How to Teach Any Child To Spell

Name: How to Teach Any Child To Spell
Brand: Common Sense Press

by Common Sense Press

ElaGrades 2–12

How to Teach Any Child To Spell: Remedial Approach for Struggling Spellers

How to Teach Any Child To Spell is a specialized ELA curriculum from Common Sense Press designed specifically for students who struggle with spelling despite traditional instruction. The program combines individualized word lists with focused spelling rule instruction, targeting students in grades 2-12 who have difficulty transferring spelling knowledge to their written work.

Best for

Students in grades 2-12 who struggle with spelling despite traditional instruction, homeschool families seeking remedial spelling support, and teachers working with students who have difficulty transferring spelling knowledge to written work.

Evaluation Criteria

4 strengths · 2 neutral · 3 insufficient evidence

Teacher TrainingStrength

The curriculum includes a teacher's manual that outlines the instructional approach and methodology.

The review describes 'How To Teach Any Child To Spell' as 'a small teacher's manual that outlines the approach, presents the phonics rules for daily structured phonics review'

Direct InstructionStrength

The curriculum employs explicit, structured instruction with clear daily lesson formats and rule-based teaching.

The program outlines 'four-step, daily spelling lessons' with structured components including phonics review and focused rule instruction

Retrieval PracticeStrength

The curriculum incorporates regular review of misspelled words and phonics patterns.

The review describes 'review of the misspelled words' and 'general phonics review' as daily components, suggesting consistent retrieval practice

Systematic PhonicsStrength

The curriculum includes structured phonics review as part of its daily lessons.

The review mentions 'daily structured phonics review' and 'Clue Sheets showing phonetic sounds' as core components of the four-step daily lessons

Knowledge RichNeutral

The curriculum is narrowly focused on spelling rules and phonetic patterns rather than building broad domain knowledge.

The program centers on 'six key spelling rules' and phonetic sounds rather than systematic knowledge building across content areas

Writing InstructionNeutral

The curriculum includes writing time as part of daily lessons but appears focused on spelling application rather than comprehensive writing instruction.

The review mentions 'writing time' as one of the four daily lesson components, designed to help students apply spelling skills to written work

Text ComplexityInsufficient Evidence

The curriculum includes oral reading exercises but insufficient evidence exists about text complexity progression.

The review mentions 'oral reading incorporating exercises to help the child develop visual perception' but provides no details about text selection or complexity

Vocabulary BuildingInsufficient Evidence

While the curriculum addresses spelling, there is insufficient evidence about systematic vocabulary instruction.

The review focuses on spelling remediation through personal dictionaries organized by sound patterns, but does not mention explicit vocabulary development

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsInsufficient Evidence

This curriculum does not focus on reading whole books but rather on spelling remediation through targeted exercises.

The review describes oral reading exercises for visual perception development but indicates the primary focus is spelling instruction rather than literature study

Sources: cathyduffyreviews.com