To determine the words that children misspell as they write and then to analyze those words as they represent different spelling patterns at different grade levels, for different proficiencies of writing, and in the context of the essay in which the misspelling occurred, this study examined writing samples from across the country. The study was based on the belief that it is the words that children actually misspell in their writing that represent the words and patterns that need to be taught. The samples from this study came from three national writing assessment and four state writing assessment programs and included 21,876 writing samples from children in grades 2-8. Findings produced a set of seven word lists at grades 2 through 8 and the "Spelling List Concordance: Words Taught in Seven Major Spelling Programs." To investigate spelling avoidance in the context of composing stories a second pilot study explored the extent to which students avoid writing words because they are unsure of how to spell them. Subjects, 27 students from grades 1-5 in rural schools near a major university town in the Midwest, were asked both to tell and to write the same story in response to a picture prompt. Results indicated that most of the time there was no evidence of direct word or phrase substitution at all. However, the conclusions leave unanswered questions about spelling avoidance, and this may be because of the study's design. (Eleven tables of data are included, and one appendix, a spelling avoidance study protocol, and 38 references are attached.) (MS)