Helpful Articles

If your students’ reading is improving but their spelling is still lagging behind, it’s time to introduce S.M.A.R.T. Spelling. S.M.A.R.T. Spelling is a simple, structured way to teach spelling. It breaks spelling into five key skills that are taught one at a time, in a clear and logical order. Students are shown how to think about spelling, not just guess or memorise.

Segmenting is the foundation of skilled spelling—and for students living with dyslexia, it’s the skill that needs the most structure, repetition, and support. At its core, segmenting means breaking a word into individual sounds (phonemes), then matching each sound to a spelling choice (grapheme).

Spelling isn’t just about sounds—it’s also about meaning. English is a morphophonemic language, we use letters to represent both sounds (phonemes) and meaning (morphemes) if we don’t teach students about morphemes, they are missing out on half of the story of English!

Vowel sounds in English are one of the biggest challenges in spelling. The same sound can be spelled in many different ways—and sometimes, letters don’t sound like themselves at all. This part of S.M.A.R.T. helps students think strategically about vowel sounds, instead of guessing or giving up.

There’s some debate around the value of teaching spelling rules where it’s believed that too many “rules” can overload working memory and in some cases this is true. But from the perspective of a struggling learner, the picture looks different. S.M.A.R.T. isn’t about memorising rules for the sake of it.

Some words don’t follow typical spelling patterns. They may come from other languages, use rare letter combinations, have pronunciation (accent) differences, or be too complex for the student’s current conceptual framework. These are called Tricky Words, and they need specific, intentional strategies to help them stick.

Building literacy is a process that requires daily commitment, particularly for students living with learning difficulties.

In this post, you’ll discover how to use reading and spelling drills to strengthen phoneme-grapheme correspondences, build fluency, and foster confidence.

Unlocking Literacy Through Morphology English is a morphophonemic language, meaning it combines sound (phonics) with meaning (morphology). While phonics is vitally important as the foundation

Literacy Games: Making Learning Fun and Engaging Incorporating games into literacy instruction can transform the learning experience, making it engaging and enjoyable for students. Games

High-Frequency Words: Supporting Fluency and Confidence in Struggling Readers High-frequency (HF) words are an essential component of literacy development. These words often appear frequently in

The Importance of Cloze Exercises in Literacy Development Cloze Exercises are a powerful tool in literacy education, particularly when working with students who need structured,

The Importance of Reading Sheets and Practice in Literacy Development Reading fluency and accuracy are the cornerstone skills of literacy, and they form the foundation

Using The LSK Tracking And Blending Resources Students may initially acquire single phoneme code quite easily but find difficulty in blending phonemes in a timely

How to Use the Literacy Support Kit (LSK) Handrwiting Resources Why Handwriting Is Important Handwriting mastery is crucial for developing kids’ confidence and kinaesthetic memory,

How to Use the Literacy Support Kit (LSK) Alphabet Resources Introducing the alphabet early while explicitly teaching phonemes one by one has multiple purposes and