Why Kids Can't Spell: A Practical Guide to the Missing Component in Language Proficiency

Why Kids Can't Spell is a resource reference book for parents and educators who have an interest in and a concern for children's spelling ability. The purpose of this book is to encourage and foster good spelling practices in the home and at school to reflect modern teaching methods. The design of this book uses a scope and sequence format with each chapter building on the previous one. Every chapter includes a discussion on spelling background knowledge. In this section one finds an analysis of children's writing samples, in accordance with J. Richard Gentry and Jean Wallace Gillet's Model of Spelling Development. This is followed by numerous inquiry-based, project based and generative ideas and activities. The activities in this book are practical and easy to prepare, use readily available materials and are meant to facilitate readers' understanding. All chapters are related and therefore, the reader is encouraged to browse and borrow from any chapter. The activities may be modified in order to appropriately challenge and meet individual needs.

Roberta Heembrock is a tutor and substitute teacher with the Calgary Board of Education.