Why Spelling Is So Difficult
President Andrew Jackson once remarked, “It’s a d____ poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!” Many Americans would readily agree. In fact, the English language is notorious for its...
View ArticleDiagnostic Spelling Assessments
As an MA Reading Specialist and educational author of seven spelling books, I thought I’d pitch in to help teachers do a little reflection on their spelling programs. Over the next five posts, I will...
View ArticleEffective Spelling Practice
My last post, “How to Teach Spelling Part IV,” discussed the role of the diagnostic pre-test as part of a balanced spelling program. I provided links for spelling word lists, including Vowel...
View ArticleHow to Evaluate Spelling Programs
Properly evaluating spelling programs can save future headaches and money. Adopting spelling programs that teachers will not use simply makes no sense. With increasing attention on following Response...
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Spelling Word Lists by Grade Levels
As an MA Reading Specialist and author of quite a few spelling curricula (eight at last count), I’m often asked about spelling word lists by grade levels. Which words are right for which grade levels?...
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Spelling Scope and Sequence
For many teachers, spelling instruction has taken a back seat to other instruction, especially in the ELA middle and high school classrooms. Perhaps this has been the case because of so many years in...
View ArticleGrammar, Mechanics, Spelling, and Vocabulary (Teaching the Language Strand)...
Grade 4 Test Drive Grade 5 Test Drive Grade 6 Test Drive Grade 7 Test Drive Grade 8 Test Drive
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Six Simple Steps to Teaching Spelling
Grades 4-8 spelling instruction was once relegated to editing stage of the writing process by some Writers Workshop purists. The Common Core authors would seem to concur. From grade 5 on up, the only...
View ArticleCommon Core Vocabulary
One quick glance at the Vocabulary Standards (see below) will convince most teachers that the traditional method of vocabulary instruction in our schools: pre-teaching a few challenging words before...
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How to Teach Greek and Latin Word Parts Vocabulary
How to Teach Greek and Latin Word Parts Earlier in my teaching career I taught SAT/ACT preparation courses on the side. No, not the math. In checking out all of the SAT prep books I found page after...
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How to Teach Academic Language Vocabulary
How to Teach Academic Language It’s been a while (2009) since I’ve read the carefully-crafted Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards. Not light bedtime reading, but reading is the subject of...
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How to Teach Word Relationships Vocabulary
How to Teach Word Relationships In Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards, the authors discuss the importance of learning new vocabulary in the context of word relationships. To deeply...
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How to Teach Connotations: Shades of Meaning Vocabulary
How to Teach Connotations Shades of Meaning Some of our English words are quite imprecise. Whereas the Greeks have at least four words for love, we only have one. How crazy is it that we can say, “I...
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How to Teach Figures of Speech Vocabulary
How to Teach Figures of Speech “Walk through the door and into my room. Chill in your seat until I can take care of this business. I swear I feel like I’m casting all my pearls before swine,” said the...
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How to Teach Multiple Meaning Words Vocabulary
How to Teach Multiple Meaning Words From an old vaudeville act: “You drove me to drink!” her husband shouted. “No, you walked there yourself every night,” his wife responded. This mildly humorous...
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Word Crimes (Revisited)
“Word Crimes (Revisited)” Let’s have a bit of fun at the president’s expense (and that of his English teachers). Check out a few of the more egregious examples of President Trump’s tweet and speech...
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The Problem with Words Their Way
The Problem with Words Their Way Back in the late 1990s, I served as an elementary reading specialist in a large Northern California school district. Our cadre of 21 reading specialists were...
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