Is a Four-Letter Word

Abstract

Intended for teachers and parents, this book focuses on demolishing widely held myths about poor spellers and about the process of spelling. "Dear Professor Henderson" (chapter 1) is a dedication to a favorite college professor who remonstrated with the author about his "lazy" spelling. "Kneeling on Rice" (chapter 2) states the book's purpose--to make spelling instruction more effective and learning to spell a more natural process. "Let's Give Kids Soft Rice" (chapter 3) uses the story of Dan (a laborious speller) to enumerate some realistic hypotheses about spelling to replace the myths that abound. "Questions Teachers Ask" (chapter 4) examines teaching strategies for creating an effective spelling program. "Advice for Parents" (chapter 5) offers guidelines that encourage parents to approach spelling as a developmental process. "Is Spel...a Four-Letter Word?" (chapter 6), a reiteration of the expounded philosophy, proposes that spelling be taught socially in interaction with reading, writing, and other language arts, in a child-centered curriculum. "Postscript: Pain Prevention" (chapter 7) outlines some steps to make spelling instruction enjoyable and effective and to reassure children that being a bad speller does not make them a bad person and does not doom them to failure in life. The final page is a list of reference material. (NKA)