Teachers' concerns regarding spelling instruction and the spelling abilities of their students were sought in a national survey. Using a random sample of teachers of grades one through five across all 50 states, respondents reported teaching practices, degree of agreement with theoretical statements, and responded to open-ended statements.…

Describes "Sort, Search, and Discover," a spelling instruction strategy that assesses students' current knowledge and individualizes the study of words with common spelling patterns or rules. Discusses how it was developed, the five-day instructional plan, and how to adjust for an inclusion classroom. (SR)

A study analyzed whether a word study instruction based on open sorting would allow children to have more conventions or strategies available for spelling words in their written work. Subjects, all 22 third-grade students in a suburb of a large midwestern city, were given the Qualitative Inventory of Word Knowledge as pre- and posttests. Three…

Describes how a researcher and an elementary school teacher added a word sorting component to help children work through the complexities of the language as they group words into categories. Describes results as fifth graders thought aloud while they sorted words. Finds a link between children's developmental knowledge of spelling and their…

Examines how fifth-grade students at different stages of spelling approach open-word sorting activities with familiar words. Demonstrates the value of using open sorts as a means of assessing student thinking about words. Suggests that teachers should be careful using scaffolding techniques--they need to establish the nature and purpose of sorting…