Shows teachers how to nurture writers and build student confidence in their ability to writ and to spell well. It argues that children learn to spell by investigating how words work and recognizing the unique structure and patterns of words.--back cover.

The book narrates the history of English spelling from the Anglo-Saxons to the present-day. It also examines the changing attitudes to spelling, including numerous proposals for spelling reform, ranging from the introduction of new alphabets to more modest attempts to rid English of its silent letters, and the differing agendas they reveal.

Fresh new cover, same great content In 1996, Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas presented Guided Reading, the most comprehensive guided reading resource ever published. Hailed for its practical, systematic approach, the book showed hundreds of thousands of teachers how to address the needs of the whole classroom as well as individual readers. Now, with the publication of Word Matters, Pinnell and Fountas offer K-3 teachers the same unparalleled support, this time focusing on phonics and spelling instruction. Word Matters presents essential information on designing and implementing a high-quality, systematic literacy program to help children learn about letters, sounds, and words. The central goal is to teach children to become "word solvers": readers who can take words apart while reading for meaning, and writers who can construct words while writing to communicate. Where similar books are narrow in focus, Word Matters presents the theoretical underpinnings and practical wherewithal of word study in three contexts: word study that includes systematically planned and applied experiences focusing on the elements of letters and words writing, including how children use phoneme-grapheme relationships, word patterns, and principles to develop spelling ability reading, including teaching children how to solve words with the use of phonics and visual-analysis skills as they read for meaning. Each topic is supported with a variety of practical tools: reproducible sheets for a word study system and for writing workshop; lists of spelling minilessons; and extensive word lists, including frequently used words, antonyms, synonyms, and more. Armed with these tools-and the tried-and-true wisdom of Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas-teachers can help students develop not just the "essential skills," but also a joyful appreciation of their own literacy.

Based on the active and innovative approach of making words that teachers and their students have grown to love from Cunningham, "What Really Matters in Spelling" presents teachers in grades kindergarten through eighth grade with a clear approach to what really matters in spelling.

In most settings, good spelling is essential for effective communication. What’s more, erratic or unconventional spelling can often leave a poor impression. Though English spelling can be frustrating at times, most people can become above-average or excellent spellers. Spelling Matters provides a comprehensive, flexible guide for improvement in this skill. It first offers a pre-assessment to identify areas needing particular focus. This serves as a compass to point you to a variety of exercises that effectively reinforce the corresponding lessons until mastery has been acquired. This text is appropriate for a broad range of learners—including high school, college, ESL, and adult educational students—and is adaptable to both individual or private and group or classroom use. Though it focuses largely on commonly misspelled words, it also includes challenging ones often required for more advanced writing. Leavened with a touch of humor, this textbook presents an accessible and highly adaptable approach to mastering the rules of English spelling.

Can ghoti really be pronounced fish? Why is "o" short in glove and love, but long in rove and cove? Why do English words carry such extra baggage as the silent "b" in doubt, the silent "k" in knee, and the silent "n" in autumn? And why do names like Phabulous Phoods and Hi-Ener-G stand out? Addressing these and many other questions about letters and the sounds they make, this engaging volume provides a comprehensive analysis of American English spelling and pronunciation. Venezky illuminates the fully functional system underlying what can at times be a bewildering array of exceptions, focusing on the basic units that serve to signal word form or pronunciation, where these units can occur within words, and how they relate to sound. Also examined are how our current spelling system has developed, efforts to reform it, and ways that spelling rules or patterns are violated in commercial usage. From one of the world's foremost orthographic authorities, the book affords new insight into the teaching of reading and the acquisition and processing of spelling sound relationships.