I am a horrible speller. I feel that I have been born at the right time with the ability to use spell check and Grammarly when I write. When I was a beginner reader/speller I was instructed to memorize a spelling list for the week…

I was never a good speller. I went to a parochial school and spelling tests and spelling bees were a weekly trial for me. I clearly remember when in fifth grade Sister Rosa tried to bolster my self-esteem by giving me the easy words in…

There is an inter-relationship between, reading, spelling, handwriting, and written expression that needs to be honored when we think about teaching reading. There are multiple areas in the brain that are essential in learning how to read. Our instruction, therefore, needs to be explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multi-sensory.