A study examined the effect of word study on second-grade students' application of spelling and phonics in their independent writing. Subjects were 19 second graders from a school in a north-central Indiana region marked by a broad range of social and economic levels. Data included a spelling inventory, independent writing samples, and student…

Reflects on a small-scale survey of nine schools in England where results of the National Curriculum test in spelling were particularly high. Discusses common approaches among the schools, including the teaching of spelling patterns and phonics; the fostering of early independence in writing and reading; and the regular learning of spelling at…

Young children's spelling errors are not haphazard but systematic and follow a developmental sequence as the children master the consistent use of correct spelling. This study examined the development in spelling stage and correctness of 14 inner-city elementary school children. (JD)

A primary-grade teacher describes how she uses singing to teach phonics in her classroom. Notes how children are helped to integrate the three cuing systems of language--semantic, syntactic, and graphophonemic--as they read and sing together. (ET)

Discusses the implications of Goswami and Bryant's (1990) theory about important causal connections in reading for classroom teaching, and reviews more recent "rhyme and analogy" research within this framework. Discusses new research on the nature of the English spelling system and the representation of linguistic knowledge. Emphasizes the…

Analyzes research in the phonics section of the Report of the National Reading Panel to examine what the data, as opposed to the Panel's interpretation and reporting of the data, say about the role of phonics in reading instruction. Suggests the methodology of the Report is flawed, and results reported in the Summary are not supported by the…

A study explored the possibility of instructional influence on children's passage along a developmental spelling continuum. The spelling of a group of 28 children who received intensive phonics instruction their kindergarten year was contrasted with the spelling of 24 first-grade children instructed in word-based materials. Subjects were initially…

Analysis of the Rinsland vocabulary list indicated that while the list was dated, it was more than adequate for purposes of classroom instruction. (RB)

This handbook introduces the important correspondences existing between English sounds and English spelling patterns. The lessons present the vowel sounds, one by one, along with systematically selected consonant sounds, and show how each sound or combination of sounds is usually spelled in English words. Irregularly spelled words are introduced…

Research studies concerned with the development, utility, and evaluation of various types of word lists are reported in this bibliography. Included are such topics as vocabulary loads in various reading materials, phonic generalizations applied to word lists, and basic speaking, writing, or reading vocabularies of various groups. In Part I, 51…

It was proposed that the young child's awareness of the phonology of language would influence early reading success. Results revealed a strong relationship between the first grader's reading performance and two measures of his/her phonological awareness, invented spelling and phoneme segmentation abilities. (Author/RD)

Longitudinal findings on phonological awareness and progress in reading and spelling of 65 children from 4 years, 7 months to 6 years, 7 months strongly supported views that sensitivity to rhyme leads to awareness of phonemes, which in turn affects reading; and rhyme makes a direct contribution to reading that is independent of connection between…