Across Years 2-6, students at Challis learn to spell using the evidence-based program Spelling Mastery. This six-levelled spelling series uses an explicit, teacher-direct method of instruction that allows teachers to deliver interactive spelling and writing lessons through the use of patterns and rules.

Spelling Mastery interleaves three main approaches to support students to become proficient readers and writers. These include:

A phonemic approach - to help students learn the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters and then apply them to spelling. E.g The /v/ sound at the end of the word is usually spelled with v-e as in hive, have and shave. 

Whole-word approach - to help students spell words that cannot be spelled by applying generalisations and instead commit these troublesome words to memory.

Morphemic approach - to help students combine words and word parts to spell multisyllabic words using a small number of reliable rules. E.g When a word ends with a   consonant and -y, you change the y to an I when adding a morphograph on the end of a word. 

Spelling Mastery lessons run for 20 minutes per day, four times a week and contain weekly reviews/tests to track and monitor student’s progress. Placement test results, completed at the end of the year, determine a student’s placement in a Spelling Mastery level.

The Leadership Team explored Reading Mastery – a direct instruction program designed to allow a child to become a fluent, skilled, and independent reader. We invited Toni Hatten-Roberts from COGlearn to Challis to provide an overview of Reading Mastery and the research and success behind the program.  A consensus from the extended Leadership team (including coaches and lead teachers) was made to implement Reading Mastery at Challis.

Reading Mastery has two main components – Reading and Language. In addition, it has a smaller spelling component. These three components will make up our literacy instruction time.  DI programs are orientated toward students’ skill proficiency rather than their age or grade level.