Primary - Spelling Magazine 2021

A selection of
useful
resources
Spelling

Words Their Way:
Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary
and Spelling Instruction
Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston (2020)
Words Their Way is a hands-on, developmentally-driven
approach to word study that illustrates how to integrate and
teach children phonics, vocabulary, and spelling skills.
The new sixth edition offers a collection of classroom activities
sequenced to help students build the skills they need to move
on to the next developmental stage.
New classroom footage shows teachers using word study at all
stages of development.
A Create Your Own feature allows teachers to modify and
create sorts specific to the needs of their students. Assessment
Tools included show teachers how to monitor students’
progress throughout the year.

Letter Lessons and First Words:
Phonics Foundations That Work
Mesmer (2019)
The book Letter Lessons and First Words: Phonics Foundations That
Work provides a research-based vision of what engaging
differentiated, sequential and explicit phonics instruction can look
like.
Mesmer provides basic information about how the English system
of writing works which is vital knowledge if teachers are going to be
effective in their teaching.
A clear scops and sequence of what to teach, and a quick
assessment that enables teachers to place students in the
appropriate unit of instruction is included.
Videos show students working with letters, words, and books at
various stages of their learning.

Guiding Thinking for
Effective Spelling
Topfer & Arendt (2017)
Guiding Thinking For Effective Spelling (2 nd Edition) explains
practical ways to assess students’ spelling needs and implement a
consistent, supportive spelling approach across the school at all
primary levels.
Author’s Topfer & Arenft base their book on modern research into
spelling and effective teaching.
Chapters include:
• ideas for developing a word conscious classroom
• guiding students’ strategic thinking about spelling
• actively recording students’ learning through the use of
Word Study Notebooks.

Spelling It Out: How Words
Work & How To Teach Them
Adoniou (2016)
Spelling it Out is based on Misty Adoniou’s extensive research
into spelling learning and instruction.
Adoniou explains how English spelling is not just random, but
is a system based on meaning and a fascinating history of
words in English.
She encourages teachers and students to cultivate a curiosity
about words, discover their history and build an
understanding behind the way they are spelled.
This text is based on the belief that good spelling is the result
of good teaching.

Effective Spelling:
Teaching Guide
Topfer, Warren & Woolnough
The Effective Spelling suite of resources for Foundation to
Year 6 expand on the approach to the teaching of spelling
outlined in Guiding Thinking For Effective Spelling (2 nd
Edition). It is designed to support teachers develop effective,
competent spellers who are curious about words.
The authors present an inquiry approach and provide a
structure for a learning sequence based on the gradual
release of responsibly.
The following five key spelling strategies are explored –
Sound, Visual, Meaning, Connecting and Checking.

Spelling K-8:
Planning and Teaching
Snowball & Bolton (1999)
This book by Diane Snowball & Faye Bolton shows how schools can
put systematic teaching in place without compromising the
principles of constructivist learning. Spelling K-8 assists teachers
with:
• understanding current beliefs about teaching and learning
and means of translating these into classroom practice
• implementing specific types of spelling investigations by
clearly outlining the general process involved in spelling
explorations
• identifying possible spelling focuses at each grade level
• relating the teaching of spelling to reading and writing
experiences in a variety of curriculum areas
• knowing the generalisations children need to learn to
enable them to understand how written English works.

No More Phonics and Spelling
Worksheets
Palmer & Invernizzi (2015)
Palmer & Invernizzi present teaching practices that do not
rely on or use one-size-fits-all approach.
The book digs into:
• assessment of word knowledge
• differentiation
• myths about English spelling
• critical practices for word study
• links between spelling and vocabulary
• deep engagement with words.

Word Study That Sticks:
Best Practices K-6
Koutrakos (2018)
This hands-on guide to word study instruction provides
Grades K- 6 engaging and easily implemented approaches
for making phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and
vocabulary instruction come alive in any classroom.
Word Study That Sticks connects research with experience
and offers practical and innovative lessons to introduce new
vocabulary.
Koutrakos has pulled together the most popular and
effective word study techniques while also emphasising the
importance of student choice, engagement, and
collaboration.

The Science of Spelling
Gentry (2004)
Richard Gentry breaks down preconceptions and misconceptions
about how kids learn to spell, making new connections between
orthography and literacy.
Underpinned by his research, he offers techniques and insights that
will support lesson planning, including ways to:
• identify, through spelling, what level of emergent writing a
student has attained
• use scaffolding, hand and finger spelling, letter boxes, and
other instructional devices appropriately
• manage word lists and word sorts
• differentiate spelling instruction and assessment
• evaluate spelling books and find alternatives to traditional
spelling resources
• teach phonemic awareness and phonics through spelling.

Reading the Evidence: Synthetic
Phonics and Literacy Learning
Clark OBE (2017)
This book focuses on the impact of politics on
literacy policy and practice.
The authors claim that ideology is trumping the
evidence so that synthetic phonics adherents are
ignoring the research and the successes of the
teaching in many classrooms.
There are four contributors from the United
Kingdom and three from Australia.

Words Their Way:
Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary
and Spelling Instruction
Offers a systematic, teacher-directed, childcentered
plan that provides a complete
word study curriculum to motivate and
engage students while helping them to
succeed in literacy learning.
Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston (2020)

Closing the Vocabulary Gap:
Mind the Gap
Quigley explores the increased demands of
an academic curriculum and how closing
the vocabulary gap between ‘word poor’
and ‘word rich’ students could prove the
vital difference between school failure and
success. This book provides practical
solutions for teachers across the
curriculum, incorporating easy-to-use tools,
resources and classroom activities.
Quigley (2018)