- Created by Bruce Rosow (Moats & Rosow, 2003)

As Louisa Moats and Carol Tolman point out in "Six Syllable Types," the English language uses six written syllable-spelling conventions. Learning the conventions helps students remember when to double letters, as in the example above. Learning to divide words into syllables, and familiarity with syllable spelling conventions, also helps students read longer words accurately and fluently.

Spelling and Reading. According to Ehri and Snowling, children's ability to read words fluently depends on their ability to map letters and letter combinations to sounds. As Louisa Moats puts it, "Learning to spell requires instruction and gradual integration of information about print, speech sounds, and meaning - these, in turn, support memory for whole words, which is used in both spelling and sight reading." Shane Templeton points to what he calls "The Spelling-Meaning Connection." In English, words with related meanings often have related spellings as well, but not necessarily related pronunciations. (Think "sign/signal" or "crumb/crumble.") Thus, learning to spell also helps students expand their vocabularies and read and understand bigger words.

Spelling and Writing. Learning to spell also helps young students learn to write. The more brain power a student is spending on "mechanics" like spelling and handwriting, the less he or she has to devote to organization and content. According to the Learning First Alliance (2000), "Fluent, accurate letter formation and spelling are associated with students' production of longer and better-organized compositions. Word usage, handwriting, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are the necessary conventions of written expression that must be taught alongside strategies for composing."

Learn More. Click on the links below for much more about spelling research, best practices, lists, tips, and techniques.