Spelling K-8: Planning and Teaching

Spelling K-8 meets the needs of schools and districts that want to put systematic teaching in place without compromising the principles of constructivist learning. Recognizing the professional expertise of classroom teachers, the authors consistently urge teachers to consider the suggested plan in relation to their children's spelling needs. Children are actively engaged in spelling explorations, being guided by their teachers, forming generalizations that reflect their current understanding about how written English works. Specific suggestions are also offered for children whose first language is not English. Spelling K-8 addresses the issues that administrators and parents are concerned about - especially phonics and learning high-frequency words - and offers teachers a wealth of strategies and resources to draw on.

Spelling K-8 assists teachers in:

• understanding current beliefs about teaching and learning and means of translating these into classroom practice;
• implementing specific types of spelling investigations, such as sounds, spelling patterns or suffixes, by clearly outlining the general process involved in spelling explorations;
• identifying the possible spelling focuses for children in each grade level, taking into consideration their needs and the explorations they have been introduced to in previous years;
• relating the teaching of spelling to reading and writing experiences in a variety of curriculum areas;
• knowing the generalizations children need to learn to enable them to understand how written English works.

Spelling K-8 will help you plan the teaching of spelling at a whole-school level and at each grade level.