Understanding Spelling

How do children learn to spell and what kinds of teaching support them most effectively?
Based on a three-year longitudinal study of children's spelling in different primary classrooms, Olivia O'Sullivan, Assistant Director of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and Anne Thomas, the former Inset Director of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, pose a number of important questions:
what kinds of knowledge are involved in spelling?


what are the links between learning to read and learning to spell?


what kinds of systematic teaching and interventions make a difference to children's progress?



Packed with case studies, photographs and examples of children's work, this unique book sets out the most effective approaches to spelling and provides teachers with a broad set of principles on which to base their teaching. This is an invaluable resource for any teacher or trainee teacher wishing to raise standards in spelling in their classroom.

1. Learning and Teaching Spelling 2. Understanding Spelling 3. Learning to Spell: Stages of Development or Multiple Sources of Knowledge? 4. The Case Studies Part 1: Children Who Made Good Progress as Spellers Part 2: Children in Key Stage 2 with Spelling Difficulties 5. The Effective Teaching of Spelling 6. Monitoring Spelling 7. General Conclusions and Recommendations