Sue Hegland answers questions as part of the Argus Leader’s ongoing series, Reading Between the Lines. Excerpt below.
Explain the connection between teaching kids to read and teaching them to write.
When we talk about improving reading, we should be including spelling and writing in the conversation.
Many students learn how to extract meaning from text using clues other than the actual spelling of the words, and become decent readers using their intelligence and strategies for comprehension, but these students are never able to read and write to their potential.
Spelling is the canary in the coal mine in terms of identifying students who are struggling with literacy.
