The Magic of Reading: Inventive Spelling

cn you reed this?

A few weeks ago, I shared some thoughts on preserving the magic of reading while understanding the science of reading. One thing that helps maintain that magic is invented spelling. I mean, come on. I love it when a four-year-old delivers a handwritten note addressed to “Mawgret.” Is there anything sweeter? There is magic in expressing your thoughts to someone else through writing. It’s almost like mind-reading! As adults, we probably don’t think of this as very magical. Many of us mainly communicate through writing these days, whether it’s texting or emailing. We are communicating through writing right now! Hi! But for a young child to dive into their consciousness and share their thoughts through writing? That’s absolute magic.

And guess what? It’s science, too! Reading research shows that invented spelling is a developmental phase of spelling. It’s a crucial phase. When a child uses invented spelling, they must first break a word into its sounds, using essential phonological awareness skills. Then, they must retrieve information about the alphabetic principle to represent those sounds visually through letters.

Reading is magic, and there is room for discovery in a framework that implements the science of reading. In one study on the impact of invented spelling on early reading, discovery was an essential part of spelling development. Children discover distinctions between drawings and writing as they grow in their experience with written language. These discoveries culminate in invented spelling (Martins, et al. 2013).

Here is what reading researcher David Kilpatrick says about spelling in his book Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties:

“Spelling, including inventive spelling, is an excellent way to instruct and reinforce letter-sound knowledge and phoneme awareness and to establish secure orthographic representations (i.e., sight words).”

Inventive spelling and spelling as a pathway to reading are embedded in the Montessori approach to literacy.

I wonder if traditional educators brush off the Montessori approach to literacy as being too whimsical when it is structured by nature and has research-proven strategies, like teaching reading through spelling, built in. I also wonder if Montessori’s concept of “auto-education” has been misunderstood. The most current reading research tells us that reading is not natural, and children need explicit instruction to become skilled readers. A child’s absorbent mind will not help them learn to read spontaneously. So, how can direct reading instruction and Montessori’s ideas of exploration and auto-education align? Do we chuck everything we learned in Montessori teacher training and supplement our language curriculum with traditional materials and practices?

Here is where the science meets the magic. Explicit instruction fuels discovery. Children can make discoveries when we give direct instruction on phonological awareness and the alphabetic principle. Invented spelling is a critical developmental phase of spelling, a key component of skilled reading, but children can only benefit from invented spelling when it follows direct, explicit instruction in phonological awareness and the alphabetic principle. In the Montessori approach to literacy, we use games like The Sound Game (also known as I Spy) to give explicit instruction on phonological awareness. In A Path for the Exploration of Any Language Leading to Reading and Writing, Muriel Dwyer, a beloved Montessori teacher-trainer who met Maria in 1957, lays out instructions for helping children isolate the beginning, ending, and middle sounds in words, emphasizing the importance of phonological skills BEFORE children are introduced to the Sandpaper Letters. Reading researchers today confirm the importance of phonological awareness to skilled reading. But it’s been embedded in high-fidelity Montessori practices for nearly a century, even as traditional educators jumped on the whole language bandwagon and left phonics behind.

“This is education, understood as a help to life; an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution and unites all in a common aim, attracting them as to a single centre.” Dr. Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, pg. 15

Every aspect of Montessori education, including the Montessori approach to literacy, supports the whole child's development, acting as "a help to life." This includes inventive spelling! Did you know that spelling develops in predictable phases? Reading researcher Louisa Cook Moats describes these phases in her book Speech to Print (which I think I will do a whole newsletter issue on because it's so good!). The third phase of spelling development is the later alphabetic phase. During this phase, "children render detailed phonetic spellings of unknown words and try to sound out words if the strategy is encouraged." (Moats, 2020, pg. 17). In her writings on Montessori language materials, specifically the Movable Alphabet, Dr. Montessori outlined how important phonetic spelling with the Movable Alphabet is when it comes to reading. “Once the interest is aroused, and the principle of the alphabet (that each sound can be represented by a sign) has come into contact with the inner deposit of spoken language, a kind of spontaneous procedure is liable to follow, which promotes progress in the teaching of the written word.” (Montessori, 1949, pg. 252). Look at our girl Maria referring to alphabetic principle way back in the 1940s. She observed that explicit instruction on phonological awareness and the alphabetic principle supported the child’s development, and she designed materials and practices for the task.

What does this mean for us as educators and caregivers? It means, for now, accepting all the misspellings with joy. It means bringing attention to the sounds in words. Parents and caregivers, it means giving your child a pen and piece of paper and accepting the scribbles as a grocery list. Early childhood educators, it means encouraging your young students to express their thoughts through writing and rejoicing every time they share that magic with you. It means growing in our understanding of development, and using materials and activities in a way that supports development. The magic of Montessori is following the child and supporting their development along the way, even in our approach to literacy.

Thanks so much for reading. It really means a lot and I hope it’s been helpful. If you aren’t subscribed, consider subscribing!

References:

Dwyer, Muriel. (2004). A Path for the Exploration of Any Language Leading to Writing and Reading. North American Montessori Teachers’ Association.

Martins, Margarida & Albuquerque, Ana & Salvador, Liliana & Silva, Cristina. (2013). The Impact of Invented Spelling on Early Spelling and Reading. Journal of Writing Research. 5. 215-237. 10.17239/jowr-2013.05.02.3.

Moats, L. (2020). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers, Third Edition. Paul H. Brooks Publishing Co.

Montessori, M. (1949). The Discovery of the Child, Kalakshetra Press.