Hi Mrs Vilardi,
I was wondering if when the children are writing sentences in their word book, should we let them use inventive spelling, or assist them in writing the correct spelling of the words they need help with?
p.s. I think this is a great way to communicate I hope more parents take advantage of it!
This is a great question!
As for the sentences in the word book or any other writing, encourage your child to use inventive spelling for difficult words if needed. Inventive spelling is absolutely acceptable for difficult or unfamiliar words yet students are excepted to use conventional spelling for sight words or words that are on their portable word wall.
We want to honor the process of writing and encourage fluency yet students still need to be held accountable for words that they have been introduced to. Of course when your child is sounding out an unfamilar word encourage them to listen for word chunks that they know. You can help with this process by pointing out the word chunks such as blends (ch, sh, fl, etc.) or endings (ing, ed, etc.) or even use the language of short or long vowels. Remember, we want to encourage the children to use the knowledge that they already have to build upon their skills!
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