Spelling instruction has been researched over the last several decades, but unfortunately, researchers have determined that best practices have not generally transferred to classroom practice. The authors explored how quality word study professional development rooted in nonnegotiable tenets provided a framework for teacher and student…

This review highlights some areas of current interest in teaching students to spell and how spelling skills develop. The topics covered in the paper include: theories of spelling acquisition, theories guiding effective teaching, the importance of word study approaches across the age range, the influence of technology on learning to spell, spelling…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of integrating word study spelling programs for second grade teachers across six elementary schools in Northern Virginia. Word study is a developmental spelling approach that can be used by teachers to differentiate instruction and meet student needs. Despite the growing…

Making spelling instruction effective, fun, practical, and meaningful is a challenge faced by many teachers. Spelling is traditionally taught with prepackaged word lists using a test-practice-test method, which results in little transfer to independent word use. Because spelling is an important component and gauge of literacy skills, students need…

The purpose of this paper is to share the effectiveness of the word study program "Words Their Way" (Bear et. al., 2008) to improve spelling retention of first graders in a regular education classroom in the Spring of 2012. After implementing a traditional spelling program and seeing students continuously spell previous spelling words…

This article describes nine tips for implementing a word study program in the K-2 classroom. These tips are based on the results of four classroom-based qualitative research projects collaboratively conducted by a university professor and four primary-grade teacher-researchers. The article suggests that through small-group word study instruction…

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of a word study literacy approach on the spelling ability and self-efficacy of adults in a county jail. Forty-four inmates participated in the word study intervention that provided them with hands-on learning. The word study intervention was conducted in four separate sessions (September,…

This project investigated six 2nd-grade students' use of word study instruction to mediate spelling while writing in their journals. In particular, the researchers examined the students' use of the orthographic principles, sample words, and spelling strategies that had been taught during developmental word study lessons. Results of the project…

Discusses why word families should be taught. Argues that the timing of such instruction is critical and that teachers can use children's invented spelling to determine what they already know and what they are ready to learn. Offers a developmental perspective to guide teachers in the planning and pacing of word-family instruction. (SR)

Intended for students' use in several different ways to help with spelling and writing, this booklet has seven sections: (1) How to Use This Book to Help with Spelling and Writing; (2) Alphabetical Section (a 22-page section that lists the words students are most likely to use in their writing); (3) Place Names and Special Names; (4) Essential…

This concise book shares several sensible, logical, and meaningful approaches that guide young children to use the written coding system to read, spell, and make meaning of the English language coding system. The book demonstrates that phonics, spelling, and word study are essential parts of literacy learning. After an introduction, chapters are:…

Three boys (ages 9-13) with academic deficits learned delayed matching-to-sample tasks that used complex sample stimuli, consisting of a picture and printed word. The procedure engendered new constructed-response spelling performances and arbitrary relations among pictures and printed words in matching to sample. (Author/JDD)

This booklet is the teachers manual for "Spell-Write," a text to aid learners in writing, spelling, and word study, and is intended to function effectively in a variety of classroom spelling and word study programs. The booklet has four main sections. An introduction discusses briefly the alphabetical spelling lists, the background to…

This paper presents seven signs or abilities that delineate a successful speller: a systematic method of approach to words, use of adequate methods of learning new words, mastery of the most common words, independence in using the dictionary, consciousness of word construction, use of a linguistic approach to regular and irregular spellings, and…