Can you teach orthography to young children?
YES!...recently I had the wonderful opportunity to guide a group of inspiring, enthusiastic 4 and 5 year old learners. Together, we embarked on an incredible journey of 'digging' into the depths of the English language. Here is an account of our learning journey and our amazing discoveries! Our inquiry: Words belong in families, connected by meaning and spelling. Teaching strategies: 1. 'Concept attainment'- learners make their own learning discoveries. Usually presented as a Venn Diagram. Prior: identify what needs to be discovered. During: learners think independently/to self about concept. After: learners reveal the reason why these words are connected. 2. Think/pair/share- all learners are actively involved. Used frequently throughout the lesson in different formats and ways. Prior to embarking on our journey, I likened words to people families and demonstrated how members of my family were linked: 'people live in families so do words' . We illustrat