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An Introduction to Spelling Mastery

Spelling Mastery is the renowned Direct Instruction Spelling Program that is proven to transform spelling results in all types of students. This unique evidence-based program approaches spelling through strategies, patterns, and rules. The straightforward lessons in Spelling Mastery combine phonemic, morphemic, and whole-word instruction to make spelling easier to learn, and teaching students to mastery.

Explicit instruction, careful selection of spelling words, and repeated and cumulative practice help students master each concept and reinforce and retain key information.

This informative introductory webinar to Spelling Mastery, is presented by Jessica Colleu Terradas – DI expert and Senior Officer Literacy Specialist at Catholic Education Office Canberra & Goulbourn. She has a wide and diverse experience in education coaching teachers and leaders in implementing high-quality evidence-based reading instruction; delivered a range of Direct Instruction (DI) programs in both remedial and mainstream settings with particular expertise in Spelling Mastery. This webinar will be useful to all schools considering adopting Spelling Mastery, or for new schools who want to consolidate their understanding of the main elements of the program.

Hempenstall, K. (2015). Spelling Mastery and Spelling through Morphographs: Direct Instruction programs for beginning and low-progress spellers. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 20(1), 55-81. 10.1080/19404158.2015.1048259. Download the paper here.

Jessica Colleu Terradas

Jessica Colleu Terradas is the Senior Officer Teaching and Learning Literacy and instructional coach in Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education, contributing to the implementation of Catalyst, a system-wide education approach to teaching and learning, including 56 schools. She has a wide and diverse experience in education, working in public, private catholic sectors across different states; coaching teachers and leaders in implementing high-quality evidence-based reading instruction; delivered a range of Direct Instruction (DI) programs in both remedial and mainstream settings. She completed her training on becoming an effective DI trainer at the National Institute for Direct Instruction. Jessica’s work was nationally recognised in 2019 with a Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award in recognition of her success in improving literacy and numeracy outcomes in struggling adolescents.

After receiving a Winston Churchill Fellowship, she travelled to the USA, England and France where she met with leading experts to investigate effective literacy screening and instructional practices to support older struggling readers. She led state-wide networking opportunities for educators and is currently undertaking a PhD at the Australian Catholic University, studying literacy in adolescent students, under the main supervision of Professor Anne Castles. Her work is driven by the belief that every student is capable of successful learning