Tricks of the Trade

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Description: 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 spelling 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 notebook. 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 packaged 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 spelling 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.