No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets

"When we give every student worksheets to learn phonics and spelling, we miss opportunities to get our students excited about words and fail to give them the opportunity to meet the high standards represented by the Common Core Standards. Our students need instruction that makes them think and helps them apply their word knowledge to real reading and writing situations." -Jennifer Palmer and Marcia Invernizzi

We want students to be curious about how words work and develop strategies that work whether they are decoding words or spelling them. And our jobs would be easier if students couldn't wait for word study.

Yet so many classrooms are stuck in the cycle of unengaging, one-size fits all phonics and spelling worksheets.

Reading specialist Jennifer Palmer and literacy researcher Marcia Invernizzi offer better, more effective, more engaging practices. Their suggestions lead kids to not only make progress during word study but also to transfer what they learn about words to their reading and writing. No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets show us:

• why skill-and-drill methods and worksheets cause children to struggle or disengage
• the kinds of teaching that research shows actually works
• instructional ideas for word study can put to use right away.

"We can cast off one-size-fits-all factory instruction and try a more useful practice," write Jennifer and Marcia, "meeting each child where s/he is." Pick up No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets, discover practices that better support literacy growth, and help everyone make progress.

Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor of language, literacy, and culture and faculty associate in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke received her Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Duke's work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Duke is the recipient of the American Educational Research Association Early Career Award, the Literacy Research Association Early Career Achievement Award, the International Reading Association Dina Feitelson Research Award, the National Council of Teachers of English Promising Researcher Award, and the International Reading Association Outstanding Dissertation Award. Nell is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as the books Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades: Research-Based Practices; Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children from Birth to Five; Beyond Bedtime Stories: A Parent's Guide to Promoting Reading, Writing, and Other Literacy Skills From Birth to 5; and her most recent book, Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K - 8 Classrooms. She is also editor of The Research-Informed Classroom book series, co-editor with Ellin Keene of the Not This But That book series, and co-editor of the book Literacy Research Methodologies. Duke teaches preservice, inservice and doctoral courses in literacy education, speaks and consults widely on literacy education, and is an active member of several literacy-related organizations. She has served as author and consultant on a number of educational programs, including Buzz About IT, iOpeners, National Geographic Science K-2 and the DLM Express. Duke also has a strong interest in improving the quality of educational research training in the U.S. Nell is currently overseeing IRA's Literacy Research Panel blog, which you can follow here: http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/LRPJennifer Palmer (@DrJennPalmer) is coauthor, with Marcia Invernizzi, of No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets. The book is a part of Heinemann's Not This But Series, edited by Nell K. Duke and Ellin Oliver Keene. Jennifer is a veteran elementary school educator with experience as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, teacher mentor, and professional developer. She was among the first in Maryland to earn National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist in 1998 and was honored by the Milken Family Foundation in 2002 as a Milken Educator. She graduated with her Ed D in Educational Leadership and Innovation in 2012 from Wilmington University where she earned the Audrey K Doberstein award for leadership for her work in mentoring National Board Certified teachers in her district and for creating a program that encouraged teachers in Title 1 schools to attempt to earn this challenging certification. As moderator of the Mosaic listserv,http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/, she is passionate in her belief that encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and reflective in their instructional practices is the most effective way to create outstanding schools that are responsive to the needs of all students.Marcia Invernizzi (@anosygnosia) is the coauthor, with Jennifer Palmer, of No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets. The book is a part of Heinemann's Not This But Series, edited by Nell K. Duke and Ellin Oliver Keene. In addition to her Heinemann title, Marcia is a coauthor of Words Their Way and twelve other books related to word study. She is the creator and primary author of PALS, the Phonologial Awareness Literacy Screening tool used in many states and a founder of Book Buddies, a tutoring framework for struggling readers in the first and second grades. The Henderson Professor of Reading Education at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, Marcia teaches graduate classes for the program areas of reading and teacher education in the department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education. Her favorite course is Word Study in which she and her students explore the structure of words and their meanings. Marcia's research focuses on the role of written word knowledge in literacy development, on reading difficulties, and on formative and diagnostic literacy assessments that can inform instruction. She has received many awards for her teaching and research, including the Curry School of Education's Outstanding Professor Award, and the University of Virginia's Edlich-Henderson Innovator of the Year Award. Marcia's favorite word is serendipitous; some of her most important insights have come from her work with children.Ellin Oliver Keene has been a classroom teacher, staff developer, non-profit director, and adjunct professor of reading and writing. For sixteen years she directed staff development initiatives at the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition. She served as Deputy Director and Director of Literacy and Staff Development for the Cornerstone Project at the University of Pennsylvania for four years. Ellin works with schools and districts throughout the country and abroad with an emphasis on long-term, school-based professional development and strategic planning for literacy learning. She serves as senior advisor at Heinemann, overseeing the Heinemann Fellows initiative and is the editor of the Heinemann Professional Development Catalog-Journal. Ellin is author of Engaging Children: Igniting the Drive for Deeper Learning (2018), is co-editor and co-author of The Teacher You Want to Be: Essays about Children, Learning, and Teaching (Heinemann, 2015); co-editor of the Not This, but That series (Heinemann, 2013 - 2015); author of Talk About Understanding: Rethinking Classroom Talk to Enhance Understanding (Heinemann, 2012), To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension (Heinemann, 2008), co-author of Comprehension Going Forward (Heinemann, 2011), Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction, 2nd edition (Heinemann, 2007, 1st edition, 1997) and author of Assessing Comprehension Thinking Strategies (Shell Educational Books, 2006) as well as numerous chapters for professional books and journals on the teaching of reading as well as education policy journals. Ellin is a Heinemann PD provider, presenting One-Day Workshops, Webinars Series, and all forms of On-Site PD. She is most sought after for her long-term professional development residencies in partnership with Heinemann Professional Development. Click here for an overview of the Keene Residency. Listen to Ellin and Tom Newkirk reflect on the 20th anniversary of Mosaic of Thought on The Heinemann Podcast. Follow Ellin on Twitter @EllinKeene.