You Kan Red This!: Spelling and Punctuation for Whole Language Classrooms, K-6

Wilde's book is an excellent resource for teachers that are looking for a whole language approach for spelling and phonics. Being a teacher, we are constantly looking for new and inventive approaches in our classroom. Similarily, we all have issues with district curriculum, principals, colleagues, etc... that force us to adhere to "what everyone else is doing." Well, who says that everyone else is right or is knowledgable with the resources that are available? From this book, the reader is able to absorb opposing methods of giving the dreaded spelling test on Fridays. Wilde discusses different approaches in preparing our students for spelling and phonics. There are alternatives to those workbook pages. We want to remember that our students are our best resource and we need to fulfill the needs that they have. Wilde is able to give definitive ways to approach spelling. For example, we can allow students to choose their own spelling words based on their individual needs. We all know that spelling words in the workbooks are not based on individual needs. This is an issue that is addressed by Wilde. Spelling and punctuation, along with phonics, need to be taught within our classroom and across the curriculum, not in an isolated fashion. Students learn by actually doing the reading and writing--not by studying spelling words that they will probably never encounter again. Wilde suggests that approaches that are beneficial allow students to grow as readers and writers. Another professional book that is helpful is Bolton and Snowball's Teaching Spelling: A Practical Resource. Also, Lucy Calkins discusses spelling and techniques for teaching spelling in the book The Art of Teaching Writing.