In this article, the coeditors of "Voices from the Middle" present an interview with James Maguire, author of "The American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds." During the interview, Maguire talked about his experiences with the National Spelling Bee to provide some insight to middle-level teachers and students. Maguire…

The stereotypical view of English spelling as an awesome mess is no longer widely held by linguists. That view assumes that spelling should represent pronunciation directly and simply. Instead, spelling is currently understood as representing a more abstract level of language as well as reflecting etymology. Examples from a middle school spelling…

A counter-response to Kristine F. Anderson's "Using Spelling to Develop Basic Writers' Linguistic Awareness: A Response to Ann B. Dobie" (Journal of Basic Writing; v6 n2). (SR)

The article refutes the assumption that levels of developmental spelling in children indicate that formal instruction in spelling must not be practiced at certain of these levels. Further indications of the weaknesses of using developmental stages in spelling as a guide for instruction in this subject are described. (Author/CL)

Examined elementary school spelling textbooks in order to determine the nature of current spelling instruction. (Author/MP)

Noting that any word in the English language may be defined as having a "base" sound that conveys meaning, this booklet argues that the literacy problem may be solved through systematic instruction in the mechanics of English spelling. The booklet discusses the two distinct types of bases in the English language--common (one syllable)…

Examines instructional approaches to spelling presented in several college-level texts, showing their shortcomings. (FL)

What logic should educators use in choosing words for students to learn to spell? Common sense provides the answer: students should learn to spell the words they use in writing. What these words are has been a subject of concern since the beginning of this century. Dozens of word frequency lists have been developed over the years, based primarily…

In response to the preceding article by Robert L. Hillerich in the same issue of "Educational Leadership," the author argues that Hillerich's recommendations for spelling instruction do not take into account recent research on the cognitive processes involved in learning to spell. (RW)

Discusses good spelling instruction and spelling research at the middle school level in the form of a conversation with Clint Eastwood as the fictitious principal at Highland Middle School. (SR)

Explores the historical and contemporary parallels and divergences that exist across a number of issues: the nature of the system of English spelling; the nature of the learner; the nature and scope of research on the learning of spelling or orthographic structure; and the nature of spelling instruction. (RS)

This booklet presents a simplified and improved method of writing or spelling English, which simply uses the standard 26-letter alphabet to spell words the way they are pronounced. The booklet criticizes the conventional English spelling system as unnecessarily difficult, inconsistent, and illogical and suggests that easy-to-learn "Basic…

Notes college students' difficulties with spelling and suggests that spelling be taught in content areas in high school. (MKM)

Which spelling words should students master in order to communicate well in writing? There are numerous sources from which teachers may choose spelling words to use and teach. This paper discusses five such sources: the basal spelling textbook; words based on research studies; individualized spelling; words taken from subject matter units of…

Discusses the pros and cons of phonics for spelling. (MP)