Spelling

"No longer do we see spelling in school the way we did as children, with the textbook, the worksheet, and the dreaded Friday test (with spelling bees as an occasional change of pace)."
Sandra Wilde, Primary Voices, November 1996

"Spelling: What We Still Worry About" by Sandra Wilde, School Talk, January 2004

The Speller's Bill of Rights by Sandra Wilde (excerpted from "The Speller's Bill of Rights" by Sandra Wilde, Primary Voices, November 1996)

1. The right to express yourself in first-draft writing regardless of what words you do and don't know how to spell.
2. The right to do a lot of reading, which is probablythe greatest single factor in spelling acquisition.
3. The right to actively construct knowledge about the spelling system.
4. The right to developmentally appropriate education in spelling.
5. The right to learn that spelling does matter.
6. The right to know about and have available a lot of ways to come up with spellings (including just knowing how to spell the word).
7. The right to learn to proofread.
8. The right to have spelling placed in its proper context as a small piece of the writing and language-learning process.
9. The right to be valued as a human being regardless of your spelling.

Do teachers really care about correct spelling and grammar? Hear Sandra Wilde talk about spelling on WILL-AM’s Focus 580 (The Broadcasting Service of the University of Illinois)

NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts
See especially:
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

10 Myths About Learning to Write, a list created by NCTE.
See especially:
5. If you can’t spell, you can’t write
Oh, yes you can! Good writers first write all their thoughts and ideas. Then they revise, revise, revise until they’re satisfied they’ve said what they want to say. Then-and only then-is it time to edit for spelling and other rules such as capitalization, punctuation, and word usage.

Tips for Parents from the National Council of Teachers of English: Helping Your Teenager to Write Better

Tips for Students from the National Council of Teachers of English: So You Want To Be a Better Writer?

On the Teaching of Spelling, SLATE Starter Sheet, Constance Weaver, 1995

"Teechurs say Corect Spelling iz no Big Deel: In English Classes, Critical Thinking Wows Educators," San Francisco Chronicle, 11/22/2003
Patti Stock, president of NCTE, said rules about spelling are fine but that critical thinking is more vital than mechanics. "Spelling is important at a particular place and time,'' she said. "You do want your 'i's' dotted and your 't's' crossed. But you don't need to do it at once. We want students to think.''