Words Their Way

1. Words Their Way Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, And Spelling Instruction

2. Why Word Study? • Becoming fully literate is dependent on fast, accurate recognition of words and their meanings in texts and fast accurate production of words in writing so that readers and writers can focus their attention on meaning making.

3. Knowing Your Students • Determine instructional level by administering a spelling inventory • Use the classroom composites to identify students with similar instructional needs

4. Primary Spelling Inventory

6. 1. Emergent Stage Characteristics: • 1. Scribbles letters and numbers • 2. Lacks concept of word • 3. Lacks letter-sound correspondence or represents most salient sounds with single letters • 4. Pretends to read and write

7. 2. Early Letter Name-Alphabetic Stage Characteristics: • 1. Represents beginning and ending sounds • 2. Has rudimentary/ functional concept of word • 3. Reads word by word in beginning reading materials

9. Middle to Late Letter Name-Alphabetic Stage Characteristics: • 1. Correctly spells initial and final consonants and some blends and digraphs • 2. Uses letter names to spell vowel sounds • 3. Spells phonetically representing all salient sounds in a one-to-one linear fashion • 4. Omits most silent letters • 5. Finger points and reads aloud • 6. Reads slowly in a word-by-word manner

10. 3. Within Word Pattern Stage Characteristics: • 1. Spells most single-syllable short-vowel words correctly • 2. Spells most beginning consonant digraphs and two-letter consonant blends • 3. Attempts to use silent long-vowel markers (nale for nail) • 4. Reads silently and with more fluency and expression • 5. Writes more fluently and in extended fashion • 6. Can revise and edit

12. 4. Syllables and Affixes Characteristics: • 1. Spells most single-syllable words correctly • 2. Makes errors at syllable juncture and in unaccented syllables • 3. Reads with good fluency and expression • 4. Reads faster silently than orally • 5. Writes responses that are sophisticated and critical

13. 5. Derivational Relations Stage Characteristics: • 1. Has mastered high frequency words • 2. Makes errors on low frequency multi- syllabic words derived from Latin and Greek combining forms • 3. Reads with good fluency and expression • 4. Reads faster silently than orally • 5. Writes responses that are sophisticated and critical

15. Organising for Word Study • The simple process of sorting words into categories, is the heart of word study. • During the process of sorting, students have an opportunity to make their own discoveries and form their own generalisations about how the English language system works.

16. Sorts • Novice sorters : • teacher directed closed sort (headers, key words) • Teacher directed guess my category (key words but no headers) • Experienced sorters: • Student centred closed sort (key words and/or headers) • Student centred open sort (no key words or headers)

17. Types of Sorts • Sound sorts : picture sorts • Pattern sorts : headers - oddballs • Meaning sorts : • concept sorts (new concepts, background knowledge) • spelling-meaning sorts (homophones)

18. Spelling Routines • Suggestions only.. • Buddy sorts • Blind sorts • Sort and write • Word hunts • Speed sorts