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Word Study Guide for Grades 1-4

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Livonia Public SchoolsWord Study Committee, 2011

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………. 3

Introduction …………………………………………………………………… 4

Components of Word Study …………………………………………………… 5

Developmental Stages of Spelling …………………………………………………… 7

Spelling Inventories …………………………………………………………………… 8

Primary Inventory Directions …………………………………………………… 11

Primary Inventory Feature Guide ……………………………………………… 12

Elementary Inventory Directions ………………………………………………. 13

Elementary Inventory Feature Guide ………………………………………….. 14

Word Study Grouping Charts ……………………………………………………… 15

Word Study Resources ………………………………………………………………. 18

LPS Word Study Resources by Levels …………………………………………….. 20

Words Their Way Level A ………………………………………………….

22 Words Their Way Level B

…………………………………………………. 24 Words Their Way

Level C …………………………………………………. 26 Words Their

Way Level D …………………………………………………. 28 Words Their

Way Level E …………………………………………………. 30 Words Their

Way Level F …………………………………………………. 32

Aligning Making Words Lessons with Words Their Way Word Sorts ………………. 34

Additional Resources for Making Words …………………………………………….. 38

Getting Organized for Word Study ………………………………………………….. 39

Word Study Activities ………………………………………………………………… 41

Word Study Routines …………………………………………………………………. 43

Word Sorts for a Variety of Purposes ……………………………………………….. 47

Additional Ideas for Written Practice ………………………………………………. 49

Games to Support Word Study ……………………………………………………… 50

Word Study Explorations …………………………………………………………… 54

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Strategies for Spelling Accurately in Writing ………………………………………. 55

Monitoring Student Progress ……………………………………………………….. . 57

Letter to Family and Homework Letters ………………………………………….... 59

Phonemic Awareness Instruction ……………………………………………………. 64

37 Common Rimes …………………………………………………………………… 65

Word Walls …………………………………………………………………………… 67

Vocabulary Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 75

Word Jar ……………………………………………………………………….. 76

Inferring the Meaning of Unknown Words ……………………………………. 79

Explore A Word ………………………………………………………………… 81

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Acknowledgement

The Word Study Guide was developed by a team of teachers to be used as a resource to guide the

teaching of the “Language and Word Knowledge” pillar. This is one of the five pillars of the

balanced literacy program which is the foundation of our district’s literacy framework.

The district wishes to express its appreciation to the teachers who worked on the initial Word

Study Committee. A special thanks also to the following teachers who developed this resource

guide:

Chris Schulte, Roosevelt Elementary

Shari Mayne, Cass Elementary

Brandy Rost, Webster Elementary

Bette Knedgen, Kennedy Elementary

Judy Polce, Johnson Upper Elementary

Their contribution of time, expertise, and insight is greatly appreciated. The district also wishes

to acknowledge Christine Fankell, Elementary Literacy Facilitator, for her facilitation skills and

leadership talents in working with the team of teachers in the development of this guide.

Sheila Alles

Director of Academic Services

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Introduction

What is word study?

“Word study has become an umbrella term used to describe teaching practices related to word knowledge. Teaching this knowledge supports students as they develop fluency and understanding in their reading, as well as the ability to craft thoughtful writing.” (Brand, 2004)

Word Study is instruction in the following areas:

Phonological Awareness High Frequency Words Spelling Vocabulary

“Word consciousness integrates metacognition about words, motivation to learn words and deep and lasting interest in words.” (Graves, 2006) Actively engaging students in inquiry-based word study creates authentic learning and promotes the application of word knowledge in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Although there are many pedagogical differences, Word Study contains a core set of beliefs for grade levels K-6.

Word study should foster a consciousness of word knowledge. The approach to word study should be differentiated in order to meet the developmental

needs of each child. A spelling program should include an initial assessment as well as ongoing formative

assessment to determine needs and monitor growth. Instruction should focus on the explicit teaching of strategies as well as exploration of

groups of words. An inquiry-based approach encourages students to manipulate and explore words. This

approach leads to a deeper understanding of spelling and application of word knowledge to a larger body of words.

Word study is based on authentic words in context. These words should be used within reading, writing, and the content areas.

Word study is a dedicated time for explicit instruction of phonological awareness, spelling and vocabulary.

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Core Beliefs

Components of Word Study

Introduction

Word study encompasses a developmentally appropriate study of phonological awareness, high frequency words, spelling, and vocabulary. Through daily instruction, students will construct knowledge and form generalizations about how written code and language works.

Spelling is a thinking process rather than memorizing a list of words. Therefore, teachers need to develop a climate for word study that includes exploration, risk-taking, and having fun with words. Instruction should be focused and connected to literacy workshop and content areas. The goal of word study is to lead students to become lifelong readers and writers.

Phonological Awareness and Phonics

Phonological awareness is a broad term that includes the ability to separate sentences into words and words into syllables. Phonemic awareness is an aspect of phonological awareness and includes the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

Phonics is the understanding that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes (the sounds in spoken language) and graphemes (the letters and spellings that represent those sounds in written language). Phonics knowledge is developmental and is important not for itself, but in its application. Phonics instruction is integrated into beginning reading and writing instruction. (Cunningham, 2005)

High Frequency Words

High frequency words occur frequently in reading and writing. For children to be fluent readers and writers, they need to instantly recognize and be able to spell these words. In the beginning of the year teachers should assess their students’ knowledge of high-frequency words. Throughout the year teachers support and build upon the use and spelling of these words. High-utility words are also essential for students to learn. This would include thematic, content-based, or self-selected words.

Spelling

Spelling (orthography) is the ability to use the correct sequences of letters in the writing system. Students grow in their understanding and use of word recognition, word building, word solving and spelling patterns. Through explicit instruction, students acquire knowledge of words and move through the developmental stages of spelling. (See “Developmental

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Stages of Spelling” in this guide). Direct instruction is focused and accommodates the differentiated needs of students. The ultimate goal of spelling instruction is to increase accurate spelling in writing.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the words students should know in order to communicate effectively. Students need to be exposed to listening, speaking, reading and writing vocabulary. Comprehensive vocabulary instruction should include rich and varied language experiences. Teaching individual words, word learning strategies, and fostering word consciousness are part of vocabulary development.

Vocabulary is taught across the curriculum in context-based instruction. Knowing, understanding and applying vocabulary is an important part of word study instruction. Students need repeated exposure to newly acquired words and their meanings. The classroom climate fosters word consciousness and a love of words.

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Developmental Stages of Spelling

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Scribbles letters and numbers Writing is a mixture of pictures,

letter shapes or signs Randomly uses both

conventional and invented symbols

Lacks concept of word Writing is translatable only by

the writer Lacks letter sound

correspondence Pretends to read and write Mixes upper and lower case Repeats known symbols

Writes strong consonant sounds Often uses letter names to

represent sounds Uses beginning and ending

sounds in spelling Reads word by word in

beginning readers Changing letters in words to

form new words (hot – hit – sit - set)

A few correct spellings in writing

Attempts to match letters and symbols to sound

Uses onsets and rimes in writing Omits most silent letters

Spells most single syllable, short vowel words correctly

Writing becomes recognizable to others

Incorporates beginning consonant blends

Splits words into beginning, middle, and end

Attempts to use silent long vowel markers (NALE – nail)

Uses known sounds to write words

Pronunciation plays a large part in spelling

Puts extra letters in to cover gaps in knowledge

Uses common spelling patterns

Spells most single syllable words correctly

Makes errors in spelling multi-syllable words

Includes a vowel at every syllable

Correctly spells and uses high frequency words

Visual memory of spelling patterns

Some spelling should be automatic

Majority of letters in spelling are correct, but might not be in correct order

Uses strategies other than phonics

Begins to use silent letters

Explores and examines the functions and meanings of words and how these affect spelling

Investigates the origins of words and history of spelling systems

Extends knowledge and use of appropriate reference systems

Spells most words conventionally

Joins spelling and vocabulary studies; links meaning and spelling

Examines common and less common roots, prefixes, and suffixes

Examines content related vocabulary with greater focus

Has a large bank of sight words Makes analogies to known

spelling patterns

In all stages students will: Use a range of strategies to spell words Try alternatives to see which spelling “looks and feels” right Effectively use appropriate spelling resources and references Learn words across content areas Develop an ability to spell correctly when writing with speed

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Grades K-3

Grades 3-6

Grades 6-8

Enjoy word play and word exploration Experiment with new and difficult words Recognize incorrect spelling

Spelling Inventories

Spelling inventories are used as a tool for identifying developmental spelling stages of students. Ideally, the same inventory would be given three times a year to monitor growth. A suggested timeline for these inventories is mid-September, January, and late May. There are two spelling inventories that are part of the Words Their Way program that can be used to assess the spelling levels of your students. The Primary Spelling Inventory is used in kindergarten through third grade. The Elementary Spelling Inventory can be used as early as first grade and through sixth grade. Schools that want to give all grades the same inventory for data purposes should give the Elementary Spelling Inventory.

Feature Guides are used to analyze the spelling inventories. Before assessing your students, you will need to make a copy of the corresponding Feature Guide for each student in your class. These will be used when scoring the inventories and identifying the developmental spelling level of each student. Students are assessed on different features of words, not just on accurately spelling the word. For example, if the word is bed and a child spells the word bad, the child would still get the points for beginning sound and ending sound, yet not earn the feature point for mid-word vowel sound.

The information gained from spelling inventories is used to identify the needs of students and differentiate instruction. Using the data from the inventory, you will identify a developmental spelling stage for each student and form word study groups. Typically, a class would have students grouped in the level that corresponds to a grade level and one level above and/or below. Administering the spelling inventory again in January will allow you to reassess student needs and adjust the groups as needed. Procedure for Administering the Spelling Inventory

Below is the suggested procedure for administering spelling inventories:1. Identify the inventory that would work best for your grade level and group of students.2. Administer the inventory to your students by reading words and sentences as specified in

the Primary or Elementary Spelling Inventory. (A copy is included in this guide or may be found in Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, fourth edition).

3. Use the Feature Guide to score the inventory. (See below for details and tips on scoring).

4. Determine how you will group students for instruction using the Spelling-by-Stage Classroom Organization Chart. (A copy is included in this guide or may be found in Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, fourth edition).

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Tips for Administering the Spelling Inventory

Feel free to allow students to stop midway through the spelling inventory if they begin to miss several consecutive words in a row. One way to approach this is to identify a point in the list where you anticipate it becoming a challenge for some of your students, and then give the inventory in two sessions. After scoring the first portion, you would only give the second portion of the list to students that made few or no errors in the first part of the list.

Use the same inventory throughout the year to monitor student growth and achievement.

Some teachers like to use three different colors of pen and mark the same Feature Guide at the beginning, middle, and end of the year for each student. In this way, teachers can monitor student progress over time.

Analyzing Results

To determine the developmental spelling stage for each student:o One simple rule is to look for the first column on the Feature Guide in which a

student misses 2 spelling features. Then look for the spelling stage at the top of the column.

o Use the chart – “Words Spelled Correctly/Total Feature Points + Words Spelled Correctly by Spelling Stages” in Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction by Donald Bear.

Use the Word Study Grouping Chart to sort students by their developmental stages. Simply write student names under the developmental stage. Then create groups of students that have similar needs.

As you are grouping your students, remember that word study is just one small chunk of

your day and it needs to be manageable. When looking at the levels of your spellers on their Feature Guide, look for clusters of scores to help you determine your groupings. Remember, any more than three groups can be difficult to manage! When grouping students whose spelling level is not an exact match for your groupings, use your professional judgment, what you know about the student as a learner, as well as the data from the Feature Guide to help guide your decisions.

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For more information about the use of Spelling Inventories and Feature Guides see:

Chapter 2 and Appendix A in Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, fourth edition.

Examples of Spelling Inventories and Feature Guides in the supplemental DVD found in

Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, fourth edition.

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Primary Spelling Inventory Directions

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Primary Feature Guide

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Elementary Inventory Directions

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Elementary Feature Guide

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Word Study Grouping Chart – 1st to 3rd Grades Date ________________

List each student under his/her developmental stage to assist with forming groups of students of similar ability.

Letter Name-Alphabetic Within Word Patterns Syllables & AffixesEarly Middle Late Early Middle Late Early Middle Late

LPS Word Study Level Range of Developmental LevelsLevel A Early Letter Name–Alphabetic to Early Within Word PatternsLevel B Early Within Word Pattern to Mid Within Word PatternsLevel C Late Within Word Pattern to Early Syllables and AffixesLevel D Mid Syllables and Affixes to Late Syllables and AffixesLevel E Early Derivational Relations to Mid Derivational RelationsLevel F Mid Derivational Relations to Late Derivational Relations

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Word Study Grouping Chart – 3rd to 6th Grades Date ________________


Within Word Pattern Syllables & Affixes Derivational RelationsEarly Middle Late Early Middle Late Early Middle Late

LPS Word Study Level Range of Developmental LevelsLevel C Late Within Word Pattern to Early Syllables and AffixesLevel D Mid Syllables and Affixes to Late Syllables and AffixesLevel E Early Derivational Relations to Mid Derivational RelationsLevel F Mid Derivational Relations to Late Derivational Relations

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Word Study Grouping Chart – 1st-6th Grades Date _________________


Letter Name-Alphabetic Within Word Patterns Syllables and Affixes Derivational RelationsEarly Middle Early Early Middle Late Early Middle Late Early Middle Late

LPS Word Study Level Range of Developmental LevelsLevel A Early Letter Name – Alphabetic – Early Within Word PatternsLevel B Early Within Word Pattern – Mid Within Word PatternsLevel C Late Within Word Pattern – Early Syllables and AffixesLevel D Mid Syllables and Affixes – Late Syllables and AffixesLevel E Early Derivational Relations – Mid Derivational RelationsLevel F Mid Derivational Relations – Late Derivational Relations

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Word Study Resources

Words Their Way

Words Their Way is an instructional approach that uses sorting as a way of studying words. Sorting is the most powerful way of helping students make sense of words. “Categorizing is the fundamental way that humans make sense of the world. It allows us to find order and similarities among various objects, events, ideas, and words that we encounter. When students sort words they are engaged in the active process of searching, comparing, contrasting and analyzing. Word sorts help students organize what they know about words and form generalizations that they can then apply to new words they encounter in their reading.” (Bear, et al, 2004; Gillet& Kita, 1978). The idea of sorting fits a constructivist learning approach and provides a method for engaging students in discovering similarities and differences in words.

Words Their Way presents a practical, complete guide to all facets of word study, using an instructional approach based on developmental stages and differentiating needs. Research defines developmental stages as the match between the word knowledge of the learner and the study of word features, thus word study is “not a one size fits all” program. (Bear, et al, 2004) The following is a list of Words Their Way resources that are utilized in this guide.

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name – Alphabetic Spellers, 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, TempletonWords Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers 2nd edition, by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, TempletonWords Their Way: Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, TempletonWords Their Way: Word Sorts for Derivational Relations Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

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Making Words

In Levels A and B, students will benefit from BOTH sorting words into categories and manipulating letters to build words through Making Words. “Making Words lessons are an example of a type of instruction called guided discovery. In order to truly learn and retain strategies, children must discover them. But many children do not make discoveries about words on their own. In Making Words lessons, children are guided to make those discoveries. . . . While children are having fun making words, they are also learning important information about phonics and spelling. As children manipulate the letters to make the words, they learn how small changes, such as changing just one letter or moving the letters around, results in a completely new word. Children develop phonemic awareness as they stretch out words and listen for the sounds they hear and the order of those sounds.” (Cunningham, Hall, 2009)

The following is a list of Making Words resources that will be used in this guide:

Making Words: 100 Hands-On Lessons for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Spelling, 1st Grade by Cunningham and HallSystematic Sequential Phonics They Use by Cunningham

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LPS Word Study Resources by Level

These resources have been used to create LPS Word Study Levels as follows:

Level A Word Sorts for Letter Name – Alphabetic Spellers

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers

Making Words: 100 Hands-On Lessons for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Spelling, 1st Grade

Level B Word Sorts for Letter Name – Alphabetic Spellers

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers

Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use

Level C Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers

Level D Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers

Level E Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers

Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Derivational Relations Spellers

Level F Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Derivational Relations Spellers 2nd

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Livonia Public Schools

Word Study Levels

Introduction

Word study levels A through F are detailed on the pages that follow. The levels define a developmental sequence for the study of words. Each level lists word sorts and resources that would be appropriate for that level. The sorts listed should be considered a menu of word patterns that would be appropriate for a given level. It is up to the teacher to determine which sorts are a match for the needs of his/her students. The Spelling Inventory should provide useful data for informing instruction.

Also note that some spelling sorts are featured in more than one level. Sorts that have been listed in a previous level are noted with an *. This repetition of word sorts allows skills to be revisited as needed. If you are teaching a sort that has been introduced at a previous level, it’s important to incorporate new/additional words. The teacher guide provides additional words for this purpose in the “Extend” section of each lesson.

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Words Their Way - Level A

Skill Focus Sort # ResourceBeginning Consonants b,m,r,s * 1 Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter

Name -Alphabetic Spellers, 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

t, g, n, p 2 Letter Name -Alphabetic c, h, n, p 3 Letter Name -Alphabetic l, k, j, w 4 Letter Name -Alphabetic y, z, v 5 Letter Name -AlphabeticSame Vowel Word Families at 6 Letter Name -Alphabetic ad, an 7 Letter Name -Alphabetic ap, ag 8 Letter Name -Alphabetic ot, og, op 9 Letter Name -Alphabetic et, eg, en 10 Letter Name -Alphabetic un, ut, ug 11 Letter Name -Alphabetic ig, ill 12 Letter Name -AlphabeticDigraphs and Blends Picture Sortss, h, sh * 13 Letter Name -Alphabeticc. h, ch * 14 Letter Name -Alphabeticth, wh * 16 Letter Name -Alphabeticsh, ch, wh, th 17 Letter Name -Alphabetics, t, st * 18 Letter Name -Alphabeticsp, sk, sm * 19 Letter Name -Alphabeticsc, sn, sw * 20 Letter Name -Alphabeticp, l, pl * 21 Letter Name -Alphabeticsl, bl, pl 22 Letter Name -Alphabeticcr. cl, fr, fl 23 Letter Name -Alphabeticbr, bl, gr, gl 24 Letter Name -Alphabeticpr, dr, tr 25 Letter Name -Alphabetick, wh, qu, tw, k 26 Letter Name -AlphabeticMixed-Vowel Word Familiesat, ot, it 27 Letter Name -Alphabetican, un, in 28 Letter Name -Alphabeticad, ed, ab, ob 29 Letter Name -Alphabeticag, eg, ig, og, and ug 30 Letter Name -Alphabetic

ill, ell, all 31 Letter Name -Alphabeticick, ack, ock, and uck 32 Letter Name -Alphabeticish, ash, and ush - 33 Letter Name -Alphabetic

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Short and Long Vowel SoundsLong and short a 1 Words Their Way: Word Sorts for

Within Word Pattern Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

Long and short i 2 Within Word PatternLong and short o 3 Within Word PatternLong and short u 4 Within Word PatternLong and short e 5 Within Word PatternAdditional Work with Digraphs and Blendsh, sh, ch – If additional review is needed

15 Letter Name -Alphabetic

Additional Work with Short VowelsPicture sorts for short vowels - Use to support short vowels focusing on the sound of short vowels

34-36 Letter Name -Alphabetic

*These lessons are optional and should be taught based on the needs of learners. They can also be combined with other sorts.

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Words Their Way - Level BSkill Focus Sort # Resource

Digraphs and Blends Picture SortDigraphs: sh, ch, wh, th 17* Words Their Way: Word Sorts for

Letter Name -Alphabetic Spellers2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

Blends: sp, sk, sm, sc, sn, sw 19 & 20*

Letter Name -Alphabetic

Blends: cr, cl, fr, fl, br, bl, gr, gl 23 & 24*


Blends: pr, dr, tr, wh, qu, tw 25 & 26*


Short- and Long- Vowel sounds Review of long vowels: a, e, i, o, u 6 Words Their Way: Word Sorts for


Short a versus long a (CVCe) 7 Within Word PatternShort i versus long i (CVCe) 8 Within Word PatternShort o versus long o (CVCe) 9 Within Word PatternShort u versus long u (CVCe) 10 Within Word PatternShort versus long review (CVC & CVCe) 11 Within Word PatternFinal /k/ sound spelled –ck, -ke, or -k 12 Within Word PatternCommon Long-Vowel Patterns (CVCe & CVVC)Short a and long a (CVCe & CVVC) 13 Within Word PatternShort o and long o (CVCe & CVVC) 14 Within Word PatternShort u and long u (CVCe & CVVC) 15 Within Word PatternShort e and long e (CVVC) 16 Within Word PatternShort e and long e (CVC & CVVC) 17 Within Word PatternReview for CVVC pattern (ai, oa, ee, ea) 18 Within Word PatternShort a and long a (CVCe,CVVC –ai, & -ay 19 Within Word PatternShort o and long o (CVCe, CVVC –oa, & -ow) 20 Within Word PatternShort u and long u (-ew and –ue) 21 Within Word PatternShort i and long i (CVCe, CVCC –igh, -y) 22 Within Word PatternR-Influenced Vowels -ar, -are, -air 25 Within Word Pattern-er, -ear, -eer 26 Within Word Pattern-ir, -ire, -ier 27 Within Word Pattern-or, -ore, -oar, w+or 28 Within Word Pattern-ur, -ure, -ur-e 29 Within Word PatternDiphthongs & Vowel Digraphs and Other Ambiguous Vowel SoundsLong o, oi, oy 31 Within Word Pattern

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oo, oo 32 Within Word Patternaw, au, o 33 Within Word Patternou, ow 35 Within Word PatternBeginning & Ending ConsonantsSilent beginning consonants – kn, wr, gn 36Triple r-blends scr, str, spr 37Hard and soft c and g 39 Within Word PatternFinal e – ce, ve, se, ze 40Additional Work With Short and Long VowelsShort vowel and word families 27-31* Letter-Name AlphabeticShort and long vowels 1-5 Within Word Pattern

*Introduced in Level A

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Words Their Way - Level C

Skill Focus Sort # ResourceReview Sorts*Short versus long review (CVC and CVCe)

11* Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers 2nd edition

by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

*Review of CVVC pattern (ai, oa, ee, ea)

18* Within Word Pattern

Less Common Long-Vowel Patterns*Short –a and long –a (CVCe, CVVC –ai, and open syllable –ay)


*Short –o and long –o (CVCe, CVVC –oa, and open syllable –ow)


*Short –u and long –u (Open Syllable –ew and –ue)


*Short –i and long –i (CVCe, CVCC-igh, and CV open syllable –y)


Short –i and long –i (VCC) with short –o and long –o (VCC)

23 Within Word Pattern

Review of long-vowel patterns 24 Within Word Pattern R-Influenced Vowel Patternsar, are, air 25* Within Word Pattern er, ear, eer 26* Within Word Pattern ir, ire, ier 27* Within Word Pattern or, ore, oar, w + or 28* Within Word Pattern ur, ure, ur-e 29* Within Word Pattern Review of ar, schwa-plus-r, and or 30 Within Word Pattern Diphthongs and Other Ambiguous Vowel SoundsLong –o, -oi, -oy 31* Within Word Pattern Long and short –oo 32* Within Word Pattern aw, au, ô 33* Within Word Pattern wa, al, ou 34 Within Word Pattern ou, ow 35* Within Word Pattern Beginning and Ending Complex Consonants and Consonant ClustersSilent beginning consonant kn, wr, gn 36 Within Word Pattern Triple r-blends (scr/str/spr) 37 Within Word Pattern Consonant diagraphs plus –r-blends and squ (thr/shr/squ)

38 Within Word Pattern

Hard and soft c and g 39* Within Word Pattern

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-ce/-ve/-se/-ze 40 Within Word Pattern dge/ge 41 Within Word Pattern tch/ch 42 Within Word Pattern High Frequency Words and ContractionsHigh frequency a- be- 43 Within Word Pattern Contractions 44 Within Word Pattern Inflectional Endings for Plural and Past TensePlural endings –s -es 45 Within Word Pattern 3 Sounds of past tense -ed 46 Within Word Pattern HomophonesLong –a homophones 47 Within Word PatternLong –a homophones 48 Within Word PatternLong –e homophones 49 Within Word PatternLong –i homophones 50 Within Word PatternInflected EndingsReview of vowel patterns in one-syllable words

1 Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

Adding –ing to words with VC and VCC

2 Syllables and Affixes

Adding –ing to words with VCe and VCC


Review of double, e-drop, and nothing


Inflected EndingsAdd –ed to words 5 Syllables and Affixes Unusual past tense words 6 Syllables and Affixes Unusual plurals 8 Syllables and Affixes Final -y 9 Syllables and Affixes Compound WordsCompound words 10 Syllables and AffixesMore compound words 11 Syllables and AffixesSyllable JunctureSyllable juncture in VCV and VCCV words 12 Syllables and AffixesMore syllable juncture in VCV and VCCV words


Syllable juncture in VCV and VVCV words 14 Syllables and AffixesSyllable juncture in VCCCV and VV words 15 Syllables and AffixesOpen and closed syllables and inflected endings


*Introduced in Level B

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Words Their Way - Level D

Skill Focus Sort # ResourceHigh Frequency Words and ContractionsHigh frequency a- be- 43* Words Their Way: Word Sorts for


Contractions 44* Within Word PatternsInflectional Endings for Plural and Past Tense3 Sounds of past tense -ed 46* Within Word PatternsHomophonesLong –a homophones 47* Within Word PatternsLong –a homophones 48* Within Word PatternsLong –e homophones 49* Within Word PatternsLong – i homophones 50* Within Word PatternsInflected EndingsAdd –ed to words 5* Words Their Way: Word Sorts for

Syllables and Affixes Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

Unusual past tense words 6* Syllables and AffixesPlural endings, adding -es 7Unusual plurals 8* Syllables and AffixesFinal -y 9* Syllables and AffixesSyllable JunctureSyllable juncture in VCV, VCCV 12* Syllables and AffixesMore syllable juncture VCV, VCCV 13* Syllables and AffixesSyllable juncture in VCV, VVCV 14* Syllables and AffixesSyllable juncture in VCCCV ,VV 15* Syllables and AffixesOpen/closed syllables and inflected endings

16* Syllables and Affixes

Vowel Patterns in Accented SyllablesLong a in accented syllables 17 Syllables and AffixesLong i in accented syllables 18 Syllables and AffixesLong o in accented syllables 19 Syllables and AffixesLong u in accented syllables 20 Syllables and AffixesLong e in accented syllables 21 Syllables and AffixesAmbiguous vowels oy/oi ou/ow 22 Syllables and AffixesMore ambiguous au/aw/al 23 Syllables and AffixesR-influenced a 24 Syllables and AffixesR-influenced o 25 Syllables and Affixes

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Words with w or /w/ sound 26 Syllables and AffixesSchwa+ r spelled er, ir, ur 27 Syllables and AffixesSchwa+ r spelled er, ear, ere 28 Syllables and AffixesUnaccented SyllablesFinal syllable –le 29 Syllables and AffixesFinal syllable le, el, il, al 30 Syllables and AffixesFinal syllable er, ar, or 31 Syllables and AffixesFinal syllable en, on, ain, in 34 Syllables and AffixesFinal syllable et, it, ate 35 Syllables and AffixesFinal –y, -ey , -ie 36 Syllables and AffixesY + inflected endings 37 Syllables and AffixesUnaccented initial syllables (a, de, be)


Exploring ConsonantsInitial hard and soft g and c 39 Syllables and AffixesS and soft c and g in the final syllable 40 Syllables and AffixesMore words with g 41 Syllables and AffixesSound of k spelled ck, ic, and x 42 Syllables and AffixesSpelling with qu 43 Syllables and AffixesWords with silent consonants 44 Syllables and AffixesWords with gh and ph 45 Syllables and AffixesAffixesPrefixes – re, un 46 Syllables and AffixesPrefixes – dis, mis, pre 47 Syllables and AffixesPrefixes – ex, non, in, fore 48 Syllables and AffixesPrefixes – uni, bi, tri 49 Syllables and AffixesPrefixes – y, ly, ily 50 Syllables and AffixesComparatives – er, est 51 Syllables and AffixesSuffixes – ness, ful, less 52 Syllables and AffixesHomographsHomographs 54 Syllables and Affixes*Introduced in Level C

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Words Their Way - Level E

Skill Focus Sort # ResourceExploring ConsonantsInitial hard and soft g and c 39* Words Their Way: Word Sorts

for Syllables and Affixes Spellers 2nd edition by

Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

S and soft c and g in the final syl 40* Syllables and AffixesMore words with g 41* Syllables and AffixesSound of k spelled ck, ic and x 42* Syllables and AffixesSpelling with qu 43* Syllables and AffixesWords with silent consonants 44* Syllables and Affixesgh and ph 45* Syllables and AffixesPrefixesPrefixes- in, un, dis, mis 1 Words Their Way: Word Sorts

for Derivational Relations Spellers 2nd edition by

Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton

Prefixes- pre, fore, post, after 2 Derivational RelationsPrefixes -re, ex, in, de 3 Derivational RelationsPrefixes -sub, com, pro, en 4 Derivational RelationsDerivational SuffixesSuffixes y, ly, ily 5 Derivational RelationsComparative suffixes -er, est, ier, iest 6 Derivational RelationsNoun suffixes – er, or, ian, ist 7 Derivational RelationsSuffixes- ment, less, ness 8 Derivational RelationsSuffixes – ary, ery, ory 9 Derivational RelationsSuffixes - ty, ity 10 Derivational RelationsSuffixes – al, ial, ic 11 Derivational RelationsAdjective suffixes – ful, ous, ious 12 Derivational RelationsVerb suffixes – en, ize, ify 13 Derivational RelationsThe Suffix -ionAdd - ion, no spelling change 14 Derivational RelationsAdd –ion, -ian, no spelling change 15 Derivational RelationsAdd-ion, e drop and spelling change 16 Derivational RelationsAdd – ation, cation, ition 17 Derivational RelationsGreek and Latin Elements IGreek and latin prefixes – mono, uni, bi, tri 25 Derivational RelationsMore number prefixes 26 Derivational RelationsGreek and Latin – micro, mega, super, hyper 27 Derivational RelationsGreek roots – tele, phon, photo, graph 28 Derivational RelationsGreek roots – geo, therm, scope, meter, logy 29 Derivational Relations

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Latin roots – spect, port, form 30 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – dic, aud, vis 31 Derivational RelationsNoun suffixes – er, or, ian, ist 7 Derivational RelationsVowel and consonant alternationConsonant alteration 18 Derivational RelationsVowel alteration: long to short 19 Derivational RelationsVowel alteration: long to short or schwa 20 Derivational RelationsAdding suffix –ity: vowel alteration, schwa to short

21 Derivational Relations

Vowel alteration: long, short, and schwa 22 Derivational RelationsAdding –ion: vowel alteration, spelling change 23 Derivational RelationsMultiple alterations 24 Derivational RelationsGreek and Latin Elements IGreen and Latin number prefixes – mono, uni, bi, tri)


More number prefixes 26 Derivational Relations*Introduced in Level D

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Words Their Way - Level F

Skill Focus Sort # ResourceGreek and Latin Elements IGreek and Latin elements: size – micro mega, super, hyper

27 Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Derivational Relations

Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi,

TempletonGreek roots – tele, phone, photo, graph 28 Derivational RelationsMore Greek roots – geo, therm scope, meter, logy


Latin roots – spect, port, form 30 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – dic, aud, vis 31 Derivational RelationsLatin Roots – gress, rupt, tract, mot 32 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – fract, flect/flex, ject, mis/mit 33 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – man, scrib/script, cred, fac 34 Derivational RelationsGreek and Latin Elements IILatin roots – duc/duct, sequ/sec, flu, ver/vert 35 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – bene, mal & prefixes – ante, post 36 Derivational RelationsGreek&Latin – magni, min,poly, equ,omni 37 Derivational RelationsGreek & Latin-cap, corp, dent/don’t, ped/pod 38 Derivational RelationsGreek & Latin-terr, astr/aster, aer, hydra/hydro 39 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – gen, mort, bio 40 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – ven/vent, junct, spir, sec/sect 41 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – jud, mod, biblio 42 Derivational RelationsGreek and Latin Elements IIIGreek&Latin – voc/voke, ling/lang, mem, psych 43 Derivational RelationsGreek & Latin – path, sens/sent, med/medi, sol 44 Derivational RelationsPrefixes – intra, inter, intro, circum 45 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – press, pur/purg, fus, pend 46 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – pos, loc, sist, sta/stat/stit 47 Derivational RelationsLatin roots – ced/cess/ceed, ten/tend, lit 48 Derivational RelationsChanges in roots-ceiv/cep,tain/ten, nounce/nunc 49 Derivational RelationsAdvanced Spelling – Meaning PatternsSuffixes – ent/ence, ant/ance 50 Derivational RelationsSuffixes – ent/ence/ency, ant/ance/ancy 51 Derivational RelationsSuffixes – able, ible 52 Derivational RelationsAdding able, ible 53 Derivational RelationsAccent and doubling 54 Derivational RelationsWords from French 55 Derivational Relations

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Prefix Assimilation+Prefix assimilation – in, im, il, ir 56 Derivational RelationsPrefix assimilation – com, col, cor, co, con 57 Derivational RelationsPrefix assimilation – sub, suf, sup, suc, sus 58 Derivational RelationsPrefix assimilation – ex, ef, ob, op, of, oc 59 Derivational RelationsPrefix assimilation – ad, ap, as, at, ac 60 Derivational Relations*Introduced in Level E

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Aligning Making Words Lessons

with Words Their Way Word Sorts

Level A

This chart suggests Making Words lessons that support skills taught in each Words Their Way sort. Some Making Words lessons are listed more than once as they are a match with more than one sort.

Words Their WaySort Lesson Number

Making WordsCorresponding Lessons

Beginning ConsonantsResource: Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers 2nd edition

Resource: Making Words: 100 Hands-on Lessons for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Spelling – 1st Grade

1 (b,m,r,s) There are no making words lesson for Word Sort lessons 1-5

2 (t,g,n,p) 3 (c,h,n,p) 4 (l,k,j,w) 5 ( y,z,v)

Same Vowel Word Families6 (at) 1, 4, 9, 10 7 (ad, an) 2, 3, 5 8 (ap, ag) 6, 7, 89 (ot, og, op) 19, 20, 4710 ( et, eg, en) 14, 15, 33, 34,

For –eg teachers may want to use lesson 13 from Systematic Sequential Phonics

11 (un, ut, ug) 12, 13, 5012 (ig, ill) 31, 89, 95

Digraphs and Blends Picture Sorts13 (s,h, sh) 23, 2414 (c,h,ch) 25, 2616 (th, wh) 21, 2217 (sh, ch, wh, th) 38, 39, 42, 8718 (s, t, st) 49, 4619 (sp, sk, sm) 24, 41, 5220 (sc, sn, sw) 83, 80, 3121 (p, l, pl) 7822 (sl, bl, pl) 9723 (cr, cl,, fr, fl) 11, 68, 92

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24 (br, bl, gr, gl) 45, 6For gl- teachers may want to use lesson 102 from second grade Systematic Sequential Phonics

25 (pr, dr, tr) 61, 7326 (wh, qu, tw, k) 45, 87,

For tw- teachers may want to use lesson 136 from second grade Systematic Sequential Phonics

Mixed-Vowel Word Families27 ( at, ot, it) 10, 17, 4828 (an, un, in) 5, 12, 1629 (ad,ed,ab,ob) 62, 8830 (ag, eg, ig, og, ug) 32, 85, 31

For –eg teachers may want to use lesson 13 from second grade Systematic Sequential Phonics

31 (ill, ell, all) 89, 9032 (ick, ack, ock, uck) 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 4033 (ish, ash, ush) 31, 25

Short and Long Vowel SoundsResource: Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers 2nd edition1 (Long and short a) 37, 61, 63, 64, 75, 962 (Long and short i) 18, 19, 31, 37, 723 (Long and short o) 39, 40, 58, 81, 82, 834 (Long and short u) 38, 65, 66, 67 5 (Long and short e) 36, 51, 54, 55

Additional Work and Short VowelsResource: Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers 2nd edition15 (h, sh, ch – If additional review is needed) 53, 57, 84

Additional Work with Short Vowels34-36 ( Picture sorts for short vowels – Use to support short vowels focusing on the sound of short vowels)

Many lessons in your Making Words resource link with these sorts.

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Aligning Making Words Lessons

with Words Their Way Word Sorts

Level B

This chart suggests Making Words lessons that support skills taught in each Words Their Way sort. Some Making Words lessons are listed more than once as they are a match with more than one sort.

Words Their WaySort Lesson Number

Making WordsCorresponding Lessons

Digraphs and Blends Picture SortResource: Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers 2nd edition

Resource: Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use

17 (digraphs: sh, ch, wh, th) 28, 27, 122, 26, 2919 & 20 (blends: sp, sk, sm, sc, sn, sw) 23, 19, 117, 116, 107, 623 & 24 (blends: cr, cl, fr, fl, br, bl, gr, gl) 103, 101, 109, 108, 98, 99, 97, 102, 325 & 26 (blends: pr, dr, tr, wh, qu, tw, k 96, 106, 104, 91, 136

Short-and Long- Vowel soundsLessons in Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Within Word Pattern Spellers 2nd edition by Johnston, Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton6 (review of long vowels: a, e, I, o, u) 9, 16, 18, 21, 11, 17 7 (short a versus long a with CVCe) 31, 32, 33, 34, 1288 (short i versus long i with CVCe) 36, 37, 389 (short o versus long o with CVCe) 41, 42, 21, 22, 2310 (short u versus long u with CVCe) 43, 44, 11, 12, 13, 1511 (short versus long review with CVC & CVCe)

32, 39, 36, 41, 43,

12 (Final k sound spelled ck, ke, or k) 124, 138, 23Common Long-Vowel Patterns (CVCe & CVVC)

13 (short a and long a with CVCe & CVVC) 32, 33, 34, 48, 4914 (short o and long o with CVCe & CVVC) 121, 127, 41, 42, 57, 5815 (short u and long u with CVCe & CVVC) 109, 98, 7416 (short e and long e with CVVC) 19, 94, 12917 (short e and long e with CVC & CVVC) 51, 52, 53, 54, 8618 (review for CVVC Pattern – ai, oa, ee, ea)

112, 137, 51, 52, 53, 54

19 (short a and long a with CVCe, CVVC – ai, ay)

46, 47, 48, 49, 118

20 (short o and long o with CVCe, CVVC – oa, ow)

57, 58, 123

21 (short u and long u – ew, ue) 43, 84, 4422 (short i and long i – igh, y) 39, 86, 114, 119, 132

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R Influenced Vowels28 (short o and or) 63, 64, 13125 (short a and ar) 61, 6226 (short e – er and long e – ear, eer) 67, 6827 (short i – ir and long I – ire, ier) 66, 39

Diphthongs & Vowels Diagraphs and Other Ambiguous Vowel Sounds 31 (long o, oi, oy) 58, 59, 89, 13432 (oo) 81, 82, 83, 13933 (aw, au) 71, 72, 7435 (ou, ow) 76, 77, 78, 79, 139

Beginning & Ending Consonants 36 (silent beginning consonants – kn, wr, gn)37 (triple r-blends scr, str, spr) 839 (hard and sort c and g) 92, 9340 (final e – ce, ve, se, ze) 124, 19

Additional Work with Short and Long Vowels Resource: Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers 2nd edition27-31 Many lessons in your Making Words resource

link with these sorts.

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Additional Resources for Making Words

Big Words for Big Kids: Systematic Sequential Phonics and Spelling (Cunningham, 2003)

Daily Word Ladders: Grades 1-2: 150+ Reproducible Word Study Lessons That Help Kids Boost Reading, Vocabulary, Spelling and Phonics Skills! (Rasinski)

Daily Word Ladders Grades 2-3 (Rasinski)

Daily Word Ladders: Grades 4-6 (Rasinski)

Making Big Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Spelling and Phonics Activities (Cunningham, Hall, Heggie , 2001)

Making More Big Words: Multilevel, Hands-on Phonics and Spelling Activities (Cunningham, Hall, 2001)

Making More Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Phonics and Spelling Activities (Cunningham, Hall, 2001)

Making Words Fifth Grade: 50 Hands-On Lessons for Teaching Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots (Cunningham, Hall, 2008)

Making Words First Grade: 100 Hands-On Lessons for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics and Spelling (Cunningham, Hall, 2008)

Making Words Fourth Grade: 50 Hands-On Lessons for Teaching Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots (Cunningham, Hall, 2008)

Making Words Kindergarten: 50 Interactive Lessons that Build Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Spelling Skills (Hall, Cunningham, 2008)

Making Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Phonics and Spelling Activities by (Cunningham, Hall, Heggie, 2001) Making Words Second Grade: 100 Hands-On Lessons for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics and Spelling (Cunningham, Hall, 2008)

Making Words Third Grade: 70 Hands-On Lessons for Teaching Prefixes, Suffixes, and Homophones (Cunningham, Hall, 2008)

Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use: For Beginning Readers of All Ages (Cunningham, 2000)

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http://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Words-Multilevel-Hands-/dp/1564179001/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304435293&sr=1-11

http://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Big-Words-Hands-/dp/1564178994/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304435571&sr=1-13

Getting Organized for Word Study

Getting Organized for Word Sorting

Word Study JournalBeginning in third or fourth grade, students should have a Word Study Journal of some kind. Composition books, steno notepads or spiral notebooks can be used. Teachers of younger students may choose to use a chart paper tablet to keep a class word study journal.

Storing Word SortsStudents also need an envelope such as a coin envelope or sandwich bag to store their words after they cut them apart. Coin envelopes work well because they can be glued to the inside cover of the Word Study Journal.

Word Study RoutinesEstablishing a routine for word study is essential. The routine you choose will depend on how you fit word study into your schedule. Different options for routines are outlined later in this guide.

Getting Organized for Making Words

There are a variety of ways to organize for making words.

Letter BuffetOne way to organize for Making Words activities is to create a letter buffet. Letters can be stored in the small clear plastic drawers of a tool bin (e.g. container that holds hardware or craft supplies).

At the buffet, line up the drawers with the letters that will be needed and a small basket with scrap paper. Students walk along the buffet and pick up what is needed, then return to their seats and begin making words. They see how many words they can make with the letters they have and write each word on the scrap paper. As we go through the lesson, they will circle words they already wrote on their paper and add new words.

After the lesson, have 5-6 students at a time take all their supplies and return them to the letter buffet.

Letter Bags/Envelopes Each child may keep a baggie or envelope in their desk with a collection of letters in it. Remember that many lessons call for more than one of several letters. They will need to find and take out the letters needed for that lesson.

Students Cut Out Letters Give each child a preprinted strip of the letters needed for the lesson. Students cut them apart and use them for the lesson.Making and Writing Words

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For older students, there is also a form that can be used to do Making Words activities. The form allows the teacher to write in the vowels and consonants that are needed for the Making Words lesson. The Making and Writing Words form (adapted from The Vocabulary-Enriched Classroom, Block and Mangieri) is included in this guide.

Introducing Word Sorting

At the beginning of the year, you will need to introduce your word study routine over the course of a couple weeks. For the purpose of introducing routines, you will want to choose sorts that are below your instructional starting point. Choose picture or word sorts that can be used for modeling the process of sorting or categorizing. The focus of these sorts is to teach your word study routine (e.g. how to gather for a word study lesson, what to bring, how to cut apart your words, how to sort, how to record a sort, how to do a word hunt, how to play a game, etc). Students will need explicit instructions for each part of your word study routine.

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Word Study Activities

There are a variety of activities that could become a regular part of your word study routine. Some commonly used activities are listed below. Variations on these activities can be found in the following sections of the guide:

Word Sorts for a Variety of Purposes Ideas for Written Practice Games to Support Word Study Word Study Explorations

Introduce the sort - This can be done on the overhead or with a pocket chart. There are recommendations in the Words Their Way leveled resources that are specific to each sort. These recommendations are useful to read in advance as it gives the focus of the sort and what students should be noticing. The introduction to a new sort usually includes demonstrating the sort, involving students in the sorting process, and then checking the sort to see that all words are sorted correctly. The most common approach to introducing a sort is a teacher-directed sort. Student-centered sorts and Guess My Category sorts are also possibilities.

Teacher-directed sort – The teacher defines the categories by identifying key words. The teacher then models placing words in the categories and justifies the placement. Following teacher modeling, students become involved in sorting the words.

Student-centered sort – The student-centered sort is open ended. Students are given the words without categories or key words and invited to discover their own possibilities for categorizing. The student-centered sort creates opportunities for students to explain why they sorted as they did and can result in rich dialog about student word knowledge. This sort works best when students have prior experience with word sorting.

Guess My Category sort – The teacher shows categories of words without defining the categories. The teacher then shows additional words to students who are asked to guess where they will go. As a final step, students guess the definition of each category of words by describing what the words have in common.

Group reflections on the sort - Students should be encouraged to look at the words that are grouped together and to do some noticing. What do the words that are grouped together have in common? In the younger grades, the teacher might record the noticings on a class chart. In the upper grades, students might keep their own word study journal to document their noticings. Buddy sort with partner - Students work with a partner to practice the sort that was demonstrated the previous day. Partners begin by laying out the key words that will guide the sort. They then take turns placing words. When all words have been placed, the partners read the words in each group and check to make sure they are correctly placed. They should be encouraged to use the displayed class sort from the previous day as a resource to check their sort. There are a variety of sorts that can be used for additional practice. These are detailed in the “Word Sorts for a Variety of Purposes” section of this guide.

Word Hunt - Students hunt for words that have the same pattern as those featured in the sort. Early in the year, teachers might use a common text (e.g. a big book or read aloud) to model the

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word hunting procedure. The group works together to find words and then check them against the criteria used for other words that are grouped together. If the words found match the criteria, they can be added to the group. When students become comfortable with the word hunt routine, they can hunt around the room for words or in their “just right” books independently. After students have had an opportunity to hunt for words independently, it’s important to identify a time to bring them back together to review the word hunt. Students suggest words to add to the sort and the group checks to see if each word is a good fit with the pattern featured. Through word hunts, the list of words featured in the sort is extended.

Written Practice – The written sort is one way to provide written practice of the word sort words. Students sort their words and then record them by writing down the words as a written sort. Words can be recorded in word study notebooks or on a separate piece of paper. See “Ideas for Written Practice” later in this guide for additional ideas for written practice.

Vocabulary Exploration – A vocabulary exploration creates an opportunity for exploring word meaning. A variety of strategies for exploring word meaning are included in this guide. After students have an opportunity to apply a vocabulary exploration strategy, the share provides an opportunity for students to articulate their discoveries.

Games and spell check – Games are a great opportunity to review a spelling pattern. There are ideas for games to support word study in Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. There are also ideas in the “Games to Support Word Study” section of this guide.

Spell Check – Having regular spell checks is a way to monitor student progress and inform next steps for instruction. The spell check should focus on a sample (not all) of the words from the sort. The spell check could look like a written sort or a list of ten words from the sort. Adding additional words with the same pattern that were not a part of the practiced sort creates an additional opportunity to assess strategies taught and student ability to transfer what they know about words from known to unknown words. For more ideas for word study assessment see the section “Monitoring Student Progress” later in this guide.

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Word Study Routine – Sample 1For Levels A and B

The following is a five-day plan for word study for Levels A and B. This plan combines Making Words and word sorting with Words Their Way.

Making Words

Making Words activities can be done with the whole class. This guided activity is differentiated in that they are open-ended, allowing children to make discoveries about words that can be made with a given set of letters. Start your morning with Making Words 2 to 4 days each week. As children enter the classroom they gather the supplies needed and begin moving letters and building words. They see how many words they can make with a given set of letters and write each word on scrap paper. Following exploration, the teacher leads a Making Words lesson from the suggested list that correlates with each week’s sort. (See “Aligning Making Words Lessons with Words Their Way Word Sorts” in this guide).

Words Their Way

The following is a five-day plan for word study using Words Their Way. Since you will have more than one word study group, it works well to combine word study and handwriting. Students who are not meeting in a small group for instruction could be working independently on a word study activity or handwriting.

Monday

Introduce the sort

Tuesday

Group reflections on the sort Buddy sort with partner

Wednesday

Word Hunt

Thursday

Written sort

Friday

Games Spell check

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Weekly Word Study Routine – Sample 2

The following is a five-day plan for word study using Words Their Way. Since you will have more than one word study group, it works well to combine word study and handwriting. Students who are not meeting in a small group for instruction could be working independently on a word study activity or handwriting.

Monday

Introduce the sort

Tuesday

Group reflections on the sort Buddy sort with partner

Wednesday

Word Hunt

Thursday

Written sort

Friday

Games Spell check

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Weekly Word Study Routine – Sample 3

This schedule is useful for managing multiple word study groups when students have mastered routines and can begin to work more independently. Each color group has a unique rotation through the word study activities. Games and word hunts are done independently while the teacher is involved with another group. For example, on Monday, the green group is playing a game and the blue group is doing a word hunt while the teacher is involved with the red group. On a day when a group gets a new list, the teacher gives that group their new list and sends them off to do their word sort before calling up the other group for a lesson or spell check.

Sample Schedule

Blue Red GreenMonday Game Review Word Hunt Word Hunt

Tuesday Spell Check Game Review Word Hunt

Wednesday Introduce the Sort/Written Sort

Spell Check Game

Thursday Word Hunt Introduce the Sort/Written Sort

Spell Check

Friday Review Word Hunt Word Hunt Introduce the Sort/Written Sort

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Two Week Word Study Routine – Sample 4

Another way to manage word study is to spread each sort over two weeks. This provides time to integrate word wall words, Making Words and vocabulary. A two week routine may also help with pacing and managing multiple word study groups. The following sample routine can be modified to meet the needs of any group.

Week One

Monday

Introduce the sort Tuesday

Buddy sort

Wednesday

Making Words activity related to the sort

Thursday

Word Hunt

Friday

Review Word Hunt

Week Two

Monday

Word wall activity Tuesday

Word Wall activity or Making Words related to the sort

Wednesday

Written word practice

Thursday

Game

Friday

Spell Check

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Word Sorts for a Variety of Purposes

What is a Sort

Sorting is a powerful way to help students make sense of words. “Categorizing is the fundamental way that humans make sense of the world. It allows us to find order and similarities among various objects, events, ideas, and words that we encounter. When students sort words, they are engaged in the active process of searching, comparing, contrasting, and analyzing. Word sorts help students organize what they know about words and to form generalizations that they can apply to new words they encounter in their reading.” (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, Johnston, 2007)

Students find word sorting interesting and fun. Teachers find it easy to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of learners through the use of word sorts. The following defines a variety of types of sorts, characteristics of sorting tasks, and ideas for varying the sorting task to keep interest levels high.

Types of Sorts

Sound Sorts - Words are categorized according to their sound features.Spelling Sort - Words are sorted according to relationships between pronunciation, visual patterns, meaning, and/or origin and spelling.Concept/Meaning Sort - Words are categorized according to properties that are independent of pronunciation or spelling with a focus on meaning.Alphabetic Sort - Words are categorized according to beginning letter(s) in alphabetical order.

Characteristics of Various Sorting Tasks

Picture Sort - Children sort pictures or objects.Letter Sort - Children sort letters (ie: magnetic letters, letter cards, letter tiles, etc). Word Sort - Words are written on cards for sorting.Single Sort - Pictures or words are sorted once for a particular purpose.Multiple Sort - A set of pictures or words are sorted several times for different purposes and in different categories.Open Sort - Students are given a set of words. Students choose categories for sorting and explain their rationale. Others try to “solve” the sort by guessing the features of categories.Closed Sort - Students are given a set of words. The teacher decides the categories and selects key words to head each category (with one marked ‘?’ or “Oddball).

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Varying the Task

Visual Sort - Students have the opportunity to look at the word, examine its features, and compare it to other words in various categories as they decide where to place it.Blind Sort - Someone else (teacher or student) reads the word to the student and the student decides on placement in categories without seeing the word first. The student checks categorization after the word is placed.Speed Sort - The student is asked to sort quickly as well as accurately against a defined time. Written Sort - Students have key words available for reference. The words are read to them but they do not see them. They write words correctly in the appropriate category.

For more information, see Zutell, Jerry (1999). “Sorting It Out Through Word Sorts,” in Fountas, I.C., & Pennell, G.S., Eds. Voices on Word Matters: LearningAbout Phonics and Spelling in the Literacy Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

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Additional Ideas for Written Practice

Writing words as a study technique for spelling is well established. Undoubtedly the motor act of writing reinforces the memory for associating letters and patterns with sounds and meaning. The following are ideas for incorporating written practice into word study routines.

Writing Sorts Writing words into categories demands that students attend to the sound and/or the pattern of letters and to think about how those characteristics correspond with the established categories cued by the key word, picture or pattern at the top of the column. In a written sort, students are given guide words or letters to represent the sorting categories. The teacher says additional words aloud. Students write words beneath the appropriate guide word or letter.

Word HuntStudents hunt for words in their reading, writing and around the classroom. They look for words that are examples of the sound pattern, or meaning they are studying. Word hunts can be done as whole group, small group, with a buddy, or individually. Students write down the words identified in a word hunt for additional written practice.

Draw and LabelDrawing is particularly useful for teaching emergent and letter name-alphabetic spellers initial consonant sounds, as it encourages them to brainstorm other words that begin with same beginning sounds. This can also work with older students to illustrate their selected words written correctly with a corresponding picture. Writing letters or words that correspond with each drawing provides additional written practice.

Making WordsStudents make words with specified letter tiles (or paper squares) for each Making Words lesson. They also record the words they make on paper. This provides reinforcement for letter sounds and patterns studied and additional written practice.

Word Study JournalsStudents record the weekly word sort in their word study journals. As students find additional words that match the word study sort through word hunts, they add these words to their journal.

Look-Say-Name-Cover-Write-Check (Snowball, 1999)One strategy for remembering any word is to try to picture all of it (or parts of it if it’s a long word), and then write it from your mind. Teach the children how to do this using the following steps:

1. Look at the word, perhaps noticing words within the word, looking at the parts of the word, or underlining known parts.

2. Say the word.3. Name the letters of the word.4. Cover the word and picture it in your mind.5. Write the word from the picture in your mind.6. Check to see that you have all of the letters in the word, and in the correct order.

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Games to Support Word Study

Memory

Two players Place your spelling words upside down in even rows. Take turns turning over two words. If they do not match, both are turned back over and it is the other person’s turn. If they match, the person must read both words correctly and state the pattern they have in common. They then get to keep the pair and take another turn. If they read a word incorrectly or cannot correctly identify the pattern they have in common, they turn both words back over and it is the other person’s turn. Continue playing until all the words are removed or there are no more matches. The player with the most matches wins.

Spelling Bee for Two

Two players Place the spelling words upside-down in a pile. The first person chooses a word from the pile and reads it aloud to the other player. The other player must spell the word correctly and identify the pattern. If they are correct, they keep the word. If they are incorrect, the word is returned to the pile. Players take turns until all the words are gone. The winner is the person with the most words.

Spelling Bee for Four

Four playersOne person is the word caller. The word caller chooses a word and reads it aloud to one player. The player must spell the word correctly and identify the pattern. If he/she is correct, he/she stays in the game. If incorrect, he/she is eliminated. Continue to alternate turns until one person is left. He/she becomes the new word caller.

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Word – O

Names - ________________________________________

Choose a partner and write both names at the top of the page. Youngest goes first. Write one of your word study words at the top of a column. Underneath it, take turns adding, subtracting or changing a letter to make a new word. Keep going until neither of you can think of any more words. You may not repeat words. Score one point for each word made. Score two points if you make a word in your word sort. Take turns choosing words until you have done at least five words.

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Dominoes

Two playersUse one set of word study words. Place them upside-down and spread them out to create a ‘bone-yard’. Each player chooses seven words. One word is chosen from the bone-yard to start. Players take turns placing a word that either starts or ends with the same letter as the connecting word. If a player can’t play one of his/her words, he/she draws from the bone-yard until he/she can. The winner is player who plays all his/her words first.

Pictionary

Three playersPlay Pictionary using scrap paper or white boards from math. One player chooses a word study word and draws a picture. The person who guesses the word and spells it correctly wins the word and is the artist for the next round. Play ten rounds. The winner is the person who has the most words at the end of ten rounds.

Word Jumble

Two playersUse one set of word study cards. Each player takes half of the words. Each player scrambles the letters of each word to create a scrambled list for his/her partner. Players then trade word jumbles. Each player must write the correctly spelled word next to the jumbled word. The first player to correctly unscramble all the words is the winner.

Board Game

Two playersUsing the templates in Appendix F of Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, to create game boards. You can leave the spaces blank or add actions such as: move ahead two spaces, lose a turn, or opponent moves back two spaces. Laminate the boards for durability. Students take turns asking each other to spell words. If the word is spelled correctly, the player rolls one die and moves. If a player spells the word incorrectly, he/she loses his/her turn. The winner is the student who reaches the end first.

It’s a Race!

One playerUsing the It’s a Race form in this guide, the teacher writes a high frequency words under each number,1-6. To play, players roll the die, then write the word wall word that matches the number on the die. For example, if #1 = “the”, write the word wall word “the” in #1 column. Roll the die again. Write the word wall word in the column that matches the number rolled. Play continues until the It’s a Race sheet is filled.

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Name________________________________________ IT’S A RACE!

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1 2 3 4 5 6

Word Study Explorations

Word Study Explorations are an opportunity for students to visit or revisit curricular concepts that are part of the GLCEs. These explorations should be used when you have an identified need with your class or a small group in your class. Good times to incorporate explorations would be during word study time on short weeks when there is not enough time to introduce a new word sort. Also consider integrating word study exploration into other content areas when appropriate. The following chart lists ideas for exploration topics and a resource for words.

Sort Reference for Word Lists GLCEsExploration of Singular and Plural Words Their Way 4th Edition pg. 345 3

Exploration of Past and Present Tense Words Their Way 4th Edition pg. 325 3

Exploration of Homophones Words Their Way 4th Edition pg. 343 3

Exploration of Contractions 2,3

Exploration of Compound Words Words Their Way 4th Edition pg. 344 3

Exploration of Synonyms and Antonyms

A exploration is an open-ended opportunity for students to study a group of words that have something in common.

Introducing an Exploration Begin with an introduction. For example, if the exploration was to feature singular and plural

nouns, you might begin by activating student schema about nouns. Then introduce the terms “singular” and “plural” and provide examples. Begin with examples that involve adding “s” to create a plural. Lead students in noticing how “s” vs. “es” is added to create a plural. Create a chart with the headings “singular” and “plural.” List paired examples underneath.

On a second day, introduce the idea of irregular plurals. Give an example such as “child” and “children.” Have students brainstorm additional examples to add to the list.

As time allows, word hunts, word games, work in word study journals, and written practice might also be utilized to reinforce an understanding of the concept introduced in the exploration.

Spelling K-8 (Snowball, 1999)

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Strategies for Spelling Accurately in Writing

Always encourage taking a risk with spelling. Students should not feel inhibited from using sophisticated vocabulary because they cannot spell correctly. At the same time, it is important to introduce strategies for spelling accurately in writing.

Introduce Strategies for Discovering Errors

Introduce each of the following strategies as a part of a workshop minilesson. These strategies can be practiced regularly as a part of Express Lane Editing. (Anderson, 2007)

Point to each word while proofreading to slow down reading and become more aware of errors. Read the writing backwards to slow down reading and shift the focus to spelling and not the flow

of the writing. Read writing aloud to look for errors. While reading aloud, students will sometimes get hung up

on words that are misspelled which interrupts the flow of the reading and helps to identify errors. Use knowledge of word patterns to spell accurately in writing. Help students recognize patterns

they have studied: onsets, rimes, syllables, roots, prefixes and suffixes.

Provide Support for Discovering Errors

Assist students in finding spelling errors by providing support. Keep expectations realistic. For students with a large number of spelling errors, support them with

fixing 2-3 words. Identify 2-3 lines of student writing that have spelling errors with a mark in the margin. Students

focus editing on lines that have been marked rather than the whole text. Point to a word that is misspelled. Students make an attempt to fix the word.

Create Regular Opportunities for Editing

Make editing for spelling errors a regular part of writing workshop and encourage editing skills across content areas.

Use the idea of “Express Lane Editing” to focus editing on one or two spelling patterns. Encourage students to try out different spellings for words in the margin of the paper or on a

sticky note and then choose the spelling that looks right. Have students use the Have A Go strategy to discover accurate spelling of words. (See Have A Go

form in this guide).

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Have A Go

Name ____________________

Directions:

Copy a word from your writing that doesn’t look right into the Copy Word column. Try writing the word another way in the 1st Attempt column. Try writing the word another way in the 2nd Attempt column. Look the word up in the dictionary. Copy the correct spelling in the Dictionary column. Circle the accurate spelling on your Have A Go. Correct the spelling in your writing.

Copy Word 1st Attempt 2nd Attempt Dictionary

Adapted from Invitations (Routman, 1994)

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Monitoring Student Progress

Word Study provides opportunities for the analysis of the structure and meaning of words. This promotes a deeper understanding and the application of spelling patterns beyond the limits of a given list. With this is mind, the assessment of spelling should not be limited to the memorization of a list of words. There are a variety of ways to monitor student progress related to word study. The teacher can use several methods to examine student progress over the course of the year. Suggestions for monitoring student progress are outlined below.

Ideas for Monitoring Student Progress through Observation

Student writing – Observe the use of word study words in writing workshop. Content area writing - Observe student application of spelling patterns across content areas. Are

they applying their knowledge of spelling patterns and meaning in science? Social studies? Math?

Small group instruction – Watch as students encounter word study words as they read. This is a great opportunity to make ties between word study and reading.

Games – Observe as students play word study games.

Monitoring Student Progress by Administering a Spell Check A Spell Check is a more formal assessment tool. This assessment measures the mastery of a sort that has been practiced and a student’s ability to apply the pattern to additional words. The Spell Check can be used each week on a designated day or bi-weekly by combining two sorts. Another option is to choose the Unit Spell Check (reviewing several sorts) that is provided in the Words Their Way leveled resource.

To administer a Spell Check: Begin by selecting 10 to 15 words that you will ask students to spell. Make sure to include some words that were not a part of the original sort. This will help determine

the child’s ability to move from the known to the unknown when applying the pattern. Say the word and a sentence that contains the word. Direct students to either write the words as a list or as a written sort. (A Word Study Spell Check

form is available in this guide). Collect and assess Spell Checks for accuracy. Results can be used to inform next steps for individual and small group instruction.

To administer a Partner Spell Check:

The Partner Spell Check is another way to administer the Spell Check. In this technique, partners are chosen, and one is selected to go first. The first partner reads each word and a sentence using the word to his/her partner. The other writes the words down. Once the Spell Check is complete, the partners switch roles. This can be a practical solution to administering the spell check when students are working on different sorts.

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Word Study Spell Check Name: _________________ #: ____Date: _________________________

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. ___________________________________

5. ___________________________________

6. ___________________________________

7. ___________________________________

8. ___________________________________

9. ___________________________________

10.___________________________________

11.___________________________________

12.___________________________________

13.___________________________________

14.___________________________________

15.___________________________________

High Frequency Words

1. ______________________

2. ______________________

3. ______________________

4. ______________________

5. ______________________

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Letter to Family and Homework Letters

Communicating and soliciting support from families is important. Ideally, families will be able to support the word study work that you do with students at school by providing similar experiences at home. The pages that follow contain sample letters that could be sent home. The first letter provides background on word study and the Words Their Way program. There is also a letter that could be used to suggest homework routines. These letters are samples and may be revised to meet the needs of the teacher. Consider using your school letterhead when copying the letters to send home to families.

Also included is a sample of a Word Study Review that can be sent home to help families understand the weekly word study focus. The Word Study Review is designed to be sent home with a copy of the sort for practice at home. Teachers can utilize the Words Their Way teaching notes that correspond with each lesson to create the “key concept” statements shown at the top of the sample review sheet. These review notes provide families with the necessary background to review at home. This cover sheet may be used in either the one week or two week routine. It is suggested that teachers introduce this cover sheet to families at the beginning of the school year as a part of Curriculum Night or in a back-to-school informational packet. Additionally, the suggestions listed for practice at home should be routines that have been introduced in class so that students are familiar with the routines. The sample provided can be modified as needed.

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Dear Family,

Welcome to the new school year. This year, your child will have an opportunity to explore words through “word study.” Word study is an umbrella term that encompasses the study of spelling, phonics, phonemic awareness, grammar and vocabulary. Word study instruction is essential in your child’s literacy development because it helps children foster an understanding of words and how they work, thus assisting your child as he or she learns to read and write.

Some of the key components of Word Study are as follows:

Uses a hands-on approach to learning. Children are actively engaged through word sorting and word building activities. Brain-based learning supports this type of approach with children.

Encourages meaningful talk among students. Children are able to share their thinking with each other as they gain new understandings about words.

Promotes inquiry-based learning. Simply put, this means that students are given opportunities to discover patterns and generalizations about words as opposed to simply learning a new spelling rule.

Is strategy-based vs. memory-based. Instead of asking children to memorize lists of words, children will be learning strategies and patterns that can apply to many words.

Offers opportunities for differentiated learning. Differentiation means that the teacher will provide your child with word sorts and activities that best meet his/her instructional needs. This might mean that some students are engaged in different word sorts and activities than others.

Asks students to notice similarities and differences in words. Word sorting is a key component to word study. Through word sorting, children notice similarities and differences in words. They may create categories for sorting or sort the words into predetermined categories. The process of sorting helps young learners discover word patterns.

Each week your child will be bringing home a group of words for word study. You can support your child’s growing understanding of words by sorting words at home. Attached are ideas for a variety of word sorting activities.

Your child will have regular “spell checks” to assess his/her progress with learning the week’s word patterns. On the spell check, your child will be asked to spell a sample of the words studied in the course of the week. He/she may also be asked to apply the pattern to 1 or 2 new words as a way of assessing their ability to transfer understanding beyond the words sorted.

Teachers see tremendous growth in their students understanding of how words work and knowledge of word patterns through focused word study. Students truly love learning about words through engaging word study activities.

Sincerely,

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Sample 1

Dear Family,

Word study instruction is essential to your child’s literacy development because it helps foster an understanding of words and how they work, thus assisting your child as he or she learns to read and write. Word study is a part of our daily routine at school. You can help your child practice word study at home with the following activities:

MondayGo on a word hunt! Look in magazines, newspapers, and books. Read aloud and have your child find words that are examples of the skill of the week.

TuesdaySort words at home! Ask your child to sort the pictures and/or words into categories like he/she did at school. Have your child read the words in each category to check the placement of each word within a category. Then ask your child to mix up the cards and sort them again as quickly as possible.

WednesdayDo a “no peeking” sort. Create a heading for each category. Read each word aloud and have your child point to the category where it would be placed.

ThursdayHave fun with rhyming! Name a few rhyming word pairs. Then ask your child to think of rhyming word pairs that match the sound or pattern of the week.

These are just a few ways that you can support your child with word study at home. Let’s work together to create a love of words that lasts a lifetime!

Sincerely,

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Sample 2

Dear Family,

Word study instruction is essential to your child’s literacy development because it helps foster an understanding of words and how they work, thus assisting your child as he or she learns to read and write. Word study is a part of our daily routine at school. You can help your child practice word study at home with the following activities:

MondayGo on a word hunt! Look in magazines, newspapers, and books. Read aloud and have your child find words that are examples of the skill of the week.

TuesdayTalk about words! Have your child identify one word that is interesting and look up the meaning in the dictionary. Challenge your child to explain the word’s meaning to the family. Then challenge the family to use the word in conversation.

WednesdayDo a “no peeking” sort. Create a heading for each category. Read each word aloud and have your child point to the category where it would be placed.

ThursdayTry a written sort. Identify guide words for each category. Read the list of words that your child brought home. Have him/her write each word under the guide word that is a match with the spelling pattern.

These are just a few ways that you can support your child with word study at home. Let’s work together to create a love of words that lasts a lifetime!

Sincerely,

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Word Study Review The “Spell Check” will be given on: _____________________ Key Concept: Short o, long o and open syllable ow

o ow – When words ends with a long vowel sound (ex: show) we call this an open syllable. The “o” sound at the end of words is often spelled “ow”.

o Other long o vowel spellings follow the CVCe pattern. The “e” at the end causes the vowel to say it’s name. (e.g. froze)

o Another long o vowel sound is the oa pattern. This is found in the middle of words. (foam)

1.

Most Frequently Misspelled Words:Please help your child at home by practicing some of the commonly misspelled words on the attached sheet. With each spell check, I will include approximately 8-10 words that should be learned for mastery. The words for this week are:although believe does doesn’tmuch only these very

Ways to Help Your Child Prepare at Home:1. Go on a “Word Hunt” to find words that fit the pattern. Look in books,

magazines or any print material you can find. 2. Cut out the word sort that is attached and re-sort the words. Ask your child to

sort the words based on the rule.3. Quiz your child by asking them to spell some of the words above or ones that

you found that fit the pattern. 4. Don’t forget to practice the commonly misspelled words at the bottom of the

page too. Have your child write the word on paper or get creative and have them use shaving cream on the table!

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Phonemic Awareness Instruction

Phonemic awareness instruction should start with the largest unit (word) and progress to the smallest unit (phoneme). Children need experiences with blending, segmenting, and manipulating words, syllables, onset-rime, and phonemes. Blending, segmenting, and manipulating activities will support children with both spelling in writing and decoding in reading. A list of resources for phonemic awareness instruction can be found later in this guide.

The following terms are defined in The Continuum of Literacy Learning (Fountas and Pinnell, 2008) and important to understand related to phonemic awareness instruction.

Word A unit of meaning in language.

Syllable A minimal unit of sequential speech sounds composed of a vowel sound or a consonant vowel combination. A syllable always contains a vowel or vowel-like speech sound.

Onset-Rime Onset - In a syllable, the onset is the part (consonant, consonant cluster, or consonant digraph) that comes before the vowel (cr-eam).

Rime - The rime is the ending part of a word containing the vowel; the letters that represent the vowel sound and the consonant letters that follow it in a syllable (dr-eam).

Phonemes The smallest unit of sound in spoken language. There are approximately forty-four units of speech sounds in English.

Blending To combine sound or word parts.

Segmenting To divide into parts.

Manipulation The ability to substitute letters or sounds to change a word.

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37 Common Rimes

The following table contains examples of single syllable words containing a rime from Wylie and Durrell’s list of the 37 most frequently occurring rimes for primary readers. Some of these rimes may be featured as a part of a Level A word sort. Others may be tied to a word that occurs in a word sort.

Suggested use:

Identify a word that contains one of the frequently occurring rimes. (e.g. map) Tell students that this word contains a rime that occurs in other words. (e.g. –ap) Demonstrate how the rime can be used to spell other words. (e.g. rap, tap) Ask students what other words this rime could help us to spell. Post the word you identified on the word wall as a key word for that rime. Continue to reference the key word wall words for help with spelling other words.

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37 Common RimesRime Examples

-ack back, sack, black-ail fail, mail, trail-ain pain, rain, drain-ake bake, cake, shake-ale tale, sale, whale-ame came, game, flame-an can, fan, plan-ank bank, sank, thank-ap map, rap, strap-ash cash, rash, splash-at bat, cat, flat-ate hate, mate, plate-aw paw, saw, draw-ay day, may, stray-eat beat, heat, wheat-ell fell, sell, yell-est best, nest, chest-ice ice, mice, twice-ick sick, lick, trick-ide ride, side, bride-ight night, might, fright-ill will, pill, grill-in pin, fin, thin-ine fine, line, shine-ing king, ring, bring-ink ink, sink, think-ip lip, zip, drip-it fit, sit, quit-ock rock, sock, knock-oke woke, poke, broke-op hop, mop, stop-ore more, wore, chore-ot got, not, spot-uck duck, buck, truck-ug bug, hug, shrug-ump bump, jump, thump-unk hunk, sunk, chunk

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WORD WALLS Livonia Public Schools ● Curriculum Department ● Updated 2010

DEFINITION / PURPOSE

“A word wall is a systematically organized collection of words displayed in large letters on a wall or other large display place in the classroom.”

(Pat Cunningham)

A word wall supports spelling and phonics instruction in the process of teaching children to read and write. It is an interactive tool which is to be used, not simply displayed. It is designed to be used throughout the day and across the curriculum.

Word walls are designed to:

• Support the teaching of important general principles about words and howthey work.

• Foster reading and writing.• Provide reference support for children during their writing and reading.• Promote independence on the part of young students as they work with words

in writing and reading.• Provide a visual map to help children remember the connections between

words and the characteristics that will help them form categories.(Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas)

USE OF WORD WALLS

Teachers can use word walls in a variety of ways. There are no hard and fast rules that dictate their use. Word walls change as the year progresses and teachers need to include a process for changing the list throughout the year.

The following are some guidelines for getting the most out of using word walls and for providing

consistency throughout Livonia Public Schools.

DISPLAYING THE WORD WALL

How do I display individual words in my room so that I can use them daily?

Teachers usually display word walls by listing the individual words in columns under the appropriate letter. Each word is listed on a separate card and posted at eye level.

57Definition/Purpose

57Use of Word Walls 57Displaying the Word Wall

58Starting, Adding and Removing Words Grade-by Grade

59StudentAccountability

61Word Selection

61Kindergarten High Frequency Words

62First Grade HighFrequency Words

63Second Grade High Frequency Words

64Third Grade High Frequency Words

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Word Wall

Ff Gg Hh Ii

first get had it

for go his isn’t

girl have in

Make the word wall very accessible for students to see so they can use these words as a reference. Laminating the cards may produce a glare which interferes with reading the words.

How do I display groups of words in my room?

Charts with lists of words make posting of words easier when wall space is limited. They can be put up and taken down as needed. These charts may include categories such as:

• the week’s spelling words • word families • children’s first and last names• color words• number words• days of the week• months of the year• holiday words• sports• math, science or social studies vocabulary• spelling patterns• compound words, contractions, prefixes, suffixes• synonyms, antonyms, homographs, homophones• commonly misspelled words

STARTING, ADDING AND REMOVING WORDS GRADE-BY-GRADE

How do I begin, add and remove words from the word wall?

General guidelines:

• Be stingy about adding words.• Begin with a blank wall. Only list the letter

names as headings.• Every time a word is added, call attention to it.

KINDERGARTEN

Begin the year with no words listed. Use only the letter names as headings. Teachers may start the word wall when it seems appropriate.

Add words from the kindergarten high frequency list as they are introduced. Other words may be added at the teacher’s discretion.

No words will be removed.

FIRST GRADE

Begin the year with no words listed, only the letter names as headings.

Start with the 20 kindergarten list words as a review, a few at a time.

Add the new words from the first grade list. Add no more than five words per week. Other words may be added at the teacher’s discretion.

Spend time making sure students associate meanings with the words. By the end of the year, all of the words from the first grade list should have been added.

Probably no words will be removed.

SECOND GRADE

Begin with no words listed. Use only the letter names as headings.

Start with about five words per week until all the First Grade List words have been added.

Add about five more new words per week until all of the second grade list has been added. Select words which are most commonly misspelled in the students’ daily writing. Other words may be added at the teacher’s discretion.

Point out commonly confused words and discuss how they are different from each other.

Remove words at teacher discretion only when they are consistently written correctly in the students’ daily writing. Leave the words displayed that are most troublesome so students can refer to the correct spelling at all times.

THIRD GRADE

Begin with no words listed. Use only the letter names as headings.

Start with the most commonly misspelled words from the first and second grade lists (for example: they, was, come, of, from, were, where, said, because, again, could, does, pretty, people, have, etc). . Select about 5 words at a time until words from all lists have been reviewed. Point out commonly confused words and discuss how they are different from each other.

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Add about five additional words per week from the third grade list, as seems appropriate. Select words which are most commonly misspelled in the students’ daily writing. Other words may be added at the teacher’s discretion.

Remove words at teacher discretion only when they are consistently written correctly in daily writing. Leave the words displayed that are most troublesome so students can refer to the correct spelling at all times.

STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY

How do I hold students accountable for accurate spelling of these words?

• Make sure all students learn these critical words.

• Hold students accountable for wall words to be spelled correctly in all writing as they are added to the word wall.

• In kindergarten, students will be assessed on reading the high frequency words that make up their word wall list.

• Kindergarten students are encouraged to use the word wall as a reference in writing.

• Beginning in first grade, students need to be responsible for both reading and writing word wall words.

• Establish a culture of using word walls by daily modeling their many uses and encouraging students to use them.

• Students need to know word wall words instantly and automatically.

• Give consistent reminders to check the word wall list for every assignment students turn in to you.

• After every writing activity, including writer’s

notebook work, give reminders to check back over what was written to be sure the word wall words are spelled accurately. Students could check their own writing and pairs could check each others’ writing for the accurate spelling of word wall words.

• Be consistent in using these words from grade to grade and year to year.

What classroom activities can I do that use word walls?

• “Doing” a word wall is different from “having” a word wall. Do at least one activity daily that involves students referring to the word wall.

• Practice writing the words on slates or scrap paper frequently so that students can write them instantly and automatically.

• Incorporate word wall activities into literacy stations. Provide practice and activities for small group and independent work.

• Pat Cunningham, an expert in word walls, suggests these activities:

1. Word WorkUse a variety of media to work with a word such as magnetic letters, white board or chalkboard, letter cards, or an easel with chart paper and colored markers.

2. Daily Spelling Tests

Use the word wall for daily spelling tests. If necessary, the child find the word on the wall and copy it correctly.

3. “Clap, Chant and Write!” Ask students to number a paper from 1 to 5.

Call out five selected word wall words for the week, putting each word in a sentence. As you call out each word, have a child find and point to that word and have all the children clap and chant its spelling before writing it. Children write the word. To check, point to each word and have a volunteer spell each word as children check/fix their own paper.

4. Rhyming Activities with the Word Wall

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Children clap, chant and write, but they also find the word that rhymes with the word you give. Give them both a first letter and a rhyming clue such as, word one begins with a t and rhymes with walk. Teacher checks for understanding by saying the rhyming word and chanting the spelling.

5. Cross CheckTell students they will have to decide whichword wall word makes sense and begins

correctly. For each word, write the first letter of the word on the board. Then say a sentence leaving out a word that begins with that letter. Students decide which word makes sense in your sentence and write that word.

An example: Write t on the board. Say, “The first word begins with a t and fits in the sentence, Paula likes to _____ on the telephone.” To check the answers, read the sentence again and have students tell you what word they wrote and chant its spelling.

6. “Be a Mind Reader”The teacher thinks of a word on the wall and then gives five clues about that word. Choose a word and write it on a scratch paper and keep it secret. Students number a paper from 1 to 5 and write the word they think it might be next to the number after each clue. First clue is always the same.

1. It’s one of the words on the word wall.2. It has 4 letters.3. It begins with th.4. The vowel is an e.5. It finishes the sentence: I gave my books

to _____.

After clue 5, show the students the word you wrote and say, “I know you all have the word next to 5, but who has it next to 4? 3? 2? 1? Some students will have read your mind! This activity forces students to look closely at word parts.

7. “Guess the Covered Word”This is a game that develops automatic cross checking abilities. Children learn to do two things simultaneously—think about what would make sense, and think about letters and sounds. Write four or five sentences on the board that start with students’ names. Follow a similar word pattern, and end with words that vary in their initial sounds and word length. For the first lesson use only words with single consonants, not blends.

For example:

Rasheed likes to play soccer.Kate likes to play softball.Rob likes to play basketball.Juan likes to play hockey.

Cover the last word in each sentence with sticky notes, tearing or adjusting them to the length of each word. Read the first sentence and ask students to guess the covered word. Write three or four guesses on the board next to the sentence. Uncover the first letter. Erase guesses that don’t begin with that letter. Have students continue offering guesses that make sense and begin with the correct letter. Write their responses on the board. Keep students focused on meaning and the beginning letter. Finally uncover the whole word and see if any guesses were correct. When children understand the game, include some covered words that begin with digraphs and blends. Explain that the rules of this game require the teacher to show the students all the letters up to the first vowel.

Many other games can be played, such as finding opposites, words that start alike, end alike, similar patterns, rhyming words, etc. Students will enjoy making up their own games using the word wall words.

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WORD SELECTION

The word lists included in this booklet are listed by grade level and include high frequency words. There are many resources for high frequency words. The words listed in the LPS Word Study Guide are a match with the high frequency words in the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System kit. They can be found in the Assessment Forms book as one of the Phonics and Word Analysis Assessments.

KINDERGARTEN LIST

25 High Frequency Words

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a like

am me

an my

and no

at on

can see

do so

go the

he to

I up

in we

is you

it

FIRST GRADE LIST

50 High Frequency Words

all

are

as

ball

be

boy

by

come

day

did

eat

for

get

girl

got

had

has

her

him

his

how

if

jump

look

man

mom

not

now

of

or

out

play

put

ran

read

run

sat

saw

say

she

sit

then

they

this

too

us

was

went

will

yes

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SECOND GRADE LIST100 High Frequency Words

These words are to be used in addition to the first grade list.

ableaboutacrossafteralmostanyanythingawaybackbadbecausebecomebeenbeforebehindbigbooksbothbusbutcamecan’tcarcatcitycoulddaddogdon’tdoordownendfastfish

fivefourfromfungivegoinggoodhavehelpherehidehillhomeI’mintojustknowletlittlelovemakemothermuchnamenewoneouroverpaperplacerainrideroomsaid

skysleepsomethingstaytaketellthanthattheirthemtherethreetimetodaytoptwounderuseverywantweekwerewhat whenwherewhowhywithworldwriteyearyour

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HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS – 3rd GRADE & BEYOND

High frequency words occur frequently in reading and writing. For children to be fluent readers and writers, they need to instantly recognize and be able to spell these words. In the beginning of the year teachers should assess their students’ knowledge of high frequency words. Throughout the year teachers support and build upon the use and spelling of these words. High utility words are also essential for students to learn. This would include thematic, content-based or self-selected words.

Additional resources identifying High Frequency Words and planning for instruction:

The Next Step in Guided Reading (Richardson)

This book contains a list of the 100 most frequently misspelled words. Teachers might consider using this list as a personal word wall or classroom word wall adding 5-6 words to each spell check.

Spelling K-8 (Snowball)

Chapter 17 of this fabulous book is filled with ideas and lists for the teaching of high frequency words. Copies of this book are located in each of the K-4 & 5-6 buildings as this text was a part of the original word study committee.

Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System

The “Forms” book in the Benchmark Assessment System kit has a variety of lists of high frequency words.

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Vocabulary Introduction

Background

According to the National Reading Panel (2001), which reviewed research about vocabulary development, both vocabulary instruction and assessment are crucial to students’ literacy success. (Block and Mangieri, 2006). In their book, The Vocabulary Enriched Classroom, Block and Mangieri site the following additional research in support of vocabulary instruction.

A lack of vocabulary is a key component underlying failure for many students, especially for those that are economically disadvantaged. (Biemiller, 2001; Biemiller & Slonium, 2001; Hart & Risley, 1995; Hirsch, 2001)

Both wide reading and explicit instruction help to build new vocabulary. To be most effective, students should have the opportunity to apply their knowledge of these words in multiple subject areas and fictional texts. (Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982; Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002)

Consistent and daily attention to words builds students’ literacy growth. (Brabham & Lynch-Brown, 2002; Dickinson & Tabors, 2001) The repeated teaching of high-utility words and the application of these words in multiple contexts significantly increases students’ comprehension on standardized literacy tests. (Block & Mangieri, 2005b; Gough, Alford, & Holly-Wilcox, 1981: Fry, 2004)

A classroom environment that promotes a love of words supports vocabulary development. In his book, Word Savvy, Max Brand identifies the following conditions to support vocabulary development:

Teachers are fascinated by language and share their interest with their students. The classroom is alive with playful and thoughtful interactions with language. Language is a tool for thought as students and teachers share, explore, and refine their

thinking about curriculum content. There are multiple opportunities to inquire, wonder, and delight in reading, writing, and

learning content material. The classroom walls are draped with print that is meaningful to the learners and organized

by the learners. The classroom is an experience-oriented one, where language and vocabulary develop as

students build and refine their understanding of “big ideas” or concepts.

Vocabulary instruction should lead students to become word meaning makers. In his book, Word Savvy, Max Brand identifies the following goals for vocabulary instruction:

To build new concept understanding while developing vocabulary To help students relate background knowledge to new concepts and vocabulary To show students how to use context to infer the meaning of words To show students how to use word parts to infer the meaning of words To provide multiple opportunities for students to use new vocabulary

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Word Jars

Purpose: “Word Jars” can be used to motivate an interest in words. This tool can help students become more aware of words in their daily life.

Procedure: One way to introduce this tool would be to read the book Donovan’s Word Jar written by

Monalisa DeGross. In this book the main character collects words that are special to him. Decide on headings, labels and the number of “Word Jars” per page. The following are

examples of headings:o “Wow” words o Parts of speech (e.g. adjectives)o Content area words o Genre words

First practice using word jars with the whole class before having your students collect words individually.

Then students can use the graphic organizer to collect words of different categories or headings.

Because these headings can be changed this tool could be used in any subject area.

Extensions: A middle school teacher used this idea in his classroom by having his students write down

words on slips of paper and placing them in a glass pickle jar. Each day the teacher would pull out a word from the jar and the class would discuss it. (Allen and Gonzalez 1998)

Word Jars might also be used to develop vocabulary:o During shared and independent reading o As a part of a unit in math, social studies, or scienceo To enrich vocabulary for writingo During a class read aloudo As part of a genre study (noticing words for specific reading genres)

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Words that… Words that… Words that…

Words that… Words that… Words that…

WORD JARS

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Words that…

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Inferring the Meaning of Unknown Words

Purpose: Readers can use this strategy to discover the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Procedure: Identify an unfamiliar word in a shared read-aloud. Write the word in the “word” box on the Inferring the Meaning of Unknown Words form. Write the sentence from the text that includes the unknown word in the “sentence” box. Look for clues to the word’s meaning in the text and text features. Make notes about the clues in

the “text clues” box. Infer a possible meaning for the word. Write the inferred meaning in the “inferred meaning” box. Try out the inferred meaning in the sentence.

Extensions: Provide guided support for applying this strategy as a part of small group instruction. Encourage students to apply this strategy on their own during independent reading. Create a word wall for posting words and meanings that have been discovered.

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Inferring the Meaning of Unknown Words Name:

Word

Sentence

Text Clues

Inferred Meaning

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Explore A Word

Purpose: Explore A Word allows students to explore the meaning of the word. In addition, students look for synonyms and antonyms for the word as well as consider how to use it. Words can be selected from content areas, shared texts, or word study lists.

Procedure: Make copies of the “Explore A Word” organizer for each student. If you are studying multiple

words, you will need multiple copies of the organizer for each student. Select word(s) for students to use or allow students to select the word(s). Students may also use a

vocabulary sort to identify words to explore. Add notes to the organizer as follows:

o definition – Write the definition of the word.o example – Give an example.o similar – List words with similar meanings.o opposite – List words that mean the opposite.

Students may use a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference materials to explore the word.

Extensions: Students may draw a picture that incorporates more than one word or shows the contrast between

the word and one of its antonyms. Students may use the same word and explore two different meanings on two separate organizers.

Learning Words Inside and Out (Frey, Fisher, 2006)

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Explore A Word

Class# _____ Name _____________________________ Date _______________

Word ________________________________

definition example

similar opposite

Sentence______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the back of the page, draw a picture to illustrate the meaning of the word.

Learning Words Inside and Out (Frey, Fisher, 2006)

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Documents

Name________________________________________ IT’S A … · Web viewThe first person chooses a word from the pile and reads it aloud to the other player. The other player must