The purpose of this investigation was to develop a method for improving the spelling skills of college freshmen. Parallel spelling units were devised, which covered the same minimal skills concepts. After a spelling pretest, the students in the sample could choose to study the material either by classroom drill or by using a self-instructional packet. All students took an identical posttest. Although the two groups showed no significant differences in their mean scores, the group that participated in the classroom drill raised their scores considerably higher than their pretest scores. The study recommends self-instructional packets for motivated students with high pretest scores and advocates classroom drill with emphasis on rules and the analysis of words for the majority of students. The pretest, posttest, and exercise materials used in the study are included, along with tables of statistical comparisons and analyses pertinent to the research. (MAI)