Spell by Writing.

Specifically intended to address the teaching of spelling, this description of an elementary school program in Australia deals with many of the pedagogical problems that arise in whole language classrooms, and suggests ways for teachers to integrate a process approach to spelling with process writing to create a total language program. Following an introduction on certain teaching challenges--finding conference time with children, providing constructive feedback, and teaching spelling without relying on traditional drill and practice--the first chapter sets up the book's theoretical orientation, that language is a social interaction system. Chapter 2 explores language and spelling development, and reveals that an understanding of how children use strategies to go about learning to spell can lead schools to give up on quota systems and required spelling lists. The focus of Chapter 3 is on creating contexts for writing and the development of standard spelling, while ways of getting started with writing and spelling are presented in Chapter 4. The fifth chapter concentrates on composing as the connection between reading and writing, while the sixth chapter covers editing and different ways of handling the conferencing process. Proofreading and spelling are examined in Chapter 7, where strategies and techniques for teaching standard spelling are discussed. Chapter 8 deals with assessment and reporting of children's writing, and Chapter 9 draws conclusions and discusses changes in classroom management resulting from the whole language program. Sample lesson plans for teaching strategies discussed in the text are included in many chapters, and a list of references concludes the description. (SKC)