She did not disappoint us with the keynote Learning to Read, Spell, and Write as Seen Through the Eyes of Our Favorite Cartoonists capturing the human perspective of children during the stages of reading, writing, and spelling. Teaching Latin and Greek Word Parts for Upper Grade Students was refreshing because she confirmed that remediation and intervention are effective for older students. Many times educators are guilty of dismissing the learning potential of older students. Phrases are often heard such as, Well, if they haven t learned to spell by middle school, they re never going to learn, or Teach them how to compensate for their disabilities and let them use a computer. Spelling is a complex skill.
Spelling supports the reading process.
Teaching spelling patterns and rules help students manage regular English orthography. When provided with a systematic, cumulative, and sequential reading and spelling program, students significantly increase their reading and spelling abilities. During her presentation, Dr. Henry emphasized the importance of teaching the history of English language and its relationship to word study. Students often believe that English is irregular and full of exceptions. Given this notion, they feel defeated before they begin.