Classroom spelling instruction: History, research, and practice

Currently there is no consensus on how best to teach spelling in a classroom setting. This article discusses three major positions regarding spelling instruction: the incidental, the developmental word study, and the basal speller approaches. Implications of these positions for classroom teaching are explored. The author presents an overview of nearly a century of research into spelling instruction. In addition, he reviews contemporary research on instructional level in spelling and on addressing the needs of low achieving spellers in a classroom setting. This research perspective helps to clarify and perhaps even to resolve some of the contentious issues and points of debate in contemporary discussion and practice. In light of this, the author argues that a modified basal speller approach can provide classroom teachers with an efficient and adaptable tool that can meet a variety of needs, provided that students are placed in spelling books based on an assessment of their prior knowledge and not simply on their current grade level.