Spelling Research and Practice: A Unified Approach

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VOLUME 12
NUMBER
2 OCTOBER 1979
Spelling Research and Practice:
A Unified Approach
Steve Graham
and
Lamoine Miller
While spelling
is
neither the most important
nor
the least important aspect in
writing, it is a crucial ingredient. Good spellers
are
able to express their thoughts
on
paper without unnecessary interruptions.
Poor
spellers are hampered in their
ability to communicate freely through the written word.
For
a grocery list
or
personal reminders, accurate spelling
is
not essential,
but
material to be read by
others should be free from the distraction
of
misspelled words.
Spelling
is
a traditional element of the elementary school curriculum, where
considerable
amount
of
time and energy
are
devoted to its mastery. Moreover,
the general public often associates correct spelling with educational attainment,
accuracy, neatness and cultivation, while the inability to spell
is
frequently linked
with illiteracy (Personkee & Yee,
1971
).
Because the public and the educational
community emphasize the importance
of
spelling achievement, the inability
to
spell
may adversely affect an individual's educational
and
occupational status.
Unfortunately, many school-age children have difficulty learning to spell. The
majority
of
students who are presently labeled handicapped exhibit spelling prob-
lems. Learning disabilities, mental retardation, emotional disturbance,
and
crip-
pling and other health impairments may unfavorably affect spelling performance
(Kyte, 1949; Miller & Graham, 1979). These realizations are compounded by
an
ever present and growing concern that
our
schools' overall spelling achievement
is
lower
than
it was
30
or
40
years ago (E. Horn, 1960).
Unsatisfactory spelling progress may be attributed, in part, to inadequate con-
temporary classroom instruction, poorly designed commercial materials,
and
the
absence
of
spelling programs based on research findings. Further, contemporary
classroom instruction rarely accounts for individual student differences.
On
Monday
each student usually
is
introduced to the same list
of
spelling words.
On
Tuesday
the teacher administers a pretest,
and
on
Wednesday each student uses the
Dr. Graham
and
Dr. Miller are assistant professors in the Department
of
Rehabilitation
and
Special
Education,
Auburn
University . This article presents a
model
of
spelling instruction based on research
and
experiential knowledge, designed primarily
for
handicapped students
but
adaptable
for
use with
any school-age child. The project was
in
part supported by a grant
from
the Bureau
of
Education
for
the Handicapped (GOO
780
1499); the ideas expressed herein are the authors'
and
do
not necessarily
reflect
BEH
position
or
policy.
© Love Publishing Company
1979

2
FOCUS ON EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN OCTOBER 1979
spelling words in sentences. Thursday's activities are
designed to teach phonic skills
and/
or
words missed
on
Tuesday's pretest. A f:nal posttest
is
administered
on Friday. This pattern or one
that
is
strikingly similar
is
common
in most American classrooms (Rowell,
1972). Although some students may profit from such
large-group oriented instruction, many others do not.
Children do not learn
at
the same rate, nor
do
they
encounter the same difficulties in learning to spell.
The
actual spelling procedures used in many class-
rooms are influenced heavily by commercial materials
that
form the foundation
of
most spelling programs.
Spelling texts ordinarily off er a set pattern
of
instruc-
tion
with little variety (Dieterich, 1973);