A component tryout of first-grade spelling was conducted using students who received concurrent reading instruction based on Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) materials. Pretest and posttest measures obtained from four comparable first-grade classes were used as baseline data against which to judge program effectiveness. This report describes…

Three reputed advantages of using a letter-combination (LC) approach, as opposed to a grapheme-unit (GU) approach for initial word-attack and spelling instruction are critically analyzed. While LC reduces the number of elements per word, it also reduces the number of words that can be generated. LC eliminates distortion in the final…

Presents guidelines for teaching spelling, focusing on the issue of whether spelling instruction should be formal or informal, the use of word lists, efficient instructional procedures, effective methods for studying words, the need for systematic improvement of retention, and integration of spelling and writing. (RAE)

Describes how one teacher helped students in her third grade class, who had below average spelling and reading skills, improve their reading achievement by using a structured, graded, multifaceted approach to spelling instruction. (ARH)

Explores the concept of spelling instruction in the elementary grades through the analysis of error-types. (Author/HOD)

Studies context as a significant aid to the learning and retention of words. (RB)

Discusses the marginalization of spelling instruction. Presents several classroom implications supported by research on the development of orthographic knowledge as reflected in children's spelling errors. Addresses the issues related to placement, assessment, word study, and writing. (RS)

Addresses two broad issues: the current understanding of spelling development and how this understanding fits within a broader model of literacy development; and the implications of the developmental model for spelling instruction and word study. Suggests that it is essential that instruction balance authentic reading and writing with purposeful…

This report is concerned with the formulation of a sequence for the spelling-to-sound correspondence rules that cover the 1- and 2-syllable words in the speech comprehension vocabularies of 6- and 9-year-olds. One major function of the rule sequence is to serve as a basis for developing reading instruction materials for the sequence and content of…

A team of first-grade teachers began to question their literacy/phonics program, which used a whole-class format for instruction. The teachers felt that teaching the whole class did not allow them to meet the diverse needs of all their students. One of the teachers introduced the rest of the team to developmental-spelling research (i.e., research…

A twelve-hour spelling class was held over one weekend at California State University, Dominguez Hills. During this course, students were helped to discover their own spelling difficulties and were introduced to a wide variety of materials and strategies, including spelling nonsense words, effective dictionary use, vocabulary building, the study…

The research reported here examined word study as an approach to spelling instruction. In particular, the researchers investigated kindergarten children's transfer of specific words, word knowledge, concepts about print, and strategies for spelling unknown words to their self-selected journal writing. Results of the study indicated that the…

A study compared a traditional text-oriented spelling program to a non-traditional word study spelling program on the basis of four characteristics: students' academic success, students' self-esteem, interest in spelling, and time spent on- and off-task. The sample group consisted of two third grade classes, and both spelling programs had been…