The Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) is a strengths-based approach to supporting children's literacy learning in their first year of school. Previous research has shown the approach is effective at accelerating foundational literacy knowledge in children with lower levels of oral language. This study examined the impact of the BSLA for…

The ubiquitous weekly spelling test assumes that words are best learned by memorisation and testing but is this the best way? This study compared two well-known approaches to spelling instruction, the rule based and visual memory approaches. A group of 55 seven-year-olds in two Year 3 classrooms was taught spelling in small groups for three…

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of methods to develop preservice teachers' phonemic, morphological and orthographic awareness for spelling instruction. Preservice teachers (n = 86) participated in 10 hours of metalinguistic coursework. The coursework focused on: phonological awareness, orthographic awareness, morphological awareness…

Successful collaboration among speech and language therapists (SLTs) and teachers fosters the creation of communication friendly classrooms that maximize children's spoken and written language learning. However, these groups of professionals may have insufficient opportunity in their professional study to develop the shared knowledge, perceptions…

Developed as a forerunner to "Spell-Write: An Aid to Writing, Spelling, and Word Study," this student workbook includes words starting with each letter of the alphabet and spaces for students' words. The workbook also presents words related to 13 topics (including "colours,""numbers," and "my family") using…

This pamphlet on spelling research contains the practical outcomes of two recent studies investigating how children learn to spell. The pamphlet presents the findings and discusses the implications of a study which examined writing samples from 1,250 primary school children, ages 7 through 12, to determine the most frequently used and most…

Intended for students' use in several different ways to help with spelling and writing, this booklet has seven sections: (1) How to Use This Book to Help with Spelling and Writing; (2) Alphabetical Section (a 22-page section that lists the words students are most likely to use in their writing); (3) Place Names and Special Names; (4) Essential…

This booklet is the teachers manual for "Spell-Write," a text to aid learners in writing, spelling, and word study, and is intended to function effectively in a variety of classroom spelling and word study programs. The booklet has four main sections. An introduction discusses briefly the alphabetical spelling lists, the background to…

Suggestions for structuring a classroom spelling program are offered, focusing on three major components: personal spelling lists, word study and vocabulary extension, and studying and mastering the core vocabulary of written English. The 300 most frequent words in New Zealand primary writing and the 100 most often misspelled words are listed.…

A New Zealand study compared the results of two computerized matching-to-sample discrimination training conditions (critical-difference and multiple-difference training) in reducing consonant cluster (CC) errors made by six children (ages 4-7) on a constructed-response transfer test. Results indicate the critical-difference training condition was…

How can classroom spelling programs be structured and organized to fit current approaches to language? Ten major considerations can be identified: (1) spelling is a skill of writing; (2) spelling is best learned as a component of writing, and not as a result of studying isolated skills; (3) not all children will pick up spelling as a result of…

Five research studies dealing with spelling achievement in New Zealand schools have been conducted; these include dictated-word spelling tests, written language studies, and achievement data collections of 20,000 students. Several conclusions emerge from an examination of this research: spelling achievement studies should be based on samples of…

This booklet is the Teacher's Manual for "Spell-Write" (Revised), a text to aid students in New Zealand in writing, spelling, and word study programs. "Spell-Write" (Revised) will be used predominantly in Years 4-7 classrooms. The overriding principle which has been retained in this revised edition is that of…

This packet of educational research information is designed for everyone interested in education and may be utilized for a quick read, private study, staff meetings, inservice courses or small group discussions. The leaflets and brief reports are listed on a contents sheet as follows: "Twin Studies of Spelling"; "Moment-by-moment…