Judy Brown Article September 28, 2009

This article was very informative.  I especially liked the use of tables and examples.  I am also another future teacher that has fears of teaching spelling and reading.  I was never the best speller, but I love to read.  The article talks about how spelling is the underlying key for better reading and writing development.  That makes sense to me because I was a terrible speller and a terrible writer.  I would always pass the state writing test, but with the minimum score.  I know it is for the lack of emphasis on spelling and writing from my early elementary school teachers.  My mom was the influence behind my reading and I loved to read.  From what I can recall my teachers always gave whole class spelling tests with no accommodations for lower level spellers.  In the article Judy Brown talks about how she used Schalgal’s spelling assessment at the beginning of school to see what level her students were at for spelling instruction.  She then divided her students into three different groups and began her instruction from there.  The article continues to tell her she then broke down the week for spelling and activities she did with her students to prepare them for spelling tests.  Her main goal was to see progress in the students and for them to become better spellers.  Her goal was achieved and you know because of the posttest she gave of Schalgal’s inventory in which the students had great improvement.  Overall, I think this a wonderful resource for any future teacher to have if they are sketchy about teaching spelling, writing, or reading.

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