Teaching Kids to Spell [Paperback]

J. Richard Gentry (Author), Jean Wallace Gillet (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0435087606 | ISBN-13: 978-0435087609 | Publication Date: December 7, 1992

Teaching Kids to Spell fills the need for a book to help teachers working in an integrated language arts program provide systematic, personalized spelling instruction. The authors provide a much-needed bridge between traditional spelling instruction and whole language approaches, showing teachers (and parents, too) how spelling ability begins to emerge in young children's invented spellings, how it grows as children pass through predictable stages of spelling strategies, and how eventually every student can reach a standard of correct "expert" spelling.

The text includes wordlists, tips for teaching predictable patterns, and a variety of individual activities that prepare children to meet the phonetic, semantic, historical, and visual demands of spelling, plus strategies for implementing a spelling workshop in the elementary classroom.

Teachers, school administrators, and parents who want to understand the complex process of spelling will find this book a valuable resource.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A former struggling speller himself, J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D., has authored three books and a video on the topic with Heinemann, including My Kid Can't Spell (1996), Teaching Kids to Spell (1992), Spel...Is a Four-Letter Word (1989), and Richard Gentry on Spelling (1992), as well as numerous articles in academic journals and textbooks for school-age children. A former elementary teacher and university professor, Gentry is a Heinemann Professional Development provider and has lectured and conducted workshops on literacy and spelling throughout the world. Visit http://JRichardGentry.com for additional information about Richard Gentry and his work.

Jean Wallace Gillet has been a classroom teacher of English, language arts and reading, an elementary reading specialist, and a teacher educator at the university level. She is the author of two widely used college textbooks on teaching language arts and reading, and numerous journal articles. She is presently an elementary reading teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (December 7, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435087606
• ISBN-13: 978-0435087609
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For more detailed information about Richard Gentry, visit his website, www.JRichardGentry.com.

J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D., earned his Elementary Education degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in Reading Education from the University of Virginia in 1977. For sixteen years he taught Reading Education at Western Carolina University where he directed the Reading Center. He is well known for his research and writing in literacy education and is currently an independent researcher, author, and educational consultant. A frequent keynoter and featured speaker at conferences for teachers both nationally and internationally, J. Richard Gentry continues to write and speak widely on literacy development and spelling. His depth of knowledge and breakthrough thinking about the importance of teaching spelling for reading and writing development has resulted in a number of books including Spel... Is a Four-Letter Word, The Literacy Map: Guiding Children to Where They Need to Be, and My Kid Can't Spell as well as numerous articles in academic journals and textbooks for school-age children.

J. Richard Gentry's ground breaking book, Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing (Heinemann) was released in February of 2006. Writing with the same clarity and teacher-friendly approach as in his best-selling The Science of Spelling (Heinemann, 2004), Richard Gentry shows you how scientific thinking and student-centered teaching can work together to create powerful literacy instructional practices. His staff development sessions open a window for teachers and parents into the minds of young readers, so that they can open a window for them into a world of literate possibilities.

His books Breakthrough in Beginning Reading and Writing, released by Scholastic in late in 2007 and Step-by-Step Assessment Guide to Code Breaking released in 2009 are already popular for teachers of beginning reading and writing and along with his other books have established Richard as one of the foremost national experts on teaching beginning reading and writing. Richard is the author of Zaner-Bloser's new Spelling Connections: Words into Language, one of the nation's top selling spelling programs for grades K-8.

In his latest book and in many ways considered his best work yet, Raising Confident Readers, How to teach your child to Read and Write, from Baby to Age 7,to be released by Da Capo Press in July, 2010, Dr. Gentry has created a template for parents who are looking for guidance with their child's literacy path. We all know the importance of reading aloud to our children, but beyond that, how do kids really learn to read? Why should you jump-start the process before formal instruction in school begins? How do drawing and early writing fit into the literacy picture, and what can you do to encourage them? How can you recognize and intervene if your child's literacy skills are not developing normally?

In this empowering guide, Dr. J. Richard Gentry describes how to teach reading before your child enters kindergarten and how to monitor progress once your child is in school. He offers parents an easy-to-understand program outlining the five phases of kids' literacy development, with age- and stage-appropriate activities that make reading and writing fun. Raising Confident Readers is essential reading for every parent who wants their child to succeed in school and be a lifelong learner.

A life dedicated to literacy education, Richard Gentry also has enjoyed life to the fullest. Time with family and friends, traveling to far away exotic places, cooking, gardening, working out, and just relaxing while reading a good book are just some of the personal attributes that round out and center his life. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teachers Dream!, June 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Teaching Kids to Spell (Paperback)

This book is an excellent resource for teachers in the elementary grades. It gives a listing of many different spelling rules, generalizations, exceptions and more. I used it this year with my students...I introduced a different rule each week with words appropriate for their grade level. Take a look at this book. It's wonderful!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, May 10, 2005

By 

School Psych (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teaching Kids to Spell (Paperback)

This is THE book for improving spelling achievement that can be helpful to both teachers and parents. You will find it exceptionally well written and an ongoing resource.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase!, February 15, 2010

By 

PP - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teaching Kids to Spell (Paperback)

The book I ordered was shipped promptly, but it took approx 5 days to reach to me. As the details stated, the book was in great shape and looked practically brand new. Thanks for making the order process simple and providing a great used text.