This case study explores the introduction of a word study approach, Words Their Way (Pearson Education, n.d.), into 3 second-grade classrooms in the northeastern United States. Although phonics and spelling have been studied separately within classrooms (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Fresch, 2007; Graham & Santangelo, 2014; McCutchen et al.,…

This qualitative case study relates to the area of word study. The research examines how specific strategies support academic progress when students are stunted at one orthographic stage on the language continuum. Teachers and reading specialists who support language development for students in first through third grades were interviewed as…