Learning List recently reviewed Zaner-Bloser Spelling Connections Texas, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for K-8 English language arts and reading (ELAR) products aligned to the new ELAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), including the spelling TEKS. Spelling Connections Texas is a comprehensive spelling product for students in grades 1-6. Content is available in print and digital formats. Instruction focuses on grade-appropriate word lists that incorporate the words students encounter most when reading, writing, and speaking, as well as frequently misspelled words. Lessons focus on recognizing spelling patterns and applying patterns to increasingly challenging words.
At each grade level, Spelling Connections is organized in weekly units that are made up of daily lessons that are designed to be implemented in 15-minute periods. Across grades, instruction incorporates sorting activities that help students recognize and understand the similarities and differences in how words are spelled. Word sorts may be completed using Zaner-Bloser’s spelling cards or using online resources. Sorting may be implemented in a variety of formats, including teacher-led activities, partners, or individual student work. Lessons connect spelling to phonics (grades 1-3) or vocabulary (grades 4-6), reading, and writing. [Read more…]
About Zaner-Bloser*
People have been writing to communicate since ancient Sumerian times. Zaner-Bloser isn’t quite that old, but our company’s long history and distinguished legacy make us unique in the business, and they’re something we’re proud of.
A lot has changed since Zaner-Bloser was originally founded in 1888 by Charles Paxton Zaner of Columbus, Ohio, with his business partner, Elmer Ward Bloser. Back then, penmanship wasn’t just a skill—it was a profession, and Charles Zaner’s College of Penmanship was where you went to learn it.
Unlike other schools of penmanship, though, Zaner-Bloser didn’t just teach how to write beautiful-looking letters. The school also taught academics as well, so graduating students were skilled penmen and good writers. Over the course of a century, Zaner-Bloser’s programs for teaching handwriting have become the definitive methods used by generations of American children.
*Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Zaner-Bloser.