Stages of Orthographic Development

Orthographic Development involves the visual look and spelling of words. Looking at the orthographic features within students writing is how teachers determine which stage the student has reached. Writing samples can also help define which skills need to be focused on in future instruction.  

 

Stage 1: Emergent Stage

·      Random letters/ scribbles

·      Distinction between writing and drawing

Stage 2: Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage

·      Represent phonemes in words with letters

·      Alphabetic principle

·      Consonant and short vowel sounds

Stage 3: Within Word Pattern Stage

·      Chunking

·      Vowel teams

·      Complex consonant sounds

·      R-controlled vowels

Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Stage

·      Multisyllabic words

·      Inflectional endings

·      Homophones

Stage 5: Derivational Relations Stage

·      Word families- words with similar spellings have related meaning

·      Affixes and root words