Natural Speller

[sta_anchor id=”top” /]Print Edition:   $38.00 (USD) 


eBook Edition (PDF): $38.00 (USD)

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The only book you will ever need to teach spelling. Teaching strategies include additional tips for use with the learning disabled, and word lists are organized by both sight and sound patterns. Build vocabulary skills with Latin and Greek roots and word lists, and by using the spelling rules to add prefixes and suffixes to root words. Choose from among the suggested activities to include practice with grammar, dictionary, and composition skills. Phonic, spelling, and punctuation rules are listed for easy reference. Word lists are divided by grade, 1 through 8. However, this method is easily adapted for older students or adults who need remedial work. Because of its multi-sensory and simplified approach to spelling, and because each child can work at his own pace, this program is ideal for students with learning disabilities. Placed second in the 1999 Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards, placed third in 2001, and received an Honorable Mention in 2005.

  • Allow students to progress at their own rate.
  • Choose activities for word practice to suit each student’s needs.
  • Build skills: phonic charts, spelling and writing rules are at your fingertips.
  • Use Latin and Greek roots and word lists to build vocabulary necessary for college entrance exams.

If your students only remember word lists long enough to pass weekly tests, but not long enough to spell correctly when writing papers, replace random memorization with this logical approach.

  • Words are already organized by both sight and sound patterns.
  • Each graded list includes prefixes and suffixes to be added to words in order to practice with rules regularly.
  • Tips include additional activities to help with long-term memory.

Educator and consultant Kathryn Stout created the Natural Speller,

  1. To teach poor spellers how to become natural spellers.
  2. To provide teachers and tutors with a handy resource to fill in gaps, teach students how to approach a word, and help students progress at their
    own rate.
  3. To give home school families an inexpensive, flexible, and effective spelling curriculum.

From the Introduction:

The whole point of becoming good at spelling is to write and write and write some more without having to stop and check the dictionary every few minutes. Those “natural” spellers have managed to do, without thinking, what anyone can learn. They have realized that our words have patterns and rules that can be used to figure out a new word.

Anyone struggling with spelling has probably been trying to memorize every word letter by letter. Not only are the words likely to be forgotten within a few weeks, but the entire dictionary would have to be memorized to be sure you could spell a word! So—what can you do to turn a poor speller, or just an average speller, into a “natural” speller?

With Natural Speller you can use the units provided, choosing words or even adding your own. Or you can use the charts and rules to help you organize your own word lists according to a pattern that the child can both see and hear.

© 1989 Kathryn Stout, all rights reserved

Print Edition:   $38.00 (USD) 


eBook Edition (PDF): $38.00 (USD)


Additional book information:
Published: 1989
Revised: 1997
Pages: 92
Dimensions: 11″ x 8 ½” x ¼” (28cm x 21.6cm x 0.64cm)
Cover: Soft cover/Paperback


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