It is a little known fact that reading was taught by means of spelling for over 200 years. Today the impact of spelling on reading achievement is not as well appreciated as it once was. The late Dr. Ronald P. Carver did extensive research into the causal relationships between spelling instruction and reading ability. Carver concluded, "One very important way to learn how to pronounce more words accurately is sometimes overlooked, that is, learning to spell more words accurately." (Causes of High and Low Reading Achievement, p. 178). He also notes that "spelling was used to teach reading for almost 200 years, but by the beginning of the 20th century, the tide had so turned that learning to spell was largely seen as incidental to learning to read." Quoting C. A. Perfetti, Carver observed, "practice at spelling should help reading more than practice of reading helps spelling." (p. 179. In June of 2004 Miss Geraldine Rodgers sent me her essay, "Why Noah Webster's Way Was the Right Way." She argued from the history of reading and the psychology of reading that Webster's spelling book method of teaching reading and spelling was superior to all other methods. I was surprised to learn that that Webster, in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, defined a Spelling Book as, " A book for teaching children to spell and read." He also wrote under the entry, Spelling, "To tell the name of letters of a word, with a proper division of syllables, for the purpose of learning the pronunciation. In this manner children learn to read by first spelling the words." You can see that Webster was quite clear about the dual purpose of the spelling books in his day. You can imagine my surprise at the improvement I began to get with my tutoring students when they started working through Webster's Spelling Book. I decided to type up my own edition to use in my private tutoring and my tutoring work at the Odessa Christian School in Odessa, TX, where I teach remedial reading and Spanish. In this edition, I have retained everything in the original 1908 (descendant from the 1829 edition). The only differences relate to formatting. I chose to list the words in rows instead of columns. I also allow the words to divide at the ends of lines. I have found that this works fine for all students. We are teaching students to read and spell by syllables and not by word shapes or context. When reading and spelling are taught by the Spelling Book Method, all guessing at words from shape or context is completely eliminated. The student's total focus is on pronouncing the words correctly, high levels of comprehension are a natural result.

"English is so illogical!" It is generally believed that English is a language of exceptions. For many, learning to spell and read is frustrating. For some, it is impossible... especially for the 29% of Americans who are functionally illiterate. But what if the problem is not the language itself, but the rules we were taught? What if we could see the complexity of English as a powerful tool rather than a hindrance? --Denise Eide Uncovering the Logic of English challenges the notion that English is illogical by systematically explaining English spelling and answering questions like "Why is there a silent final E in have, large, and house?" and "Why is discussion spelled with -sion rather than -tion?" With easy-to-read examples and anecdotes, this book describes: - the phonograms and spelling rules which explain 98% of English words - how English words are formed and how this knowledge can revolutionize vocabulary development - how understanding the reasons behind English spelling prevents students from needing to guess The author's inspiring commentary makes a compelling case that understanding the logic of English could transform literacy education and help solve America's literacy crisis. Thorough and filled with the latest linguistic and reading research, Uncovering the Logic of English demonstrates why this systematic approach should be as foundational to our education as 1+1=2.

Unlike oral communication, reading is not an automatic or naturally acquired skill, and children do not learn to read in the same manner as they learn to speak. Reading requires that children be able to process letter sounds visually. There is a definite connection between reading and spelling, but the skills needed for spelling are more complex than the skills needed for reading or oral communication. Spelling goes a step further and requires that children be able to process phonetic sounds and apply them to letter symbols in order to form visual-phonological connections that can be reconstructed in oral and/or written form. This book presents and discusses topical data on spelling skills.