"It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae."

It is only fluent readers who can figure out this highly predictable text – and the path to fluent reading includes a firm foundation in the sounds represented by letters and their spelling.

Proficiency in spelling supports reading, although good readers can decode more words than they can spell. Spelling also enhances writing as students can use a wider vocabulary and devote their cognitive resources to communicate ideas and write more. Unfortunately, there is a poor community perception of poor spellers. Even though everyone uses iPads, often the Spellcheck miscorrects words - definitely/defiantly. For these reasons, it is valuable to continue teaching spelling to students who are not at a sound level of spelling mastery.