Words Their Way
Words Their Way is developmental phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction through daily word study. This program will provide skill instruction that will cover spelling patterns and focus on examining and manipulating words, not memorizing them. Students will be thinking more critically about words and work on transferring their skills to reading and writing. Words Their Way will focus on teaching students how to spell, decode new words, and to improve word recognition speed in general. To accomplish this goal, I will teach the students how to examine words to learn the regularities that exist in the spelling system. I will also teach them some irregularities of spelling (we call “oddball words”). The simple process of sorting words into categories is the heart of our word study program. 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 then apply to new words they encounter in their reading.
The best part of a word study is that your child can sort words anywhere! Yes, anywhere! And I‘d like for him/her to start sorting their weekly spelling words at home. It’s easy and it’s fun! It’s a hands-on way to get kids to learn more about our spelling system!
The best part of a word study is that your child can sort words anywhere! Yes, anywhere! And I‘d like for him/her to start sorting their weekly spelling words at home. It’s easy and it’s fun! It’s a hands-on way to get kids to learn more about our spelling system!
What Can You Do to Help?
-- Remind your child to sort the words into categories like the ones in school. Your child should read each word aloud during this activ- ity. Ask your child to explain to you why the words are sorted in a particular way - what does the sort tell about spelling in gen-eral? Ask your child to sort them a second time as fast as possible.
--Do a “blind sort” with your child. Lay down a word from each category as a header and then read the rest of the words aloud -one at a time. Encourage your child to spell the word and decide in which category it belongs. The student cannot rely on the visual cues to sort.
--Do a “buddy sort” with your child. Lay down the pattern headers and read the rest of the words aloud. The child must indicate where the word goes without seeing it and point to the pattern where the word belongs. Add the word to the category the student selected.
--Assist your child in doing a “word hunt” by looking for words in a familiar book or maga- zine that have the same sound, pattern, or both. Try to find two or three words for each category.
--Encourage your child to write complete sen- tences that incorporate the words from each category and their meaning.
--Do a “speed sort” with your child. Sort the words into the correct category as fast as you can.
--Do a “writing sort”. As you call out the words in a random order, your child should write them into the sorted categories. Add some words that fit the patterns but are not in the original sort.
-- Remind your child to sort the words into categories like the ones in school. Your child should read each word aloud during this activ- ity. Ask your child to explain to you why the words are sorted in a particular way - what does the sort tell about spelling in gen-eral? Ask your child to sort them a second time as fast as possible.
--Do a “blind sort” with your child. Lay down a word from each category as a header and then read the rest of the words aloud -one at a time. Encourage your child to spell the word and decide in which category it belongs. The student cannot rely on the visual cues to sort.
--Do a “buddy sort” with your child. Lay down the pattern headers and read the rest of the words aloud. The child must indicate where the word goes without seeing it and point to the pattern where the word belongs. Add the word to the category the student selected.
--Assist your child in doing a “word hunt” by looking for words in a familiar book or maga- zine that have the same sound, pattern, or both. Try to find two or three words for each category.
--Encourage your child to write complete sen- tences that incorporate the words from each category and their meaning.
--Do a “speed sort” with your child. Sort the words into the correct category as fast as you can.
--Do a “writing sort”. As you call out the words in a random order, your child should write them into the sorted categories. Add some words that fit the patterns but are not in the original sort.
Words Their Way Language
Sorting – organizing words into groups based on similarities in their patterns or meaning.
Oddballs – words that cannot be grouped into any of the identified categories of a sort. Students should be taught that there are always words that “break the rules” and do not follow the general pattern.
Sound marks / / - Sound marks around a letter or pattern tell the student to focus only on the sound rather than the actual letters. (example: the word gem could be grouped into the /j/ category because it sounds like j at the beginning).
Vowel (represented by V) – one of 6 letters causing the mouth to open when vocalized (a, e, i, o, u, and usually y). A single vowel sound is heard in every syllable of a word.
Consonants (represented by C) – all letters other than the vowels. Consonant sounds are blocked by the lips, tongue, or teeth during articulation.
Sorting – organizing words into groups based on similarities in their patterns or meaning.
Oddballs – words that cannot be grouped into any of the identified categories of a sort. Students should be taught that there are always words that “break the rules” and do not follow the general pattern.
Sound marks / / - Sound marks around a letter or pattern tell the student to focus only on the sound rather than the actual letters. (example: the word gem could be grouped into the /j/ category because it sounds like j at the beginning).
Vowel (represented by V) – one of 6 letters causing the mouth to open when vocalized (a, e, i, o, u, and usually y). A single vowel sound is heard in every syllable of a word.
Consonants (represented by C) – all letters other than the vowels. Consonant sounds are blocked by the lips, tongue, or teeth during articulation.