Some might argue that, with dictionaries and spell-check software, teaching spelling is unnecessary. By the same token, one could also argue that calculators render the teaching of math obsolete. Times have changed, but what hasn’t changed is what marks someone as literate. The ability to spell is one of those indictors.
I tend to agree that the old-fashioned spelling test often doesn’t accomplish much: words learned for the quiz are usually here today, gone tomorrow. Only reinforcement moves information from short-term to long-term memory. Context helps, too.
We’ve found a great resource, produced by Mark Twain Media, called Spelling Puzzles, which teaches not only spelling but also synonyms and antonyms, prefixes and suffixes, foreign words and more through the use of word scrambles, crossword puzzles and word searches. In the process of completing the puzzles, students will find they’re learning useful vocabulary: art terms such as “encaustic” and “caricature,” science terms such as “hypothesis” and “osmosis,” geography terms such as “isthmus” and “strait.” This book teaches spelling in an enjoyable, meaningful way.
Allegra's take: Spelling Puzzles is intended for grades 6 through 7, and many of the activities are a bit too simple for older students. However, the vocabulary it presents is advanced, making the book also suitable for 8th graders. These words can seem intimidating on a traditional spelling word list, and the puzzles provide an easier path to learning them. Students beyond the 6 through 7 grade level might feel a little awkward doing word searches and crosswords at first but will soon find that they are using difficult spelling words easily.
