Tricks of the Trade

Some children, even though motivated, full of phonics instruction, and diligent workers, just don't seem to "catch on" to spelling. Gayle Graham designed her spell¬ing program for just such a child and in the process developed a program that would be a strong contender for teaching any child to spell. What a coincidence, then, that she selected this title (How to Teach Any Child to Spell) for her little (35 pages; 5.5" x 8") teacher's manual. Expanding on one of Ruth Beechick's three approaches to teaching spelling, Mrs. Graham has developed the Beechick "individualized method" into an individualized spelling note-book. Her methodology is simple enough; put one spelling rule on each page, help the student categorize his own spelling mistakes under the proper rule, discuss the reason for each error developing a strategy for remembering the word's spelling, and drill the student's own misspelled words daily. However, she's pack¬aged all this into a 90-page notebook (Tricks of the Trade); hole-punched with an attractive layout and engaging illustrations. What sets this approach apart from other phonics-based spell¬ing programs is the reasoning involved. The student is actively involved in the classification/ analysis of his very own spelling difficulties. This reasoning process is a significant element in each daily spelling lesson along with more typical elements - daily writing, phonics review, review of misspelled words. Another key and unusual element is daily oral reading with "penciling" - a process which draws the reader's attention to patterns of words and phrases.

The How to Teach book is full of helpful information including an examination of spelling myths, a look at spelling stages and strategies, a short tutorial on teaching spelling by syllables, and a strategic compilation of basic phonics/ spelling rules. Although phonics plays a key ele¬ment in any student's command of spelling, the slightly different perspective of seeing phonics as the building blocks for words helps engage the student in the analysis process which is the key to success. Carefully chosen helps continue into the appendix: rules worth remembering, daily phonics review, frequently misspelled words, and a recommended resource list.

The two-book set includes both the teacher's manual How to Teach Any Child to Spell and the consumable Tricks of the Trade: A Student's Individualized Spelling Notebook. ~ Janice