Resources DISCUSSION GROUP Join the SpellTalk Discussion Group to network with colleagues and share your knowledge, keep up with current spelling research, find answers to your questions, participate in "Ask the Expert" exchanges with leading researchers and educators in the field of spelling, and more. It's all free so enroll today! PRESS COVERAGE Read what others are saying about our company and our products. Closing The Gap (April 2005) By Joan Tannenhaus SPELL-Links Recognized as "Outstanding Spelling/Word Study Curriculum" What's New on Campus? (November 2003) By Julie Rausch WSU Researchers Link Spelling With Word Study Closing The Gap (October 2002) By Joan Tanenhaus SPELL Recognized as "Outstanding Software" BOOKSTORE Read these landmark books to learn more about research-based practices in spelling assessment and word study instruction. Words Their Way by Donald R. Bear et. al. Speech to Print by Louisa Cook Moats         Teaching Spelling by Edmund H. Henderson The Violent E and Other Tricky Sounds by Margaret Hughes and Dennis Searle READING ROOM Browse these on-line articles to further your understanding of research-based practices in spelling assessment and word study instruction. Current Approach to Teaching Spelling is Challenged This article summarizes research published in a journal of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The research demonstrates improvements in students’ reading, writing, and spelling when teachers use a language-based approach for spelling instruction. What Do Spelling Errors Tell Us about Language Knowledge? This article describes how a deficit in any one area of word study knowledge - phonological awareness, knowledge of orthography, vocabulary, morphological and semantic relationships, and mental orthographic images - will manifest as a specific pattern of misspelling in a student's writing and how the analysis of an individual's spelling errors can be used to identify underlying linguistic deficits. Improving Written Language Skills through Multiple-Linguistic Spelling Instruction This article demonstrates the importance of integrating multiple linguistic processes within spelling instruction. The research shows multiple-linguistic spelling instruction to be more effective than traditional classroom spelling instruction for improving both spelling and reading performance. Put Reading First – The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read This easy-to-read publication, developed by the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement and funded by the National Institute for Literacy, describes the findings of the National Reading Panel Report and summarizes what researchers have discovered about how to successfully teach children to read. This is an excellent resource for both teachers and parents! Tailored Reading-Spelling Instruction This research study documents the benefits of word study instruction tailored to a student's specific needs. Orthographic instructional goals were based on each student's spelling performance, as indicated by Spelling Evaluation for Language and Literacy (SPELL), and word-study lessons were taken from SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing. SPELL-Links Outcomes Report This classroom study using the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing instructional methods demonstrates large, statistically significant gains in thrd-grade students’ spelling skills in comparison to children who received traditional classroom spelling instruction. SPELL/SPELL-Links Outcomes Report This case study documents significant gains in both spelling and decoding skills of a fourth grade student using the SPELL assessment and the instructional methods of the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing word study curriculum. Criterion Validity of SPELL This research study measured the extent to which SPELL performance scores correlate with scores on the Test of Written Spelling - 4 and on two subtests of the Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery was measured for 135 students in Grades 1 through 6. Spelling: Best Ideas = Best Practices This article published by the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) summarizes spelling assessment and instruction methods that are supported by solid research. 10 Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Children Become Better Spellers This popular handout describes easy, practical things parents can do every day to improve their children's spelling. Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists Related to Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents This formal position statement, set of guidelines, and technical report were unanimously approved by the Legislative Council of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in November 2000. Spelling: The New American Idol? This editorial article authored by four nationally-recognized literacy experts promotes public awareness about the importance of spelling with compelling arguments to help teachers, parents, and students understand that good spelling is for everyone and poor spelling is an impediment for future education and employment opportunities. Literacy-Speech-Language Pathologists Play a Pivotal This rief position statement of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association helps parents and school personnel understand the role of the speech-language pathologist in improvement of literacy. Suggestions for Implementing Research-Based Spelling Instruction in the Language Arts Curriculum This listing provides a quick reference to recommended activities for spelling instruction. Re-conceptualizing Spelling Development & Instruction This article by Shane Templeton & Darrell Morris highlights current and developing practices in classroom spelling instruction, with an extensive list of related readings. SPELL Flowchart This flowchart illustration of the SPELL model of spelling assessment is available by request. A narrative case-study description of the SPELL model of spelling assessment is published in Spelling Assessment: Applying Research in School-Based Practice, ASHA Special Interest Division 16, School-Based Issues Newsletter, April 2003, 4, (1). Spelling Performance Evaluation for Language & Literacy This technical report summarizes historical and contemporary perspectives on spelling instruction and the relationship between reading and spelling, outlines the theoretical basis of the SPELL program and discusses the importance of performance-based word study instruction for improving literacy. Children with Deafness: Spelling Development and Proficiency This report provides a review of the literature regarding spelling development and proficiency of children with hearing impairment. Study findings were examined for evidence of phonological awareness, morphological knowledge, orthographic knowledge, and visual orthographic memory evidenced in the spellings of children with hearing impairment. This project lends to the future development of a protocol for assessing the spelling skills of children with hearing impairment and may also help in developing individualized intervention goals and strategies for children of the same group. If you don't already have it installed, click here to download the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site.