Those interested in the areas of spelling and vocabulary development will know the work of Bear, Templeton and Invernizzi. Those who have read their technical works will marvel at the ability of these authors to ‘code switch’ and produce a book that is both easily accessible and useful to classroom teachers.

The book is well grounded in current research into spelling and the development of orthographic knowledge. The reference list at the end of the book is a goldmine for those who want to read more in this area. What makes Words their Way most useful to teachers, however, is that it takes spelling theory and links it to activities which makes that theory work in classrooms/

Like all the good American textbooks, Words their Way has a strong introduction and overview. The initial chapters, with contents that sound positively painful, are really quite readable. They are a quick distillation of current research:

Chapter 1
Why word study
Why word study is important
The basis for word study — alphabet, pattern and meaning
Word study is developmental
Words their way

Chapter 2
Words are the development of orthographic knowledge
The synchrony of literacy development
How orthographic knowledge develops: stages of spelling development

The next two chapters are aimed at helping teachers to get started in classrooms, offering both information and practical ideas:

Chapter 3 Getting started: the assessment of orthographic development

Chapter 4 Organising for word study: principles and practices

The comprehensive discussion of the spelling inventories presented by the authors in Chapter 3 is augmented with resource masters in the appendix. The authors include a range of spelling inventories from the Elementary Spelling inventories suitable for use in Years 1 to 8, to Templeton’s Upper Level Qualitative Inventory, suitable for secondary schools. Interestingly, this secondary focussed set also includes content inventories in the area of biology, geometry and U.S. history.

Those schools who have used the Schlagal Inventory found on the CD-ROM Spelling: Improving Student Outcomes This discussion of spelling inventories will help take their use to a new and far more helpful level.

Many secondary schools have sought the use of tools other than the S1A or the Milton or even the South Australian Spelling Test. Templeton’s Upper Level Qualitative Inventory offers secondary teachers deeper insights into what students need to know about spelling and how growth of this knowledge might be supported. Since research tells us that students’ understanding of the orthographic system is still developing into late secondary school, this is really important.

The remaining five chapters are filled to the brim with teaching activities which will enhance learning in each stage of spelling development. Again, resources to support the activities are to be found in the appendix. Upper primary and secondary teachers will find really helpful the inclusion of activities for students coming to terms with more sophisticated aspects of English spelling such as the use of affixes, the nature of syllables and, of course, derivational constancy.

Originally published in 1996, this second edition was published in 2000. Publisher: Merrill.