I can speak to Rebecca Treiman's statement in her book, Beginning to Spell,
If learning to spell were a natural by-product of learning to read, our task would be simple. (p.293)
My Briella Bean took off with reading and she was taught systematic phonics and phonemic awareness instruction from the beginning. She is now reading at a high level, but her spelling is atrocious. As a result, I've had to apply direct spelling instruction to help improve her conventions.
The same is true for me! The author used the word occasional as a word that she always has to think through in order to spell correctly. And as I typed occasional I couldn't remember if there two c's or two s's. But once I thought through the word parts such as /sion/ I was able to answer the question for myself.
If at this point you're discouraged as a speller, or your writer struggles with spelling there is hope. I'll give you a little bit of what the research states about spelling:
Before a reader committed to memory the spelling of a word, they needed to see it in writing and write it on multiple occasions.
A reader benefitted significantly from studying the word parts, sounds, syllables, etc.
Results were significant when readers had multiple experiences with the word.
Guided Invented Spelling is a one-on-one technique that allows teachers to identify the problems within their spelling and teach or reteach the phonetic rules and sounds associated with that word. The benefit of being a homeschool teacher is that we can do this!
With the research I've completed this month (while still waiting on a book which I'm sure will add to my knowledge) I've concocted a daily procedure which we've implemented into our reading and writing day. On the Educational Consultant Facebook page I shared a brief video of what our week looks like in regards to reading, writing, vocabulary, and spelling. I do not separate one from the other. Each month my clients receive a product for free that they can easily incorporate into their current instruction. This month I provided that procedure! If you are interested in what all is available to you as one of my clients, please contact me. It includes 24/7 access to me for your educational needs, consultations, workshops, free personalized products and more!