How is spelling important for reading fluency?
Spelling is directly connected to reading and writing proficiency. The fourth grader who knows that “hole” differs from “whole” and who would not spell it as H-O-A-L even though that spelling is analogous to C-O-A-L is free to write thoughts from her imagination without interrupting the flow. The eighth grader who knows the spelling pattern “circum-,” the Latin prefix meaning “around,” is much more likely to attach meaning to the words “circumnavigate” and “circumspect,” when first encountering them as a reader. Q. How should I answer those who think computers have made spelling unnecessary? The real “computer” for spelling is in the writer or reader’s brain. Neuroscientists studying dyslexics, notoriously poor spellers, suggest that there is a neurological basis for spelling. That’s important, because it means that the writer or reader who can store knowledge of correct spelling and activate areas for automatic recognition of spelling can focus on ideas when writing, instead of focusi
