For Parents - Articles

News clips and articles you may have missed:

"Spelling Makes a Comeback"

Christian Science Monitor, May 17, 2005 by Stacy A. Teicher

The article talks about the resurgence and importance of spelling and quotes Richard Gentry. It recognizes that spelling must be properly taught.

"I have to be honest, spelling is a problem," says Lynn Merrill, principal of Farmingville Elementary School in Ridgefield, Conn. "I'm hearing about it everywhere."
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"Why Stevie Can't Spell"

Washington Post, February 20, 2004 by Steve Hendrix

Read a clever, funny, and insightful article in which Steve Hendrix, a Washington Post Staff Writer, investigates his own spelling disability.

"I once spell-checked a 2,000-word article I had written for the Post's Travel section and found I had spelled itinerary four ways, none of them correctly. It was a pitiful tally, made worse by the fact that it blinked at me in the middle of a newsroom filled with some of the best writers -- and spellers -- in the country. I could hear them all around me, blithely tapping out the 100,000-plus words that go into the paper every morning, most spelled correctly on the first go. People who write for big-city newspapers are supposed to be able to spell. The island of misfit toys, this is not."
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"5 Myths About spelling- Dispelled!"

Instructor Magazine, October 2001 by Richard Gentry

Enjoy Dr. Gentry's still timely article from Scholastic's Instructor Magazine. Find out why "invented spelling" is good for kids and other spelling tips.

"Inventing a spelling for an unfamiliar word --also frequently referred to as temporary spelling, sound spelling, constructed spelling, phonic spelling, or developmental spelling --is natural. We all do it. And kids do it all the time. However, contrary to what a lot of people think, invented spelling doesn't hurt kids; our failure to teach word-specific knowledge and correct spelling does..."
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