Transcript + Words Their Way

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Words
Their
Way
An Overview of the Words Their Way Program
Whitney Merriman, Reading Specialist
Pam Bittner, Kindergarten
Amy Johnson, 1st Grade
Amy Adams, 2nd Grade
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Why are we using Words Their Way?
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Traditional Spelling Instruction
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Students are given a list of words to memorize
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Students quickly forget words after the spelling test
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All students study the same words
Words Their Way
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Students analyze words to discover the similarities and
differences
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Students are able to apply the spelling patterns to similar words
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Investigation, hands-on, and oral activities help the students retain
the new spelling patterns in their long-term memory
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Students are grouped according to their spelling skills and what
they need to work on
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What does it look like?
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Students sorting words or pictures according to sound or
spelling pattern.
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Students applying skills taught by correctly spelling words in
everyday writing.
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Students noticing spelling patterns in reading and through
vocabulary practice.
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Weekly assessments.
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Students sharing with parents what sort they learned in
school.
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Students noticing words that follow their spelling patterns in
their nightly reading.
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How are Spelling Stages decided?
What is the student USING but CONFUSING?
 Qualitative
 Weekly
Spelling Inventory (3 times a year)
Assessments
 Daily Writing
 Reading
Samples
Observations
Spelling stages are fluid; students can move ahead at differing
paces. The classroom teacher and FLI teacher will work
together to determine when students need to be moved to a
different group.
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Qualitative Spelling Inventory
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Grade-Level Expectations:
Kindergarten
2nd Six Weeks 3rd Six Weeks
On Target
Consonants
Short Vowel
Below Grade-Level
Consonants
4th Six Weeks
5th Six Weeks
Beginning Digraphs Beginning Blends
6th Six Weeks
Mixed Vowel Word
Families
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraphs
Beginning Blends
Consonants
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraphs
Consonants
Short Vowel
Consonants
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Grade-Level Expectations and
Grading Scale: First Grade
1st Six Weeks
2nd Six Weeks
3rd Six Weeks
4th Six Weeks
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph
Beginning Blends
Mixed Vowel
(-10)
Final Consonant
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph
Beginning Blends
Mixed Vowel
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
(-20)
Initial Consonant
Final Consonant
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph
Beginning Blends
Mixed Vowel
Initial Consonant
Final Consonant
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph
Beginning Blends
Initial Consonant
Final Consonant
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph
Initial Consonant
Final Consonant
Short Vowel
Initial Consonant
Initial/Final
Consonant
Below Grade-level
On Target
(-30)
(-40)
(-50)
(-60)
5th Six Weeks
6th Six Weeks
Mixed Vowel with
Long Vowel Patterns
Blends/Digraphs
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Grade-Level Expectations and
Grading Scale: Second Grade
On Target
1st Six Weeks
2nd Six Weeks
3rd Six Weeks
4th Six Weeks
5th Six Weeks
6th Six Weeks
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Less Common
Long Vowels
Less Common
Long Vowels
R-Influenced
Vowels
Diphthongs and
other Ambiguous
Vowels
Complex
Consonants
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Less Common
Long Vowels
R-Influenced
Vowels
Diphthongs and
other Ambiguous
Vowels
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Less Common
Long Vowels
R-Influenced
Vowels
Mixed Vowel
Mixed Vowel
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Less Common
Long Vowels
Beginning Blends
Mixed Vowel
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
Common Long
Vowel Patterns
Mixed Vowel
Mixed Vowel with
Blends/Digraphs
Mixed Vowel with
(-10)
Blends/Digraphs
Below Grade-level
(-20)
Mixed Vowel
(-30) Beginning Blends
(-40) Beginning Digraph Beginning Blends
(-50)
Short Vowel
(-60)
Intitial/Final
Consonant
Beginning Digraph Beginning Digraph Beginning Blends
Short Vowel
Short Vowel
Beginning Digraph Beginning Blends
Mixed Vowel
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Words Their Way Weekly Schedule
 Teacher
introduces the words and sort to each
small group. Student practices sorting words
independently.
 Working
independently or with a partner, students
re-sort words, reading aloud to develop
automaticity. Practice might include completing a
Word Hunt or Word Game.
 Students
will re-sort and glue the words/pictures
as practice before their assessment.
+ Understanding Words Their Way Vocabulary
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Header = spelling patterns for the week. These look like
CVC, CVCe, CVVC, and so on.
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V = vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y), C = consonant
(ex. CVC word: fan)
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CVCe = consonant-vowel-consonant pattern with an e on
the end. (CVCe word: space)
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Oddball = words in a word list that do not fall into the
regular sorting categories for the week. (If the pattern is
long a sound like paint, the word “said” would be an
oddball because it has a short e sound, ‘sed’, even though
it follows the “ai” spelling pattern.)
+ Practice Activities
TEACH SORT
Teach your parents or a sibling the
sort you learned in school. Read
each word aloud as you are
sorting. Explain why the words are
sorted in a particular way. Sort the
words a second time as fast as
possible.
BUDDY SORT
Lay down the pattern headers and
have a parent read the rest of the
words aloud. You must say where
the word goes without seeing it!
Point to the header and your
parent will lay down the word in
the category you selected. Repeat
if you make a mistake.
WORD HUNT
YOUR PILE, MY PILE
Hunt for words in a book that
match the sound/pattern you are
studying. Students can keep
track of the words by recording
them under the correct headers.
Put the word cards in a pile. Pull one
card from the pile and say it out loud.
Your child will have to spell it correctly
and use it in a sentence. If your child
does both correctly, he/she gets to
keep the card, if not, the card goes
back into the pile. When it is their turn,
they can do the same to you!
+ Practice Activities (cont.)
DRAWING SORT
WRITING SORT
Sort the words in your word list
and draw a quick picture to
illustrate each one.
Copy words from your pile into
the correct categories on paper
with crayons, markers, pencils;
on a chalkboard with chalk; on a
whiteboard with dry erase
marker (make the practice fun!)
BLIND SORT
Student listens as a parent calls out
the words one at a time and writes
the word in the correct category. The
parent shows student the word card
so he/she can check for correct
spelling.
+ Benefits of Using Words Their Way
SPELLING
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Differentiated spelling word lists for students to best meet individual
needs.
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Hands-on approach to learning the word sounds, patterns, and
meanings.
WRITING
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Improved spelling in writing.
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High frequency words mastery.
READING
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Improved decoding in reading.
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Improved vocabulary comprehension.
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Helpful Websites:
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Word Study article written for parents:
www.literacyconnections.com/WordStudy.php
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More information on why word study is helpful and many great
activity ideas, written by a mom:
www.themeasuredmom.com/category/word-study/
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More Word Their Way glossary terms can be found at this site:
quizlet.com/608866/study-guide-words-their-way-glossary-ofterms-flash-cards/
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Word lists and games can be found at: spellingcity.com (you can
enter the words from your child’s sort to practice and play games).
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Word sort PowerPoint activities for each sort:
educationextras.com/wordstheirway.html
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Feedback & Questions
What further questions do you have?
If you have any more questions as we go through the
year, please contact your child’s teacher or email our
Reading Specialist at [email protected].