To determine the effectiveness of programed materials and teaching machines in teaching spelling to third and fourth graders, a research project was designed covering an entire year and using classes in three schools as subjects. Classes at the experimental school used TMI-Grolier's "Modern English Series: Spelling" and the Min/Max II teaching machine as their spelling instruction for the year. Classes at one control school studied the word list for the programed course by conventionalmethods. Classes at the other control school followed the traditional, conventional course for the year. A descriptive analysis of the program was made from teacher and student evaluations. An analysis of variance was made for each of two possible variables considered, intelligence scores and spelling achievement, and for each of the five criteria instruments used in the study. Tests of statistical significance were made for total groups, by grade level, and by ability level to test the gain made by each group. It was concluded that there was no evidence to support one form of instruction over the other, that classes using teaching machines spent too much time with mechanical difficulties, that low ability groups benefited most from programed methods, and that the use of programed materials in textbook rather than teaching machine format should be investigated for elementary school use. (MT)