! I am looking forward to completing this course and further developing my skills in the area of spelling so that I feel better equipped to effectively teach spelling to my students and also to share this knowledge with the peers I mentor. Thank you for so willingly sharing your expertise!
New Literacy Leader here for 2022 and also a Year 4 classroom teacher. New to leadership and middle/upper primary so looking to upskill.
Hi,
My name is Lauren. I’m currently on maternity leave but have most recently been teaching upper primary. Heard you on a TFE webinar and decided I needed to check this out! Looking forward to it.
How nice to have you here. Hoping you and bubs are doing well!
Hi Lyn,
Is there anywhere or any video that explains why you have your board set up the way you do? I saw the one where you expalin why the y is brought down, but you can never see what you have on the left of your board, and i’m still wondering about the eye and the pyramid on the lower right.
Cheers.
Chris.
Hi Christine,
I have a LOT of videos, as you are probably aware, but I can’t think of one where I talk about the triangle. I do, however, explain it in the Spelling for Life book P194-196. It’s about differentiating letter sound and name.
Cheers,
Lyn
Hi I am Keryn Vasta a Literacy Intervention Tutor.
Welcome, Keryn!
Hi my name is Jennifer, teaching year 5 at Elderslie Public School, currently in my 15th year of teaching. Looking forward to participating in the course.
Glad to have you here, Jennifer!
Hi Lyn,
My name is James Hislop and I am a Year 6 teacher at Elderslie Public School. I am looking forward to completing the Spelling For Life PL with you.
Looking forward to hearing how you go, James!
Hi my name is Rebecca & I am currently teaching year six at Elderslie Public School. I have been teaching for six years and I am looking forward to completing this course to improve my pedagogy.
Welcome, Rebecca!
Hi, my name is Kate Abrahams.
I am currently teaching a year 5/6 class at Elderslie Public School.
I am a beginning teacher and looking forward to participating in the course.
Hoping you find lots of useful resources here to help you on your journey, Kate!
Hi Lyn,
My name is Katrina Smith I am Stage Three teacher at Elderslie Public school and we are currently investigating Spelling in our Spirals of Inquiry sessions. I have been teaching for 18 years. I am looking forward to your online course.
Hi Katrina,
Certainly many resources in this course that benefit from an Inquiry approach. Hope you like them!
I’m Kate at Elderslie PS. I am working with the Stage 2 and Stage 3 team through the online course. I am excited for the discussion and learning.
I’m excited too, Kate! Welcome!
Looking forward to completing the modules. Have loved all your books and am looking forward learning more about how to explain the various aspects of spelling to students.
Great to have you here, Lisa and thank you for your kind words!
I teach Year 4 and have been using a different program to teach spelling for many years. Our school has had a change in approach so I am completing this course to upskill after 37 years of teaching. I am looking forward to gaining new knowledge.
That’s interesting, Mark. Will you please keep me posted of how your change in approach goes?