AIBU to get upset about spelling bee for reception

[Jaynenotjane]

Local school has a spelling bee competition coming up. My gripe is it is across school including reception. Up to this point Ds has been learning phonics and does not know the letter names only the sounds and diagraphs and the like. Suddenly they are expected to spell verbally with single letters words such as 'into' 'children' to name a few. I asked Ds how to spell children he said 'ch' 'ill' 'd' ren' phonetically correct and as he has been taught to this point. I am so cross and upset that this is happening, for the September born children who were are streaks ahead I'm sure can spell these words but not for summer born. Why can't they just go and play. Why put the class through this.

I think the point of an early phonics approach is to get children reading quickly. The amount of reading a child does correlates with how well the can spell, but obviously the spelling takes time to develop and phonics isn't an alternative to teaching spellings.

My DD has gone from not being able to read to really being able to read quite well in about 9 months. I appreciate that isn't the experience of every child, but watching her read, you can see that her reading is underpinned by very strong phonics.

She won't be spelling 'cake' as 'cayc' forever, but she is able to read cake. That is a good start.

Phonics = the most ridiculous way to teach. My niece comes home with all this cayc stupidity. My DS School has decided to be sensible and teach the children properly. It's incredible to see the difference in the two of them and all their friends. His school are leaps and bounds above hers.

I'm in Australia and my DD has been in reception for two terms. No phonics here thank goodness. She couldn't spell those words out loud by could write them down.

She has had 12-15 "golden words" to learn each week, for the last two terms, which are the words most commonly used in reading.

If you know the words already could you prep him? I know that's not the point of the competition, but if you are so against it, can't you help him to get ready for it?

Whatever sort of competition a school arranges, immediately there is a flood of parents claiming exemption for their child: summer born, dyslexic, late starter, whatever.Just give it a go; you may well be surprised.

This. It's a pretty safe bet that the teachers actually have some intelligence and will be making it a fun experience for young children of all abilities.

I am just admitting that I don't really 'get' phonics.

think your kids lucky they aren't being taught the Initial Teaching Alphabet like we did:

This translates as: "The ice angel gave the owl a ring"

DS has his birthday in the autumn term. He wouldn't be ready for a spelling competition yet. His birthday is irrelevant, it's just him as an individual with his interests and abilities. With reading he seems to be following his usual learning style of doing it in his own time then a sudden catch up. Like his speech where he's been delayed in using the "simple" abstract high frequency, grammatical words but absorbs more complex language more easily

I think the birthdays argument is a red herring. It sounds a bit premature for a spelling competition, but it might be to involve the children in that culture from the start.

The current culture of education is about demonstating progress, so a low starting point is handy for converting children into data that looks good.

Or instead the whole school could have a fun day taking part in a "competition" whilst reception class sit out because OP doesn't think they're ready yet.

I'm pretty sure the teachers will know they won't be able to spell all the words, but where is the harm in them joining in and feeling grown up because they're doing the same thing as the older kids? My reception aged daughter is having sports day with KS1 and is super excited because the big boys and girls will be running with her.

Not meaning to be rude here but have you actually spoken to the teachers to find out what is expected?

I would assume from my days teaching that they will have different criteria and will split into into age groups so the Reception class will almost certainly only be expected to spell using the phonetic groupings they have been learning rather than a b c iyswim.

If, on the day, it is an exercise in ritual humiliation then you could have cause for complaint. However, it sounds like something the teachers could make into a fun and different way to learn spellings. Nobody will be expecting the reception children to equal or better the yr1, 2, 3 etc children so in that respect it is an equal playing field, all the children have been in reception for as long as each other. Presumably the words will be ones they've covered in class or use frequently.

Fwiw, my summer born 3 about to turn 4 Year old could verbally spell those words, so I don't think birthdays come into it. Just like with sports, maths, arts, there will be some children who excel. We shouldn't avoid any competition in order to protect those who don't, instead use it as a life lesson in enjoying celebrating the successes of others and enjoying taking part!

I don't know any school that teaches incorrect spellings just because they're phonetically accurate. They teach the different sounds that groups of letters make and as there are a few variables, yes, children may initially get confused.

So, one day the teacher might focus on 'ay' words - ay, day, play, stay etc. When a child learns that they may think the spelling of cake is cayc. But a teacher would not actually teach them that cayc is the correct spelling. They'll learn soon that there is also an a_e spelling of the sound.

How lovely to see some ITA...brings back happy memories.
Unless the teachers have proven themselves to be cruel and incompetent, I'd trust them to make the spelling bee fun and accessible for all the children.

Wondering if all these people who think phonics is crap would like to share their wonderful knowledge about how early reading and writing should be taught as they clearly know better than all the education experts and teachers.

Did we do phonics in the 70s? I don't remember learning them at all.

Yes Mscolouring My poor dh back in the 60s was taught Look and Say and it couldnt read until he was 10 and a tutor was bought in to teach him phonics, that he learnt to read properly.

FWIW my dyslexic DS could always spell verbally, but it was getting it down on paper that was a problem.He would probably have done okay in a spelling bee.

Did we do phonics in the 70s? I don't remember learning them at all.

Yes, but it was known as "sounding it out" and other similar things, it simply wasn't labelled as Phonics.

msc plenty of early years teachers and education exerts denounce phonics. It isn't the only way to teach a child to read, and can be used alongside other methods. As a teacher, I only hear complaints about phonics from my EY colleagues.

YANBU op. Completely developmentally inappropriate activity for reception children. I am a fan of phonics though. It encourages children to have a go and be more creative in their writing. I'd sooner see children using words like 'rediculous' even if it is spelled incorrectly at first rather than just overusing words like 'bad' because they can spell them.

So it is compulsory? Did I miss the answer to that?

From your reaction I'm assuming compulsory, in which case YANBU. Or only a bit U. It's good to teach children that if they do their best, you will be ever so proud of them. Not to worry if some get muddled.

If it's just for those who want to enter, YABU.

My mum was a SENCO teacher for years, helped hundreds of children to learn to read from the 70's through to the 00's. She swore by using phonics to enable students to grasp the ability to read and spell. Even when it was out of fashion and 'banned' as a method of teaching children to read and write she refused and used it alongside the visual recognition methods.

She worked in a large primary with nearly 25% of the students had some form of Learning difficulty, rarely failed her students.

Really scary dinosaurs? Because I have been teaching for 15 years and rarely find a teacher who doesn't see a place for phonics. You get the occasional child who it doesn't work for but for most it does.

Teaching phonics is a no brainer noodle. The problem is what's available now isn't, in the main, well taught phonics. Teaching rules you have to unlearn would be a good sign that it's being taught badly.

I'm intrigued as to what phonics teaching involves spelling cayc though. It's not something I've ever seen.

How lovely to see some ITA...brings back happy memories.

Happy? It was awful! I know I am going back into what looks like the dark ages now, but I remember having to sit on the "devils hand", being left handed, trying to write all those horrible scribbles with my wrong hand, meanwhile being berated at home because my spelling was wrong.

Happy memories, not for me.

Don't make your argument about summer born. Mine is mid year and advanced with spellings and phonics... But it would still be an inappropriate activity for his age/ year!

Sorry, I introduced 'cayc' into the discussion, not because it has been taught, just as an example of phonically plausible spelling that my DD has come out with.

Inevitably children are going to attempt to spell words with the phonics they have learnt and when there are multiple phonemes with different spellings such as ay, ai and a-e, they won't necessarily pick the right one. And at the point when they have only learnt one of those 3 options, they will use the one they've learnt.

Whilst the first steps in phonics don't stop these spelling errors, they give access to reading, which seems to me to be pretty crucial.