Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.)

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!

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.

For some reason, people think that educating a child has to be like a trip to an amusement park. This program is a back-to-basics reading and writing course for ages 4-8 years. You do not need any computer programs, glitzy readers, or workbooks, just paper and a pencil. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is that the recording that comes with it is on an old-fashioned record, and so far I cannot find anywhere to play it. Hopefully the publisher will change to CD or cassette format in the near future.

I teach remedial and special education students in grade four, five and six. This program has been the best thing that I've used to teach spelling and reading in thirty years. Yes, it is complicated but the English language is complicated. This approach helps the students who just never discovered the structure of language and assumed that something was wrong with them. Students, with an enthusiastic and organized teacher, love this method.

I have been home schooling for a few years now. My son has language based disabilities, so reading has been a challenge. I started using this method this past school year, and what a difference it has made. My son is becoming more confident that he can read, he using hIs "sounds" all the time now when confronted with new words. At the end of the school year, I was cleaning out our "classroom", and he asked me to leave his sounds up on the wall, so that in case he wanted to read during the summer, he could go to the classroom and look at the sounds if he needed help. Just the fact that he believes he can read is wonderful, let alone that he wants to use his school "tools" during the summer. It makes me smile. Spaulding is wonderful and can really help speed along most any beginning reader.

I have read the book and am scrambling to impliment the resource. It has already taken me hours to read it and am currently looking for the lesson plans to actually use the material. A method it is, a set lesson plans it is not. I have learned a lot, however, with a total of two students as homeschool parent, my investment is now growing. I am however, hopeful for good results whether my search leads me to forming my own lesson plans or if I can buy the lesson plans.
ADDENDUM:I found the lesson plans for the method from the Riggs Institute. Armed with Orton's method and now equipted with the lesson plan------my daughter is starting to understand and predict the nuances of the english language. All students would benefit from the method!!!!!!

I am a product of the Spalding method. It was used in my first grade classroom in 1963-1964, and my mother owns a copy of the second edition of the book! I have also used it with my own children. Besides helping children learn to read and write, it also helps them learn to SPELL! Learning the spelling "rules" in the book all those years ago helped me be an excellent speller all through school as well as today, and it is helping my children. An excellent book, one that has stood the test of time.

I'm new at teaching this method to my son who is five and already reading first grade level. He is taking to the teaching very quickly so I'm excited to see where he is going to be 1 year from now. So nice to teach the simple basics, not having to bring in gimmicks, which with this method aren't even necessary. My thanks to those who long ago took time to put their idea on paper.

I have used the Spalding Method of phonics for 5 years and will never teach any other way. Not only is it inexpensive to teach using this method, but it works for all kids, unlike whole language!