SpellEx
spelling explained through explicit instruction
Ensure your students become excellent spellers by giving them a solid understanding of the English spelling system, using SpellEx, MultiLit’s comprehensive whole-class spelling program.
By growing and consolidating their phonological, orthographic and morphological knowledge, SpellEx helps students make the right decisions when spelling words. This will benefit their writing in all curriculum areas.
What is SpellEx Part A?
SpellEx Part A is a whole-class spelling program suitable for students from Year 3. It provides explicit instruction in spelling concepts, terminology, rules and conventions.
By following SpellEx’s carefully scripted lessons, supported by a range of additional resources, teachers can be confident they are covering the skills and knowledge required to master English orthography in an age-appropriate way.
Stella the Super Speller, who features across the program, takes students on an enlightening and enjoyable journey, discovering the inside information to help them become super spellers themselves!
Who is it for?
- SpellEx is a Tier 1 program within a Response to Intervention model, designed to be delivered to whole classes by classroom teachers
- Part A is for students in Year 3, but can also be used in Year 4 if students have not had explicit spelling instruction in earlier years
- Part B – to be released in late 2024 – will follow on from Part A, making it suitable for students from Year 4
Delivery
SpellEx Part A comprises 105 lessons to be delivered over four terms. Teachers should timetable three lessons per week. The whole-class lesson will take approximately 30 minutes to deliver with additional time needed for further practice.
Program content
The program includes:
- 105 fully scripted lessons to be delivered alongside lesson slides and spelling workbooks (one per student per semester)
- Independent practice pages in workbook
- Explicit instruction in the conventions of English spelling plus a regular focus on the spelling of tricky/useful words
- A variety of differentiated resources used for further practice, including teacher-led support and extension mini lessons
- Review activities embedded in every lesson, with additional revision lessons timetabled throughout the program
- Top-Up lessons to be used flexibly in response to students’ needs
- Fortnightly Progress Monitoring tests to guide instruction
- Termly Cumulative Reviews to assess mastery of a larger set of skills
- A class record spreadsheet to record results
This suite of resources will support teachers in planning and delivering instruction to suit the spelling needs of their class.
The SpellEx approach
SpellEx provides a language-based, explicit approach to the teaching of spelling. It is centred around a whole-class lesson, followed by additional opportunities to consolidate. The interaction between phonology, orthography and morphology underpins the approach, providing students with a deeper understanding of the English spelling system.
The program follows a scope and sequence that builds on skills taught in earlier years and aligns with the National Curriculum.
Regular progress monitoring enables teachers to identify which students need more support and which students may need extending.
By providing clear, easy-to-follow lessons and supporting resources, SpellEx not only saves preparation time, but also gives teachers the confidence to deliver exemplary spelling lessons. There are opportunities for differentiation built into the program through small-group work and other activities.
Key benefits
- Explicitly develops a deep understanding of the phonological, orthographic and morphological aspects of the English language
- The SpellEx scope and sequence is well aligned to the ACARA National Curriculum
- Regular, systematic assessment means nothing is left to chance: teachers know which students have mastered each skill, and which students require consolidation
- Saves teachers’ time on programming and developing their own spelling materials
- Scripted lessons free up the teacher’s cognitive load: rather than thinking of the perfect example to illustrate specific spelling conventions, they can be monitoring which students have mastered the rule and which require further practice
- A consistent approach and common use of language across classes reduces within-grade variance and encourages collaboration
What's in the Kit?
The SpellEx Part A Kit and Members’ Area resources contain all the tools needed to deliver the program to a class of 25 students. One Kit per classroom will be required for implementation.
The Kit comprises:
- Teacher Manual
- Eight Handbooks with explicit lessons
- Spelling Workbooks 1 and 2 (25 copies of each)
- Concept Poster
In the MultiLit Members’ Area, you’ll find:
- Lesson slides
- Top-Ups providing short, sharp revision sessions
- Consolidation worksheets
- Supporting lesson resources (e.g., grab bag words and dictation sentences, word sort cards, word matrices)
- Class record spreadsheet for progress monitoring
What our SpellEx trial schools say about the program
SpellEx has been extensively trialled over three years in a variety of Australian school settings. The results of these trials have demonstrated significant gains in students’ spelling scores on standardised tests.
Teachers from trial schools told us:
- Their own spelling knowledge has significantly improved as a result of delivering the program
- They liked the fact that everything was provided but there were still opportunities to personalise it to their students, providing individualised feedback in the moment
- The Spelling Workbooks were easy and efficient to use
- Their students were engaged and enjoyed the lessons – particularly the songs and the rhymes
- The regular spelling assessments and guidelines for intervention have helped their instructional decision-making and ability to differentiate. Students even asked to see their results as they got excited when they improved!
“The content was excellent. The notes and script were well thought-out and organised. The spreadsheet helped me to see where the students were doing well and where they needed to improve.”
“All the work was done for me. I knew there was nothing missing in my instruction – it helped me sleep better at night!”
SpellEx Professional Development Workshop
The one-day SpellEx Professional Development workshop, available face-to-face or via videoconference, introduces teachers to an explicit, language-based approach to spelling instruction. It provides a thorough overview of the program, its resources and instructional techniques. Teachers are given practical advice and ample opportunities for practice to ensure the successful implementation of SpellEx in their school.
As an interactive and hands-on learning experience, the SpellEx PD Workshop prepares participants to confidently implement all aspects of the program to develop their students’ spelling skills.
Training in SpellEx is compulsory prior to implementation of the program to ensure quality of delivery. When booking two or more participants into SpellEx PD Workshops, the second and subsequent participants receive a 40% discount (when booked in the same order).
What the workshop covers
- A brief summary of the research rationale for the spelling approach used in SpellEx
- An overview of the program structure and materials
- Strategies for teaching spelling concepts and tricky words
- The keys to successfully and effectively deliver the program
- Video observations of SpellEx in action in classroom settings
- Demonstrations and practice activities to consolidate understanding
- How program assessments inform instructional decisions, including differentiation.
Who should attend?
- Classroom teachers
- Regular casuals that may relieve in Year 3 throughout the year
- Stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators
Accreditation
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
Completing SpellEx Professional Development Workshop will contribute 5 hours and 30 minutes of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum addressing standard descriptors 2.5.2, 5.1.2, 5.2.2, 5.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Teacher Quality Institute (TQI), ACT
This program has been accredited by TQI in 2024. Attendance provides 5 PD hours for ACT teachers.
Purchase conditions: The SpellEx Part A Kit and SpellEx PD are available only to accredited schools. Purchase of the SpellEx Part A Kit only is available to schools that have already satisfied the first-time purchase requirement by buying the SpellEx Part A Kit + SpellEx PD.
Please note: The use of MultiLit publications and attendance at professional development workshops is for personal education use in schools with State/Territory accreditation (‘Accredited Schools’). Other commercial use, hiring or lending, or other use as part of any commercial, not-for-profit, or fee-paying program of instruction or tuition not carried out within an Accredited School is strictly prohibited.