In language arts programs in the Greater China Region, textbooks are the primary materials used to teach children to read and write. Learning to read and write in Chinese is particularly challenging because elementary grade students are expected to learn, recognize, and write thousands of characters (the basic linguistic unit in Chinese).…

The impact of supplemental handwriting and spelling instruction on learning to write was examined in an experimental study with first grade students who were not acquiring these skills as rapidly as their classmates. Thirty students (16 boys, 14 girls) were randomly assigned to a handwriting and spelling instructional condition or a phonological…

Primary grade teachers randomly selected from across the United States completed a survey (N = 168) that examined their instructional practices in spelling and the types of adaptations they made for struggling spellers. Almost every single teacher surveyed reported teaching spelling, and the vast majority of respondents implemented a complex and…

This article describes the outcome and significance of studies in the area of writing conducted from 1999 to 2003 by the Center on Accelerating Student Learning (a multisite research center involving Vanderbilt University, Columbia University, and the University of Maryland). The basic purpose of the Center was to identify effective instructional…

Reviews literature on the natural learning approach as it pertains to spelling instruction, which focuses on incidental and informal methods of learning to spell. Emphasizes there is only partial support for the inherent assumptions of the approach and reports young children who receive little or no spelling instruction do as well as their…

The study examined 40 learning disabled fourth graders' spelling performance in response to strategy training and variations in study conditions. Students who were taught the five-step study strategy recalled correct spelling of more words than controls. However, spelling performance of students who received strategy training was not…

Provides a variety of general guidelines for developing an effective spelling program. Argues that at a minimum, teachers should ensure that spelling instruction for a particular student is comprehensive, individualized, and based on a foundation of research evidence. (RH)

To help teachers ensure that spellng instruction for mainstreamed handicapped students is direct, comprehensive, student-oriented, varied, individualized, and based on research, the article poses 11 questions for analyzing spelling materials and practices. (CL)

Examines the contribution of supplemental spelling instruction to spelling, writing, and reading among second-grade children experiencing difficulties learning. Students in the spelling condition made greater improvements on norm-referenced spelling measures, a writing-fluency test, and a reading word-attack measure following instruction.…

The Directed Spelling Thinking Activity (DSTA) is a method of teaching spelling to students with learning disabilities by encouraging active thinking and analysis of word patterns. With DSTA, students compare and contrast words that fit different but related spelling patterns. Words illustrating 37 spelling patterns are listed. (Author/DB)

Reviews research on teaching spelling to the learning disabled and presents instructional recommendations. Examines research on reduced unit size and distributed practice, imitation plus modeling peer tutoring strategy training, self-monitoring generalization training, and microcomputer-based remediation. (KH)

Four vocabulary lists were used to generate a basic spelling list for students with learning disabilities and other poor spellers. Each word was assigned a grade placement (one through three) based on pattern of occurrence in children's writing and placement on current vocabulary lists and spelling materials. The resulting spelling list of 335…

Two studies compared the effectiveness of alphabet principle training only versus combined alphabet principle and syllable awareness training with at-risk spellers (grades 2 and 3). Differing results suggest use of a two-tier early intervention model in which first the alphabet principle is taught and applied and then the following year children…

Poor spellers in second grade (N=128) participated in sessions that included direct instruction in the alphabet principle, modeling of different approaches for developing connections between spoken and written words, and practice in composing. Results of this multilayered approach are discussed, including evidence that training in spelling…

Third graders with low compositional fluency were randomly assigned to four time-equated treatments in an instructional experiment: spelling, composing, combined spelling plus composing, and treated control. All treatments increased compositional fluency. Results are related to the simple view of writing that integrates diverse theoretical…