A customary workbook approach contrasted to the SPELLING SOURCEBOOK® Series Improved spelling curriculum.
- Materials
- Practice of Skills and Words
- Spelling Words
- Testing and Grading
- Time Frame
- Flexibility
- Outcome
- Cost
Customary
workbook approach:
Each pupil uses a consumable workbook. Teachers use a teacher's
guide.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Each teacher has one grade-level SOURCEBOOK that includes five Teaching
Posters to complement instruction and blackline masters for every
unit.
Customary
workbook approach:
Students practice their words independently in daily workbook exercises
Monday-Thursday. The purpose of the practice is to prepare students
for the spelling test on Friday. Skills are incidental.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Each unit has an extensive selection of spelling and language-related
practice activities from which teachers choose to meet various needs.
The purpose of the activities is to create a foundation of skills
and concepts, to grow students' word experiences to thousands of
words, and to examine words for spelling patterns, meaning, and
use. Blackline masters in each unit provide practice and testing
for targeted skills.
Further, students
practice spelling and proofreading skills in their everyday writing
across the curriculum, meeting a stated expectation for spelling
competence that grows as students mature as writers.
Each unit's Cloze Story Word Test and Sentence Dictation Test provide
ongoing practice of all words introduced so far in the program.
They also provide valuable information on students' progress toward
the mastery of words.
Customary
workbook approach:
A list of spelling words, the centerpiece of each unit, is provided
to students for study in preparation for the unit spelling test.
Students often study this list at home. Words usually conform to
one commonality (e.g., train, plain, stain), and they are not recycled.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
A class assessment for each unit identifies spelling words for each
student. This Cloze Story Word Test assesses words from among all
previously introduced words in the program. Words students miss
in the unit assessment become their personal spelling words, targeted
for at-home and at-school study in preparation for subsequent tests
in which all words are systematically recycled. For more challenge
or practice, each unit offers a Sentence Dictation Test that serves
the same purpose. Words occur in the program in order of frequency
of use to parallel the writing needs of students and ensure competence
early on.
Customary
workbook approach:
Students are tested on each unit's word list on Friday. Because
students are encouraged to study the words in preparation for the
test, the test assesses short-term memory of the unit words. Performance
on this test is the major factor in determining a student's spelling
grade.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Grades are determined by evaluations of four elements.
First,
students are evaluated on their ability to spell and proofread selected
high-use words in their writing. Unannounced writing samples are
taken from each student periodically. A section (one sentence to
a short paragraph, depending on the maturity of the writer) is evaluated
to determine students' proofreading ability.
Second,
students are graded on their performance on the Cloze Story Word
Test in each unit. The tested words are selected from all previously
introduced words in the program. So that long-term word mastery
can be evaluated, students do not prestudy the test words. Each
unit's Sentence Dictation Test serves the same purpose for students
who need more challenge.
Third,
students are graded on their ability to apply skills as tested on
each unit's blackline master Skill Test.
Fourth, students are graded on their performance on skill-based
activities.
Three Achievement Tests assess students' yearly growth.
Customary
workbook approach:
Each of 36 units rigidly begins on Monday and ends on Friday—all
36 units covered in a school year.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Units may begin and end on any day. The number of units ranges from
21 in Level One to 35 in the upper grades. Instruction is uniquely
flexible. Days per unit vary (approximately 4-5 days for Levels
One, Seven, and Eight; about 5-7 days for Levels Two-Six). Because
all words and skills are recycled, it is unnecessary to "cover"
every unit within a school year.
Customary
workbook approach:
The workbook offers occasional challenge activities and/or words.
The time frame and testing follows a weekly schedule, providing
little versatility.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Extensive flexibility to attain a differentiated program is afforded
through a variety of practice activities and tests that range in
scope and difficulty. The activities can be completed at home and/or
at school, independently, in small groups, or as teacher-directed
whole-class lessons. The spelling words are dictated by each student's
needs. The time frame is flexible.
Customary
workbook approach:
Students memorize words for their weekly test but do not remember
them long enough to transfer them to writing. Skills, often incidental,
are rarely applied in writing. Students who find memorization a
challenge fail spelling—and know it. The approach encourages
"Friday spellers."
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
Students become active, discriminating observers of words and learn
the basic skills and concepts that govern spelling. Long-term learning
is ensured for all students through differentiated practice and
allows them to learn at a personal pace. Expectations for spelling
in writing make the classroom a rehearsal for the "real world."
Students become strategic "Forever Spellers."
Customary workbook approach:
Materials needed include a workbook for each student and a teacher's
guide for the teacher. Workbooks are annual, recurring costs.
SPELLING
SOURCEBOOK Series:
A SOURCEBOOK, complete with five Teaching Posters at each grade
level, is a one-time purchase. The SPELLING SOURCEBOOK Series is
economical and improves results above customary workbook spelling curriculum.
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