Heather Marie Kosur

Teach a Student to Spell Heather Marie Kosur

The primary function of English spelling is to represent meaning. Spelling is not just sounds written down. The spelling of a word reflects its meaning, parts, history, relatives, and finally sounds.

Teach a Student to Spell: Level 1 is the follow-up workbook to the Teach a Student to Read reading program, which strives to teach students accurate and complete information about the English spelling system.

Instead of only learning spelling through rote memorization, students will learn the reasons for the spellings of words. Teach a Student to Spell teaches that sometimes every letter in a word spells a sound but that some letters do not spell sounds. Units of one, two, or three letters called graphemes (digraphs, trigraphs) spell sounds. Letters can be zeroed. Letters can be phonological, etymological, and/or lexical markers.

Level 1 consists of 36 spelling lists of 8 to 10 words each. The spelling lists are based on the most common words in English and various sight word lists. The goal of Level 1 is to teach the spellings of the most common English words and common English bases. Each list reinforces the graphemes taught in Teach a Student to Read. Some complex words are also introduced. Related words are noted.

Students must be early readers. Some knowledge of the English writing system such as the letters of the alphabet is required. Level 1 is recommended for ages 5 to 7 in kindergarten through first grade.