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Making sense of spelling - Gina Cooke

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TEDEd Animation

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What can spelling tell us about relationships between words? While spelling may sometimes seem random or unexpected, this lesson illuminates how peeling back the layers of spelling helps us understand the complex history and meaningful structure of words.

Spelling is usually taught through the memorization and testing of lists of words. This works well enough for some people, but for other people, it doesn't work well at all. Sometimes, people can spell words right on a test, but they can't remember how to spell those same words when they're doing homework or writing a letter. Think about the pros and cons of teaching spelling through memorization compared to learning about the structure and history of words. Which would you rather do? Why? What do you think should be considered in studying and teaching spelling?

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Animator David Bernal
  • Educator Gina Cooke
  • Narrator Gina Cooke

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