Pete Bowers – How the Written Word Works

“How the Written Word Works” is a teacher resource by linguist and educator Peter Bowers that introduces Structured Word Inquiry, an approach to spelling that investigates how English words reflect meaning, sound, and history. Rather than memorizing random spelling lists, students learn to analyze morphemes, etymologies, and letter-sound relationships using word sums and evidence-based questioning. Bowers, founder of WordWorks Literacy Centre, created these materials to help teachers and parents see English spelling as logical and learnable. Homeschoolers use this book to move beyond “rules and exceptions” and guide kids in doing real word research that deepens vocabulary and decoding.