Spelling It Out: How Words Work And How To Teach Them

Description

Spelling can be a source of anxiety for school children and working professionals alike. Yet the spelling of words in English is not as random or chaotic as it is often perceived to be; rather, it is a system based on both meaning and a fascinating linguistic history. Misty Adoniou's public articles on the processes of teaching and learning spelling have garnered an overwhelming response from concerned parents and teachers looking for effective solutions to the problems they face in teaching English spelling to children. Spelling It Out aims to ease anxiety and crush the myth that good spelling comes naturally. Good spelling comes from good teaching. Based on Misty Adoniou's extensive research into spelling learning and instruction, this book encourages children and adults to nurture a curiosity about words, discover their history and, in so doing, understand the logic behind the way they are spelled.

Author description

Misty Adoniou is an Associate Professor in Language and Literacy at the University of Canberra.

Table of contents

1. Redefining spelling; 2. How do words work? Unravelling the threads; 3. How do we learn to spell?; 4. Planning a spelling program; 5. Assessing spelling; Appendix 1. Some stories about words; Appendix 2. Common English morphemes; Appendix 3. Ways into words; Appendix 4. Spelling and scope sequence.