Tell me more about SPELL @ SPELD NSW

  • What is the main objective of SPELL @ SPELD NSW?

    SPELL @ SPELD NSW aims to improve student spelling skills through structured, explicit instruction covering phonics, morphology, and orthographic patterns to support reading and writing development. One of the key objectives of SPELL @ SPELD NSW is to provide school and teachers with a complete spelling program that is easy to use, require very little prep or planning! We provide you with the tools and resources you need to run a comprehensive and explicit spelling program! Another objective of the program is to support teacher content knowledge development. The lesson videos, the teaching tips and the scripts are design to help teachers learn some of the nuances of our spelling system but most importantly to help teachers confidently provide support and error feedback to students when they are creating texts.

  • Why should I use SPELL @ SPELD NSW?

    If you are looking for a comprehensive, structured and explicit spelling program then SPELL @ SPELD NSW is for you. We provide you with all the resources, the lesson plans, the resources and the activities to allow you to focus on teaching and supporting your students. SPELL @ SPELD NSW takes a very structured approach to cumulative practice and integrates morphology into on going practice and instruction as phonics and orthographic concepts are mastered. The consistent and ongoing way we reintegrate content and skills throughout the scope and sequence is something that sets SPELL @ SPELD NSW apart. Spelling is a very important part of both reading and writing development. Committing to a well-structured program is needed to support student outcomes.

  • How will I know how to use the program? How can we support any new staff?

    All the resources are design to be easy enough to pick up and go! However, don’t worry, you will have access to a professional learning module that will take you through each element and the resources in the program and there are also downloadable ‘explainer’ documents. This means that any new staff that join your team can quickly and easily learn how to implement the program! Included in the subscription is access to the SPELL @ SPELD NSW community. This is an online community where you can ask questions and the team and other educators using the program can engage with you too!

  • Are there resources for professional development?

    SPELL @ SPELD NSW includes professional learning for teachers, offering ongoing support and strategies for effective implementation. Professional learning is embedded throughout the program to support ongoing learning for teachers. A professional learning module is included with the subscription to support all teachers to use the program effectively. There will also be live training available for schools from 2025.

What is the structure of SPELL @ SPELD NSW

  • How is SPELL @ SPELD NSW structured?

    The program has four progressive parts, each focusing on specific orthographic and morphological skills. Parts One through Three are for years 1–3 (although Part 1 can be commenced in Years 1, 2 or 3), and Part Four (due in 2026) will address advanced concepts. Each part is the equivalent of a full year of spelling instruction. Each part is broken into 4 terms of content, with each term containing about 8-9 weeks of instructional material. Ideally the program is delivered for short sharp lessons 5 days per week, but skipping the ‘consolidation’ lessons would allow to condense some of the content to make it 4 days per week.

  • What’s included in SPELL @ SPELD NSW?

    - Details instructional scope and sequences
    - Register and annotation document
    - How to professional learning videos
    - Set overview videos with tips for the daily review and troubleshooting
    - Daily scripts and lesson plans
    - Daily short videos to support the lesson plans. (Think mini teacher professional learning!)
    - Daily Teaching Tips on how to provide error feedback, things to look out for and how to support students when writing.
    - Daily student independent and differentiated practice activities
    - PowerPoint slides for word reading
    - Daily review slides and word lists for spelling
    - Set word lists organised by day and by spelling patterns
    - Daily teacher checklist and notes
    - End of term assessments
    - Assessment scoring spreadsheet
    - Data analysis guide with professional learning videos

  • What content is covered in SPELL @SPELD NSW?

    SPELL @SPELD NSW includes instruction in phonics, morphology, and orthographic patterns to support reading and writing development. In Part 1 the focus is on the most common long vowel spelling patterns, ending spelling patterns, suffixing rules and high frequency inflectional and derivational suffixes. In Part 2 we extend on part 1 with more complex/longer words with common long vowels, less common long vowel spellings and more complex derivational suffixes and prefixes. Part 3 teaches students some more complex spelling patterns with common long vowels but primarily focuses on more complex morphological concepts. Part 4 build even further on the morphology in part 4 and then moves to bound base study in term 4 of part 4.

  • Does this program align with NSW syllabus and the Australian curriculum?

    Yes, SPELL @ SPELD NSW is based on evidence-informed practices and is aligned to the NSW Syllabus and the Australian Curriculum. The scope and sequence will provide these details.

  • Is Part 1 equivalent to Year 1?

    Part 1 aligns to the Year 1 SPELD NSW Scope and Sequence. We have labelled the program as ‘Parts’ rather than years to allow the flexibility to start at the point in SPELL @ SPELD NSW that best meets the needs of the students to support any preceding phonics and spelling programs. For example, you may be a school new to an explicit spelling instruction program and therefore you might choose to start all students across Years 1-3 in Part 1 in the first year of the program.

    To find the best place to start see our guide of 'where to start’.

  • Is SPELL @ SPELD NSW suitable for small groups or one-on-one settings?

    Yes, it can be used for small group or one-on-one intervention to focus on primary-level spelling skills.

  • There seems to be a lot of practice built in! Is this all necessary?

    One of the key gifts from learning sciences and one of the core tenets of explicit instruction is that learning happens over time. So, while we provide you with a short and sharp targeted lesson to ‘teach’ the content, the actual learning happens when we provide students with repeated opportunities for retrieval practice. By completing all the elements of the program and speckling everyday with practice!

  • What assessments are included?

    Each part has end of term assessments that cover the material that has been explicitly taught AND reviewed. The assessment is implemented in 2 parts: word level and sentence level. The assessments marking guides help teachers identify if students need to review certain content and if small group instruction may be needed for some students. The extensive opportunities for practice through the Daily Reviews allow teachers to take regular formative assessment of students’ progress.

How do I use SPELL @ SPELD NSW in my school?

  • How do we access SPELL @ SPELD NSW?

    The program is access via the SPELD NSW Learning and Resources Hub. Teachers, schools and educators access the program using a 12-month subscription model. The program is a digital program with teaching guides, word lists, students activities all organised according to the scope and sequence, easily accessible to download and print. We have chosen a digital platform as this allows us to integrate the lesson videos into the program which are there to build teacher knowledge and help teachers deliver each lesson with confidence!

  • How do teachers decide where to start with SPELL @ SPELD NSW?

    Guidance is provided on selecting the appropriate starting part based on students' prior phonics and morphology instruction. We have a detailed starting point checklist for each part of the program to outline the assumed knowledge.

    To find the best place to start see our guide of 'where to start’.

  • How much time do I need for this program in my timetable?

    Overall you will need about 40 minutes across each day BUT we do want advise against completing all elements in one block. The main lesson is 20-25 minutes and we also have explicit resources for your daily review and additional practice that almost all students will require to be successful spellers. It is best to spread the practice out throughout the day.

  • Can this program be differentiated for diverse learners?

    Yes, SPELL @ SPELD NSW offers resources for both whole-class instruction and targeted interventions, supporting Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction with built-in differentiation. Targeted additional practice, Daily Review and Stop! Let’s Spell! provide students with repeated practice which is essential for students who find spelling a challenge. Extension activities in each lesson ensure that stronger spellers are transferring spelling to connected text. Advice on differentiation based on end of term assessment data will be provided.

  • Are there resources for students who need additional support?

    Yes, the program includes modified word lists, visual aids, multisensory strategies, and practice worksheets designed for extra support.

  • What about a weekly spelling test?

    SPELL @ SPELD NSW does not have a weekly spelling test. Most Fridays have a dictation lesson however, this is NOT a test. This is a lesson, where we model how to transfer our spelling skills into a sentence and then students practice, with guidance and independently how to complete a dictation. The independent dictations (done with a partner) can be collected as a formative assessment by the teacher to observe how students are starting to transfer their spelling skills to sentences.

  • Do I really need to teach spelling every day?

    Ideally 4-5 days per week! English is a complex spelling system, so there is a lot to teach. The lessons are designed to be short, sharp and targeted so they can easily be included into your timetables. If you are tight for time in some sets, you can opt to miss the consolidating lessons if you need to. Of course we would prefer that if you can include them, please do!

  • What are some strategies for integrating spelling into other subjects?

    SPELL @ SPELD NSW provides extensive teaching tips in each spelling lesson. By applying these tips in all areas of the curriculum, teachers can incorporate spelling into any written work to ensure students are applying what they have been taught.

Can you explain the different elements of the program and their timings?

  • The Spelling Lesson

    Timing - 25 minutes daily Who is this for? - All students What happens in this lesson? - This is whole class instruction immediately followed by partner/independent work. The lesson starts with a brief revision of recently learned content, teacher modelling, guided practice and then differentiated independent practice. Additional practice words are provided for additional guided practice with the teacher.

  • Additional Targeted Practice

    Timing - 5-10 minutes daily Who is this for? - This is for students who require additional spelling practice and support (15-20% of your class). What happens in this lesson? - This is something that can happen for 5 minutes after recess and/or after lunch. Other students can do reading practice or additional partner dictation from spelling, which a small group writes words provided under the guidance of a teacher. This is an opportunity for a teacher to provide additional scaffolding, prompting and error feedback to students who finds certain spelling concepts challenging.

  • Stop! Let’s Spell!

    Timing - 1-2 minutes at multiple points in the day Who is this for? - This is for all students! All students require repeated practice of spelling. What happens in this lesson? - Integrating a bit of spelling practise throughout the day gives students a sense of success and ensures that students are receiving the spaced practice of new concepts. Keep your whiteboards or some scrap paper handy so you can say ‘We have 1 minute until the bell, Stop! Let’s Spell! Everyone write the word ____ on your whiteboards.’ And then you can observe who is retaining the new content and who might need extra support and practice!

  • Daily Review

    Timing - 5-7 minutes but NOT just before or after your spelling lesson. It is best to do it at another point in the day. Who is this for? - All students! What happens in this lesson? - Spaced retrieval practice is essential for students to become confident and fluent spellers. Each set is reviewed twice. The daily review is an essential component of the program that helps ensure students are committing spellings to long term memory!

SPELD @ SPELD NSW

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