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The Reading Teacher
I n 1773, Noah Webster stated that " spelling is the foundation of reading and the greatest ornament of writing. " 1 he was right. Good spelling is critical for literacy, and it makes writing much easier—allowing the writer to focus on the ideas to be conveyed, not the letters needed to put those ideas on paper. But ever since Webster's " spellers " (which focused on how to spell the sounds that make up words and thus taught spelling and reading simultaneously) went out of fashion in the early 1900s, spelling has not received as much attention as reading. This is unfortunate because spelling instruction underpins reading success by creating an awareness of the sounds that make up words and the letters that spell those sounds. As children learn to spell, their knowledge of words improves and reading becomes easier. 2 And yet, even though there is a close relationship between reading and spelling (the correlation between the two is quite strong, 3 ranging from 0.66 to 0.90, where 0 would indicate no correlation How Words Cast Their Spell Spelling Is an Integral Part of Learning the Language, Not a Matter of Memorization and 1 would indicate a perfect correlation), spelling in the elementary grades is usually taught as an isolated skill, often as a visual task.* Collectively, the authors of this paper have eight decades of experience helping preservice and inservice teachers improve their instruction in spelling, reading, and writing. one common perception we have encountered is that visual memory, analogous to taking a mental picture of the word, is the basis of spelling skill. Teachers often tell us that they teach spelling by encouraging whole-word memorization (e.g., using flashcards and having students write words 5 or 10 times) or by asking students to close their eyes and imagine words. We've encountered this perception that spelling relies on visual memory so many times that we became curious about when and how it originated—after all, it's a far cry from Webster's spellers. We traced it back to the 1920s: one of the earliest studies to stress the role of visual memory in spelling was published in 1926, and it found that deaf children spelled relatively well compared with normal children of similar reading experience. 4 Based on this study, and the perception that the relationship between sounds and the letters that spell them is highly variable, many people concluded that learning to spell is essentially a matter of rote memorization. Thus, researchers recommended that spelling instruction emphasize the development of visual memory for whole words. 5 More recent studies, however, do not support the notion that visual memory is the key to good spelling. 6 Several researchers have found that rote visual memory for letter strings is limited to two or three letters in a word. 7 In addition, studies of the errors * Throughout this article, the research and instructional strategies discussed are about spelling in english; they may not apply to other languages.
2017
This writing shares a course designed to reconnect middle school students to the natural world. In reconnecting to nature while in nature, students are afforded the opportunity for deep reflection, and the space to wonder and realize the interconnectivity between things. We highlight transformations in thinking and feeling awareness as students’ connection with nature is expressed though art and writing while being deeply immersed in the natural environment.
2019
How one nursery improved their support of children's communication and language skills as seen through the lens of the new Ofsted judgement 'Quality of education'. By Julie Kent, Caroline Farley and Sue Hobson
1996
In the second week of school, Ms. Baker stands before a large easel chart in her first grade classroom and leads her 23 students in choral reading a class-dictated experience story. (Note: Ms. Baker is a pseudonym for an experienced teacher whom the author worked with over the course of a school year.
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2015
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Número 6, Enero-Junio, 2018