Spellings of words: A neglected facilitator of vocabulary learning

Ehri, L.C., & Rosenthal, J. (2007). Spellings of words: A neglected facilitator of vocabulary learning. Journal of Literacy Research, 39(4), 389-404.

Fascinating article that delves into the reading process and how it works. Here, Ehri and Rosenthal look at vocabulary learning and how students put the meanings of new words into memory. The authors argue that seeing the spellings of words assists in vocabulary learning. They provide fairly strong research evidence for their hypothesis, based on two studies, one with second graders and one with fifth graders.

It makes sense that seeing the word helps one remember it. The implications for elementary teachers are that we need to take time to make words visual and auditory. It isn’t enough to just discuss words or even to present them in read-alouds (unless kids can see them, as in a Big Book). They need that visual input. Although the authors attempt to explain why and how seeing spellings works, the explanation still left questions for me. Still, I’ll take these findings to heart. I just hope they aren’t used to justify flash card/worksheet activities.