Literacy Specialist Topics- Words Their Way

Primary Weekly Word Study Schedule

(flexible based on teacher discretion and student need)

Day 1: Teacher Lesson/Closed Sort(at school)

  • Review feature of study and words
  • Cut words and sort based on guide words (underlined words)
  • Talk about why we sort the words by this feature
  • Write in our word study notebook
  • At home have your child sort their pictures and talk about what words they are studying this week

 

 Day 2 :  Draw and label

  • Have students write their guide words at the top of their new page in their word study notebook
  • Students brainstorm other words that start with the same sound
  • They illustrate the word in the box under the appropriate key letter and picture
  • They then label the picture with their best writing
  • Students are held accountable to spell the feature correctly (in this sort the M and R sounds) but are encouraged to use inventive spelling for the rest of the word.

 Day 3: Cut and Paste

  • Students hunt through old magazines and catalogs for pictures beginning with a certain sound
  • Then they cut out the pictures to past in the appropriate column (like above)
  • Then they label the pictures as indicated using inventive spelling for the remainder of the word
  • It’s okay if students only find a few words of each or none

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Day 4: Picture/Word Hunts

  • Have students sort their weekly pictures/words to check for understanding
  • Then have student hunt thorough book they are reading for words or pictures that follow their feature of the week
  • Students do not cut or paste from the book but rather copy the word or sketch the picture under the correct guide word
  • It’s okay if students only find a few words of each or none; especially if they are reading!

 Day 5: Glue Words in Notebook/Word Activities

  • Have students sort their weekly pictures/words to check for understanding
  • Then have your child glue their words according to the feature of study
  • Allow them to have fun with their words by doing various hands on activities with them
  • Ex: magnetic letters, bendaroos, playdough, alphabet beads, beans, bottlecaps, etc…

 

Assessments:

  • Kindergarten and 1st grade may utilize various types  of authentic spelling assessments that don’t usually take the form of your common spelling test.
  • Assessments can happen weekly, biweekly, or informally
  • The goal isn’t for students to memorize their weekly word study words
  • Teachers may add 1-2 words that follow the weekly feature of study to be certain students are mastering their feature of study
  • Teachers also may use writing journals, writing samples, nothing books, etc… as a means of assessment.

 Word study should be between 10-15 minutes unless your child wants it to be longer and should be fun!

Intermediate Weekly Word Study Schedule

(flexible based on teacher discretion and student need)

Day 1: Teacher Lesson/Closed Sort(at school)

  • Review feature of study and words
  • Cut words and sort based on guide words (underlined words)
  • Talk about why we sort the words by this feature
  • Write in our word study notebook

 

Day 2: Speed Sort

  • Put guide words at the top of your table
  • Use a timer
  • Sort words as fast as you can
  • Write words and your sort time on your paper
  • You can connect mathematics to this by graphing the time you sort each week

 

Day 3: Word Hunt

  • Use books, magazines, newspapers, etc… to locate the feature you are studying for the week.
  • They don’t have to be the exact words! This will build your word bank for the weekly feature of study.
  • Write them on your paper under the guide words with the page number
  • This is a great way to show students how interconnected  reading, writing, and spelling really are.

 

Day 4: No Peeking (blind) sort

  • Partner sort
  • With your guide words on the top of your table have your partner read aloud the word
  • Point to the correct column and then write the word without looking on your paper
  • Have partner put the word down and check to see if you are correct
  • If misspelled, don’t erase, put a line through it and correct spelling
  • This is a great way to practice before an assessment

 

Day 5: Glue Words in Notebook/Word Activities

  • Have students sort their weekly pictures/words to check for understanding
  • Then have your child glue their words according to the feature of study, gluing makes the words permanent.
  • Allow them to have fun with their words by doing various hands on activities with them
  • Ex: magnetic letters, bendaroos, playdough, alphabet beads, beans, bottlecaps, etc…
  • Always remember to HAVE FUN WITH WORDS!

Assessments:

  • Assessments happen weekly, biweekly, or informally
  • The goal isn’t for students to memorize their weekly word study words
  • Teachers may add 1-2 words that follow the weekly feature of study to be certain students are mastering their feature of study
  • Teachers also may use writing journals, writing samples, nothing books, etc… as a means of assessment.