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Spelling

Spelling CurriculumSpelling Resources

The ability to communicate is essential for human life. We know how to communicate as soon as we're born—crying because we're hungry, crying because we're tired, smiling when our needs are met. It's primitive communication, to be sure, but effective. As we get older, we learn to speak, listen, read, and write, all skills requiring an understanding of the rules that govern them.

Without rules, the elements of communication become meaningless. Rules are the guidelines that help us know when we say something to another person, they'll understand what we're saying. Even then, interpretation is almost always necessary, and no matter how careful we are in our speech and writing there's always someone who will misunderstand our message.

As a result, paying attention to the rules is something we neglect at the risk of being unable to communicate. In an age when spell-checkers underline our mistakes, however, we often have the (usually subconscious) attitude that spelling rules can be ignored. This partly stems from laziness, but more importantly it stems from a lack of knowledge: sure, spelling mastery takes some work initially, but the work it saves once accomplished is far greater.

Many of us weren't taught the fundamentals of English spelling when we were in school. Either we got straight phonics, or we learned to read using the "look-say" method of sight recognition. Neither of these methods take into account the magnificent and often frustrating complexity and adaptability of our language, and therefore neither taught us how to decode words, instead teaching us a formula that would work only most of the time.

Language changes, but it changes slowly, and never so quickly that we can't keep up with new forms and uses. The rules of grammar and spelling don't shift unless there's a need or a cataclysmic event (like the Tower of Babel or the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066), and even then the change isn't usually immediate. We can keep up with the rules, and we should because knowing them helps us communicate easier and more clearly.

But why spelling in particular? Why not just rely on spell-check? Anyone with experience in word processing will know the answer to the second question immediately: spell-check doesn't catch every mistake. Even if it did, we wouldn't find all the red underlines, and our emails, resumes, and papers would still be full of mistakes.

There's an even more fundamental reason, though. Learning to do something right the first time is crucial for just about any discipline. Take home construction, for instance; a builder doesn't slap together a few walls and a roof as quickly as possible just to get it done, then look for mistakes and problems later. A builder studies the plans, chooses the best materials, and puts the house together right the first time.

The same is true of musicians: an orchestra or band doesn't wait till they're on stage to go over their material, and fix mistakes after they've been made (if at all). Instead, they rehearse their songs as often and as thoroughly as possible before the performance so the audience will be able to enjoy good music properly performed.

Why do we make an exception for spelling? Not everything is written on a computer (even in this Technological Age), and even those items that are deserve to be written carefully and clearly the first time. Misspelling words (at the least) makes reading difficult and (at the worst) obscures or even changes meaning completely. If we know the rules well enough to spell words correctly the first time, we'll save ourselves and our readers a lot of headache and a lot of time.

It's important that kids learn these skills early on as their school careers will require plenty of writing, even if they stop after high school. Learning to spell also teaches them discipline, giving them the ability to write effectively rather than just quickly (though they'll be surprised how much faster they can write when they know how to spell the words!), and to pay attention to their work.

We carry many spelling curriculum lines, as well as plenty of resources and supplemental guides and worktexts. Spelling really requires nothing so much as practice and consistency, and mostly these books are collections of the spelling rules with lists of words to practice spelling. This doesn't necessarily need to be its own subject, but it does need to be learned and mastered, whether your kids want to become professors of literature or auto mechanics.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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ACSI Spelling Plus 1 - Worktext
3rd edition from ACSI (Purposeful Design)
for 1st grade
in ACSI Purposeful Design Spelling (Location: SPE-ACSI)
$22.99
ACSI Spelling Plus 2 - Worktext
3rd edition from ACSI (Purposeful Design)
for 2nd grade
in ACSI Purposeful Design Spelling (Location: SPE-ACSI)
$22.99
ACSI Spelling Plus 3 - Worktext
3rd edition from ACSI (Purposeful Design)
for 3rd grade
in ACSI Purposeful Design Spelling (Location: SPE-ACSI)
$22.99
All About Spelling Level 1 - Activity Book
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for 1st-2nd grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$26.95
All About Spelling Level 1 - Student Materials Packet (old)
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 1st-2nd grade
$18.95
All About Spelling Level 2 - Activity Book
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$26.95
All About Spelling Level 2 - Student Materials Packet (old)
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
$24.95
All About Spelling Level 3 - Activity Book
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$26.95
All About Spelling Level 3 - Student Packet
by Marie Rippel
Color Edition from All About Learning Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$49.95
All About Spelling Level 4 - Activity Book
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
All About Spelling Level 4 - Student Materials Packet
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$27.95
All About Spelling Level 4 - Student Materials Packet
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
All About Spelling Level 5 - Student Materials Packet
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$27.95
All About Spelling Level 6 - Student Materials Packet
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 5th-7th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$27.95
All About Spelling Level 7 - Student Materials Packet
by Marie Rippel
from All About Learning Press
for 5th-7th grade
in All About Spelling (Location: SPE-AAS)
$27.95
American Language Series - Phonics & Reading Guide
by Susan Kemmerer
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$5.00
American Language Series K - Workbook Set
American Language Series
by Guyla Nelson & Saundra Lamgo
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$56.84
Apples
by Susan Kemmerer
from Schoolhouse Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
Apples 2
by Susan Kemmerer
from Schoolhouse Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
Birds of a Feather
from All About Learning Press
for 1st-4th grade
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$19.95
Black Learning Log
by Wanda Sanseri
from Becky's Bouquet
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Spell to Write and Read (Location: PHO-SWR)
$23.00
Building Spelling Skills Book 1
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 1st grade
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 2
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 3
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 3rd grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 4
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 4th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 5
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 5th grade
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 6
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 7
by Garry Moes
from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Building Spelling Skills Book 8
by Garry Moes
from Christian Liberty Press
for 8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in CLP Building Spelling Skills (Location: SPE-CLP)
$12.85
Composition with Vocabulary and Spelling IV - Quiz Book
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 10th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Composition with Vocabulary and Spelling IV - Workbook
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 10th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Horizons Spelling & Vocabulary 1 - Student Book
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 1st grade
in Horizons Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-HOR)
$37.50
How to Spell Workbook 1
by Laura Toby Rudginsky & Elizabeth C. Haskell
from Educators Publishing Service
for 1st grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$14.49 $7.00 (1 in stock)
How to Spell Workbook 2
by Laura Toby Rudginsky & Elizabeth C. Haskell
from Educators Publishing Service
for 2nd-3rd grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$16.49
How to Spell Workbook 3
by Laura Toby Rudginsky & Elizabeth C. Haskell
from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-6th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$18.59 $9.00 (1 in stock)
How to Spell Workbook 4
by Laura Rudginsky & Elizabeth Haskell
from Educators Publishing Service
for 7th-12th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$18.59 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Megawords 1
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 2
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 7th-9th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 3
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 6th-7th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 4
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 5
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 6
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Megawords 7
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Megawords 8
by Kristin Johnson & Polly Bayrd
2nd edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 4th-10th grade
in Megawords (Location: SPE-MEGA)
$18.49
Phonics & Reading K - Book One
American Language Series
by Guyla Nelson & Saundra Lamgo
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$18.95
Phonics & Reading K - Book Two
American Language Series
by Guyla Nelson & Saundra Lamgo
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$18.95
Primary Learning Log
by Wanda Sanseri
from Becky's Bouquet
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Spell to Write and Read (Location: PHO-SWR)
$16.00
Rod & Staff Spelling 2 - Student Workbook
Spelling By Sound & Structure
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 2nd grade
in Rod & Staff Spelling (Location: SPE-R&S)
Rod & Staff Spelling 3 - Student Workbook
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 3rd grade
in Rod & Staff Spelling (Location: SPE-R&S)
Rod & Staff Spelling 4 - Student Workbook
Spelling By Sound & Structure
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 4th grade
in Rod & Staff Spelling (Location: SPE-R&S)
Rod & Staff Spelling 5 - Student Workbook
Spelling By Sound & Structure
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 5th grade
in Rod & Staff Spelling (Location: SPE-R&S)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Something Fishy - Review Book
from All About Learning Press
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in All About Reading (Location: PHO-AAR)
$19.95
Sound Spelling
by Benjamin Ludwig
from Wordsmiths
for 5th-12th grade
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
Spectrum Spelling Grade 4
by School Specialty Publishing
from Spectrum
in Spectrum Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: ZCLE-SPEC)
$7.00
Spectrum Vocabulary Grade 6
from Spectrum
for 6th grade
in Spectrum Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: ZCLE-SPEC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling 1 - Student Worktext
4th edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 1st grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50
Spelling 2 - Student Worktext
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 2nd grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50
Spelling 3 - Student Worktext
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50
Spelling 4 - Student Worktext
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 4th grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50
Spelling 5 - Student Worktext
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 5th grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50
Spelling 6 - Student Worktext
from Bob Jones University Press
for 6th grade
in BJU Spelling (Location: SPE-BJU)
$32.50 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling and Poetry 1 - Workbook
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 1st grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling and Poetry 3
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 3rd grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling Power - Student Record Book (Blue, 7/16")
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
from Castlemoyle Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Spelling Power (Location: SPE-POWER)
$7.95
Spelling Power - Student Record Book (Green, 1/4")
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
from Castlemoyle Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Spelling Power (Location: SPE-POWER)
$7.95
Spelling Power - Student Record Book (Red, 5/8")
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
from Castlemoyle Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Spelling Power (Location: SPE-POWER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling Power - Student Record Book (Yellow)
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
from Castlemoyle Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Spelling Power (Location: SPE-POWER)
$7.95
Spelling Workout A - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 1st grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout B - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 2nd grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout C - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 3rd grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout D - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 4th grade
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout E - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 5th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout F - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout G - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 7th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling Workout H - Worktext
by Phillip Trocki
2nd edition from Modern Curriculum Press
for 8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in MCP Spelling Workout (Location: SPE-MCP)
$20.00
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 4 - Test Book
4th edition from A Beka Books
for 4th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 4 - Workbook
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 4th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 5 - Kit
3rd edition from A Beka Books
for 5th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 5 - Test Book
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 5th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 5 - Test Book
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 5th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 5 - Workbook
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 5th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 5 - Workbook
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 5th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 6 - Test Book
from A Beka Books
for 6th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$5.00 (26 in stock)
Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry 6 - Workbook
from A Beka Books
for 6th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$7.50 (20 in stock)
Spelling, Writing, & Vocabulary - Book One
American Language Series
by Guyla Nelson & Saundra Lamgo
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$18.95
Spelling, Writing, & Vocabulary - Book Two
American Language Series
by Guyla Nelson & Saundra Lamgo
from Mile-Hi Publishers
for Kindergarten
in American Language Series (Location: PHO-AMLAN)
$18.95
Spelling-You-See A - Student Pack
from Demme Learning
for 1st grade
in Spelling You See (Location: SPE-SYS)
$37.00
Spelling-You-See A - Universal Set
from Demme Learning
for 1st grade
in Spelling You See (Location: SPE-SYS)
$45.00
Tricks of the Trade
by Gayle Graham
from Common Sense Press
for 3rd-9th grade
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Vocabulary VI - Quiz Book
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 12th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry I - Quiz Book
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 7th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry I - Workbook
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 7th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry II - Quiz Book
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 8th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry II - Workbook
6 Revised from A Beka Books
for 8th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry III - Quiz Book
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 9th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry III - Workbook
6th edition from A Beka Books
for 9th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry IV - Quiz Book
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 10th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry IV - Workbook
5th edition from A Beka Books
for 10th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry V - Quiz Book
from A Beka Books
for 11th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
Vocabulary, Spelling, Poetry V - Quiz Key
from A Beka Books
for 11th grade
in A Beka Spelling & Vocabulary (Location: SPE-ABK)
$11.00 (3 in stock)
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