What research says DOES work in the teaching of spelling:
using spelling lists composed of highest frequency words
presenting spelling words in list form
utilizing a pretest/preview for each spelling list
utilizing the self-corrected-test procedure
teaching how to study spelling:
3. close eyes and spell the word
4. cover the word and write it
teaching spelling generalizations and patterns
providing frequent opportunities to use spelling words in writing
allowing 60 to 75 minutes per week for spelling instruction
reading and writing daily
focusing on spelling in use rather than on spelling as an isolated fragment of the overall language arts curriculum
immersing students in the language of authors they admire and introducing them to new authors
using spelling games to make spelling fun
encouraging invented spelling in initial drafts
allowing print (instead of cursive) in spelling
encouraging students to use resources to check spelling
What research says DOES NOT work in the teaching of spelling:
writing spelling words 10 times each
spending more than 75 minutes per week on spelling instruction
drawing attention to the hard spots in words
spending time on word meaning (except with homophones)
spending so much time on spelling that little remains for reading and writing
What research says is only MINIMALLY SUCCESSFUL in the teaching of spelling:
teaching spelling by phonics rules
presenting spelling words in syllable form instead of whole-word form
including words from various curricular areas on spelling lists
having students write words in the air
oral spelling exercises
