Teach a Student to Spell

The primary function of English spelling is to represent meaning. Spelling is not just sounds written down. The spelling of a word reflects its meaning, parts, history, relatives, and finally sounds.

Teach a Student to Spell: Level 3 is the third follow-up workbook to the Teach a Student to Read reading program, which strives to teach students accurate and complete information about the English spelling system.

Instead of only learning spelling through rote memorization, students will learn the reasons for the spellings of words. Teach a Student to Spell teaches that sometimes every letter in a word spells a sound but that some letters do not spell sounds. Units of one, two, or three letters called graphemes (digraphs, trigraphs) spell sounds. Letters can be zeroed. Letters can be phonological, etymological, and/or lexical markers.

Level 3 consists of 36 spelling lists of 12 words each. The spelling lists are based on the most common words in English and various sight word lists. The first goal of Level 3 is to teach more spellings of the most common English words and common English bases. Each list reinforces the graphemes taught in Teach a Student to Read. Some complex words are also introduced. Related words are noted. The second goal of Level 3 is to teach more English suffixes and spelling rules. Level 3 also introduces prefixes and connecting vowels. Words from Level 1 and Level 2 sometimes appear in Level 3 to reinforce spelling rules with prefixes and suffixes. Level 3 introduces word sums that contain three or more morphemes.

Level 3 is recommended for ages 7 to 9 in second grade through third grade.