Have you ever wondered why contestants at the Scripp's National Spelling Bee ask for the origin of a word they've been asked to spell? The origin of the word makes a big difference in the spelling of the sounds that make up a word. For example, the digraph - ch - has three sounds: /ch/ as in church, /sh/ as in chef, and /k/ as in school. The /ch/ sound is part of Old English while the /sh/ sound comes from French. The /k/ sound is Greek. Teaching students the spelling options that connect to the sounds that make up a word really helps with both spelling AND reading. Teaching a little history to accompany the word - well that helps paint a word picture to strengthen it even more.
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