The Writing Road to Reading : The Spalding Method of Phonics for Teaching Speech, Writing and Reading [Paperback]

Romalda Bishop Spalding (Author), Walter T. Spalding (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0688100074 | ISBN-13: 978-0688100070 | Publication Date: September 1990 | Edition: 4th Rev

Originally published in 1957, this introduction to the Spalding Method has been received more and more enthusiastically in recent years as it has been shown to work--swiftly, inexpensively and efficiently.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Romalda Bishop Spalding, a graduate of Columbia University, developed her method using principles learned from the eminent neurologist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and her experiences teaching children with language problems at Harvard Children's Hospital and public and private schools.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperResource; 4th Rev edition (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688100074
• ISBN-13: 978-0688100070
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding results, inexpensively, every time., August 13, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Monroe Elementary School, Monroe, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writing Road to Reading : The Spalding Method of Phonics for Teaching Speech, Writing and Reading (Paperback)

I introduced the Spalding method to three small rural communities in northern New Hampshire when I was their superintendent of schools. The results were dramatic and immediate. It cost us approximately $4 per pupil, including teacher training, to implement the program, and within one year our standardized test scores (ITBS and SRA) went from the 40th to the 80th percentiles--AND STAYED THERE--on all reading and language subscores. I had kindergarten children reading newspapers and magazines and pronouncing every word correctly (comprehension is another matter, as that capability is a function of experience and maturation). First graders are writing in cursive by November of the school year. The usual blocks to fluency, ease, decoding, and expression are removed when children are taught this method. Concommitantly with the introduction of Spalding, although I was never able to prove a direct correlation (the overall number of children was too small), our referrals to special education for learning disabilities dropped by ten percent a year for the first three years, and then stablized--providing a dramatic cost savings to the taxpayers, but more important, giving the gift of literacy to nearly every child. There are extensive studies in linguistics and the psychoneurology of language acquisition to substantiate the validity of teaching "phonics first, phonics fast." And of course the proof is always in the puddin'. If you value literacy for your children, get the Spalding method implemented in your school ASAP. (Also very effective for home schoolers.)

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars are not enough for this book!, June 29, 2001

By 

Rachel L. Robinowitz (Boca Raton, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writing Road to Reading : The Spalding Method of Phonics for Teaching Speech, Writing and Reading (Paperback)

Having homeschooled my children for 12 years (in California), beginning in 1977, I was indeed fortunate to be given an old, dog-eared copy of Romalda Bishop Spalding's The Writing Road to Reading. After countless visits to teacher's supply stores looking for a 'reading' program for my (then) young children (and being distressed at what was available), I knew this was our answer. I was especially captured by the fact that not only did this method teach INTENSIVE phonics, using all FOUR avenues into the brain (seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing) which no other method did even if it claimed to be intensive phonics, but that it did so in a straightforward fashion without a bunch of toy-type gimmicks to confuse the issue. Rather, this method requires pencil and paper, and very little else (other than the child's mind), and in the shortest time imaginable my children were not only reading flawlessly, but understanding what they were reading, (and we were using old, 'obsolete' textbooks with 'real' stories in them -- you know, the kind that have big words, and an actual plot, with believable characters, and important values). Within six weeks of beginning the Spalding program, my older child had 'graduated' to books on a fifth and sixth grade level among these old texts, which were certainly more complex than the currently available material for her 'age group'. Talk about FUN!!! There was no turning back. The highest form of punishment for my children was to deny them a book. When my son was in (homeschool) second grade he accompanied me to the chiropractor one day, with a book in hand (of course, of course!). The chiropractor greeted him and asked what he was reading. My son turned the cover of the book over so the chiropractor could see the title, which happened to be J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit in the original. The chiropractor nearly fainted and questioned my son as to whether he was UNDERSTANDING what he was reading. My son assured him, with sparkling eyes, that indeed he did, and it was his 'favorite' book!! My son is 27 years old now and the memory of that day is still one of the high points in my heart of the incredible privalege of teaching my own children to read. I do not mean that comment as a plug for homeschooling, but only as an example of what The Writing Road to Reading can do. Yes, it takes commitment, but once you read the book carefully and begin to absorb the format and the markings used to indicate which sound a phonogram makes in that particular instance, you see the rhyme and reason to it. Then when you actually do it with your child and you see the results. . . . .who can argue with success? The plain and simple truth is this method is the only one I would ever consider and I feel so fortunate have had it. It WORKS, and it works fast. It is incredibly empowering to the student, who sees the fruits of their labor using only pencil, paper and their MIND. There is something highly energizing about real 'work' for little people. It is honoring to them, and validates their inate intelligence, rather than 'dumbing down' to them with gimmicks. There is nothing so thrilling as to place in the hands of a child the finest literature in the unabridged version and see him or her captivated by the magic of the written word. Romalda Bishop Spalding (whom I was privaleged to meet in the late '70's) has given the world a profound tool. I, for one, find it hard to express my thanks adequately. If you care about your child's ability to read WELL, and you are willing to commit (I loved re-learning so much about the English language right along with my kids; the work had a payoff) buy this book!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, it is tedious but so far I'm impressed., May 25, 2001

By 

Gary R. Danielson (Biloxi, MS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writing Road to Reading : The Spalding Method of Phonics for Teaching Speech, Writing and Reading (Paperback)

I am currently implementing this program with my four year old. I used her 70 phonograms to teach the sounds. Because my child was ready to read before she was ready to write, I used "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" to introduce reading. This was an excellent approach; my four year old is reading on a second grade level or higher. I then went back to the Spalding method and taught writing skills. I'm finding the book a little hard to sort through; I didn't purchase an extra lesson guide. It also seems a little tedious, but so far whenever I've done it her way I've been impressed. I'm concerned about being thorough and this book is definately that. Great book, but get ready as the instructor to do some work, especially if you're like me and don't know the spelling rules yourself. I'm excited to complete my education as well.