Public Schools Systems

[madmax]

Does anyone know which Provinces have spelling on the curriculum?

Its pretty clear to me that Since the Mike Harris PCs, Spelling went on the backburner and never returned. And if it did, its not apparent on this forum.

I realize when grammer took a back seat, but it appears like we have more and more spelling illiterates on forums.

I realize the odd keyboard mistake, text mistake, typo, or simply just making a spelling mistake, but what I currently see is many posters can't spell basic words, and its not just a simple mistake or an error here or there.

This isn't about shorthand texting..... its about a lack of skill development.

I see foreign students able to spell English and its not their first language.

I am seeing people on these forums who I might suggest would have difficulty spelling CAT if they were spotted the _AT .

Perhaps its because they See KITKAT I don't know.

I do know that the spelling on this forum especially from some recent posters is attrocious.

Its actually embarrassing.

While I don't use a spell checker and make mistakes, especially on late night or rushed posts... I don't think thats the case with many posters here.

Has our education system created spelling illiterates?

Also, if you are a really really really really bad speller, there is a spellcheck link you can use to check your post. I haven't installed it, but for some here.. I suggest you consider it.

So..

I would like to know when or what grades spelling ends in Ontario..

Then I would like to know what other provinces do as I believe some on these forums are from other provinces and spell perfectly.

Is it an age thing, depends on when you went to school... or is it a Provincial thing .. and not being taught..

And how many mistakes are in this post lol...

Edited May 7, 2012 by madmax

[Bonam]

Well I think a major reason people can't spell is in fact because of the prevalence of spellcheckers.

That being said, I think the bad spelling on internet fora has a lot more to do with attitude than with inability to spell. When communicating online using text message, in computer games, in tweets, etc, people often purposely used direly bastardized spelling in order to save time/characters/keystrokes. While these forums do not have the same restrictions that encourage the use of such spellings, the attitude carries over for many.

Additionally, the way people learn spelling in reality is not through being "taught" it in school, but by reading things in the course of their daily life and just remembering how they've seen words written. But when the majority of what one reads is tweets and texts, where spelling is purposefully mangled, one will never learn the correct spelling of words.

Anyway, there isn't much point even trying to relate this issue to schools. If correct spellings are not used in the mediums that people most frequently communicate in, no amount of trying to force them to use such spellings in school will do any good. Just like cursive handwriting is a useless thing to teach in an age when in practice, almost all written communication is typed, I think correct spelling will go the same way, for better or worse.

[Fletch 27]

Good point!

My spelling is horrible.. if its in text or email to friends, as we type so fast but get the point accross.. Its in "the message" and it comes accross.. I dont need, nor care, if i spell color or colour on some on-line page or text...

Professional emails or proposals? Picture perfect and in either UK, Japanese or US grammar... Grammar is taking a departure of massive scales since the adoption of "FB", text and BBM.. The internet is the internet, and where ideas and grammar die a thousand deaths... Who cares... Its the internet,, I wont live or die by it and no slacker would..

I hope the kids understand the use or application of grammar when needed.. Im not worried about spelling as much as i am "punctuation"... You will notice my punctuation is perfect..

Love,

Fletch

[Topaz]

Well, if we are on this forum than its too late to go back to school, so if we want correct spelling,there's nothing wrong with using whatever, to get the spelling right.I think the meaning of the message should be #1 but people really should use the checker on their computer when in doubt,none of us is perfect.

[BubberMiley]

Does anyone know which Pprovinces have spelling on the curriculum?

Its pretty clear to me that Ssince the Mike Harris PCs, Sspelling went on the backburner and never returned. And if it did, it's not apparent on this forum.

I realize when that grammer took a back seat backseat, but it appears like that we have more and more spelling illiterates on forums.

I realize understand the odd keyboard mistake, text mistake, typo, or simply just making a spelling mistake, but what I currently see is many posters who can't spell basic words, and it's not just a simple mistake or an error here or and there.

This isn't about shorthand texting.....; it's about a lack of skill development.

I see foreign students able to spell in English, and it's not their first language.

I am seeing people on these forums who I might suggest would have difficulty spelling CAT cat if they were spotted the _AT .

Perhaps it's because they Ssee KITKAT kitkat. I don't know.

I do know that the spelling on this forum, especially from some recent posters, is attrocious.

It's actually embarrassing.

While I don't use a spell checker and make mistakes, especially on late night or rushed posts..., I don't think that's the case with many posters here.

Has our education system created spelling illiterates?

Also, if you are a really, really, really, really bad speller, there is a spellcheck link you can use to check your post. I haven't installed it, but for some here.. I suggest you consider it.

So...

I would like to know when or what grades spelling ends in which grade they stop teaching spelling in Ontario.. Then I would like to know what other provinces do, as I believe some on these forums are from other provinces and spell perfectly.

Is it an age thing? Does it depends on when you went to school?... or Is it a Provincial thing? .. and not being taught..

And how many mistakes are in this? lol...

To answer your last question, quite a few. I would particularly pay attention to your use of contractions, like "it's" and "that's."

Fortunately, in Manitoba, we all have impeccable spelling and grammar.

[MiddleClassCentrist]

There was never a day that grammar and spelling were perfectly used by most people.

That concept is based on myth, rather than reality.

If it is legible enough to read and understand on an internet forum, who cares?

It's not like I'm writing an official speech to the people...

[jacee]

I think communicating ur msg is important and doesn't always require faultless spelling and grammar.

And I think some people use autocomplete and don't proof for word errors.

Those I find provlemmatic because it does interfere with the meaning of the msg.

I like the internet/tweet/msg world because it is nonjudgemental about what really are superficialities, and focuses on msg.

It's what you habe to say that is important.

[fellowtraveller]

Well I think a major reason people can't spell is in fact because of the prevalence of spellcheckers

I think it is because many people do not read for pleasure as children. They have so little exposure to an English vocabulary that simple words are outside their experience.

'Spelling' is not a specific subject at any level in Alberta; language arts that includes loads of spelling instruction is a major part of the curriculum from grade on onward.

I once fired a subordinate manager because he could not compose a simple, three sentence business letter that anybody could comprehend.

[jacee]

I think people don't fuss about their spelling because it doesn't matter.

It's a friggen discussion board.

Get a friggen grip folks!

Spelling is dead. Snipers got it.

[Michael Hardner]

To answer your last question, quite a few. I would particularly pay attention to your use of contractions, like "it's" and "that's."

Fortunately, in Manitoba, we all have impeccable spelling and grammar.

Nicely done - did you purposely leave in the misspelling of "grammar" ?

[BubberMiley]

Nicely done - did you purposely leave in the misspelling of "grammar" ?

Oooh! Good one. No, I didn't catch that. That's some true irony there.

But proper spelling and grammar simply give credibility to a written text. Your reader will subconsciously take your words less seriously if they are poorly constructed. So one might say "who cares if my spelling is bad?", and the answer is, indeed, "no one."

[GostHacked]

There was never a day that grammar and spelling were perfectly used by most people.

That concept is based on myth, rather than reality.

If it is legible enough to read and understand on an internet forum, who cares?

It's not like I'm writing an official speech to the people...

But there are the subtleties in language where you think you are using the correct term, but in a different context. When that happens, the meaning you are trying to put forth is misinterpreted because you are not using the proper terms, spelling and grammar.

But that being said, most laws are quite vague and can be very loosely interpreted.

And Michael (ok after looking at it again, I see what you were referring too.. my bad!!)

Nicely done - did you purposely leave in the misspelling of "grammar" ?

He had the correct spelling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar

The term grammar is often used by non-linguists with a very broad meaning indeed; as Jeremy Butterfield puts it: "Grammar is often a generic way of referring to any aspect of English that people object to."[1] However, linguists use it in a much more specific sense. Every speaker of a language has, in his or her head, a set of rules[2] for using that language. This is a grammar, and—at least in the case of one's native language—the vast majority of the information in it is acquired not by conscious study or instruction, but by observing other speakers; much of this work is done during infancy. Language learning later in life, of course, may involve a greater degree of explicit instruction.[3]

Also seems that grammar is subjective to the person writing or speaking.

Edited May 8, 2012 by GostHacked

[Guest Peeves]

In your context, it's not "Mike Harris PC", but rather after all this time...Mike Harass P.C.

[Guest Peeves]

Thanks to Webster there was finally a definitive common spelling taught in schools. Prior to that, a word could be varied in spelling place to place in the USA. Personally I've always liked plough.

"In 1806, Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language; it took twenty-seven years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-six languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), German, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Sanskrit. Webster hoped to standardize American speech, since Americans in different parts of the country used different languages. They also spelled, pronounced, and used English words differently.[35]

Webster completed his dictionary during his year abroad in 1825 in Paris, France, and at the University of Cambridge. His book contained seventy thousand words, of which twelve thousand had never appeared in a published dictionary before. As a spelling reformer, Webster believed that English spelling rules were unnecessarily complex, so his dictionary introduced American English spellings, replacing "colour" with "color", substituting "wagon" for "waggon", and printing "center" instead of "centre". He also added American words, like "skunk" and "squash", that did not appear in British dictionaries. At the age of seventy, Webster published his dictionary in 1828, registering the copyright on April 14.[36]

Though it now has an honored place in the history of American English, Webster's first dictionary only sold 2,500 copies. He was forced to mortgage his home to develop a second edition, and his life from then on was plagued with debt."