Spelling

=Conventional spelling is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL to a piece of writing in both appearance and understanding.=

High frequency errors in spelling at the middle school level have been noted in the following areas:

 * contractions, possessives, and plurals
 * homophones (their/there/they're)
 * unsual or newly learned words

Some basic tips:

 * Spell check is your best friend!
 * Use the "speak text" on your computer to have it read back your text while you listen for misspellings. (//On a MAC, go to SYSTEM PREFERENCES (under the APPLE) and set "VOICE." Click "VOICE" and the box that says it will activate the SPEECH TO TEXT mode.)//
 * Check dictionary.com for advice if unsure of the correct spelling
 * Read your paper from the END to the BEGINNING to catch misspellings and typos