Miss Carden's spelling curriculum is a unique combination of phonics, listening skills, dictionary marks, clarity of diction, rhythm, and organization. Her careful sequence and clear rules open up the rich world of words to even our young students. In addition, words commonly thought of as exceptions are clustered into special word groups or minorities to help the students gain a command of them.

The spelling lessons are taught daily and include sound drills, the vowel chart, rules, word groups, dictionary marks, dictation of words, oral and written response, syllabication, and recall without memorization. Beginning in the second grade (through grade 5) the actual spelling words are presented in an association story. This provides the mental imagery that enables the students to recall the words in the correct order the next day. The difficulty of the words used in other subjects is closely correlated with the spelling skill level, thus developing security and success in our students. Functional spelling is strengthened by the regular dictation of sentences which include untaught words that apply the current rules. For the most part we have listed topics only when they are new or greatly developed from previous years.