I’m a big-picture person. How about you?

A friend of mine is taking a quilting class and the project is a “mystery quilt.” At each class, she receives fabric and instructions for only a part of the quilt. It isn’t until the final class that she’ll actually get to see how the quilt will look. So for now, my friend is cutting and piecing and worrying.

I’m supportive and tell her, “Well, you chose good colors.” Inside, I’m just thinking, “I would never take one of those mystery classes. I want to see the big picture!”

Parents and teachers who review my spelling curriculum tell me they like to see the big picture, too. They’ll mention some teaching tip, overview, or background information I’ve included in the All About Spelling book, and say, “Wow, that really helps,” or “Now that I know that, I can help my daughter,” or “Is THAT why we spell it that way?” Those are what I call Eureka! moments.

Today’s article will give you the big picture about an important spelling concept: phonograms. The article will teach you:

• What phonograms are
• The 72 basic phonograms
• How phonograms work
• Why you should teach the phonograms
• How to teach the phonograms

It is well worth the effort to teach your student the phonograms. Knowing the phonograms and some basic spelling rules will give your student the big picture about spelling and help him become a strong, independent speller.