Word Study: An Assessment-Based Approach to Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Instruction is an excellent resource for programs and courses in elementary literacy education. It teaches spelling as word study, the approach that underscores the rudiments of phonics in analyzing the structure of words. It is intended for the instruction of teacher candidates, as well as those educators who are already in the classroom. The text communicates the skills for recognizing the spelling errors that students make and for comprehending the factors that cause these mistakes.

The opening chapters emphasize the importance of the communicative arts of literacy and how necessary it is for teachers to be cognizant of their students' histories in the areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This awareness allows for a better understanding by teachers as to their students' abilities when beginning word study instruction. The remaining chapters are divided into four modules: the elements of phonics; the stages of spelling development; the assessment of students' orthographic knowledge; and the grouping of students for instruction.