Research shows that for long-term retention and real-world application spelling instruction needs to be more than the memorization of word lists. Offering an alternative to the traditional word-list approach, Sandra Wilde's
Spelling Strategies and Patterns brings joy and teaching to spelling instruction. Sandra's inquiry-based approach to spelling instruction engages children in exploring the spelling patterns they are already starting to internalize and developing the strategies that will help them fine-tune their spelling as they write.
Spelling Strategies and Patterns has two components
In the lesson book, Sandra offers 65 short lessons designed to help students become more proficient spellers.
- 32 strategy lessons help children improve spelling as they go about the process of writing; many of them answer the question, "What should I do when I'm writing and don't know how to spell a word?'
- 33 pattern lessons help children know what to do when it's not obvious what letters are in a word; many answer the question, "How do I know which letters to choose in order to spell the sounds I hear?"
An accompanying CD-ROM provides a wealth of resources to support your inquiry-based spelling instruction.
- Live-from-the-classroom video footage allows you to observe Sandra as she teaches strategy and pattern lessons. "Working with What Kids Give You" video clips show how to incorporate the unexpected events that invariably occur during the course of a spelling exploration.
- An up-close look at student writing samples with voice-over commentary from Sandra allows you to look over the authors shoulder as she analyzes student work.
- Printable lesson reproducibles and modifiable assessment forms offer practical day-to-day support.
"The reason we're thinking about different approaches to spelling these days is more like why medicine has changed than why fashion has changed: we know more than we used to. The two big things that we've learned about are how spelling develops and how the writing process works." -Sandra Wilde
Sandra Wilde, Ph.D., is the author of numerous Heinemann professional books including Quantity & Quality and Funner Grammar as well as the firsthand classroom resource Strategic Spelling. She is widely recognized for her expertise in developmental spelling and her advocacy of holistic approaches to spelling and phonics. She is Professor of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College, City University of New York. She is best known for her work in invented spelling, phonics and miscue analysis. She specializes in showing teachers how kids' invented spellings and miscues can help us work with them in more sophisticated and learner-centered ways. Looking at what kids do as they read and write is at the heart of Sandra's presentations and workshops. She can do lively keynote presentations that highlight the interesting things that we can learn by paying close attention to students' invented spellings and miscues, as well as workshops of varying lengths that focus on student-centered teaching of spelling and phonics. She has recently begun offering workshops that focus on understanding students' miscues as a guide to appropriate instruction, particularly for struggling readers. She lives in New York City. Sandra is quoted in this Huffington Post article about trends in grammar instruction in the Common Core era.
