A significant amount of research has revealed that many students memorize words for a test, then later forget the correct spellings. A study examined the effectiveness of two approaches to teaching spelling: the "traditional" method based on grade level speller and deductive thinking; and word study based on recent research on developmental spelling and a more inductive approach. Subjects, seven randomly chosen fourth graders in the word study group and seven randomly chosen fifth graders in the traditional instruction group, were compared on retention of previously learned words and the ability to spell unfamiliar words. It was predicted that the word study group would perform better because they were internalizing word knowledge rather than memorizing spellings. Results were somewhat inconclusive as the word study group performed better in retention but not on the spelling of unfamiliar words. There were many factors which may have influenced the results, thus more research is needed. Findings illustrate the usefulness of being aware of various instructional methods and combining them to best suit the needs of both students and teachers. (Twenty-two figures of data are included; 10 figures of data and 17 references are attached.) (RS)