ABSTRACT
Literacy has been likened to a societal currency (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins, & Kolstad, 1993). In this chapter, we consider how spelling ability might contribute to the value of that currency and the ways in which adult basic literacy instruction can support that contribution. Over the last few centuries, society has been increasing the value it places on accurate spelling, and spelling diffi cult words has now become a mark of a good education. Gerber and Hall (1987) noted, “The ability to spell is still imbued by an admiring public with connotations of studiousness, literacy, and intelligence” (p. 34). In the United States, the fact that we hold an annual National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, attests to the cultural value that is placed on correct spelling, for its own sake, even today.
