Word Study for Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary Instruction

1. Word Study for Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary Instruction Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th ed. Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, Johnston

2. About Words Their Way™ • Based on research about the importance of developmental spelling and a knowledge of “how words work” • Organized around five stages and instructional levels of spelling development

3. Word Study Explicit skill instruction Systematic scope and sequence Feature analysis Authentic repeated practice Hands-on learning Higher level of transference due to critical analysis of words Accurately use word patterns studied in daily writing. Traditional Spelling Explicit skill instruction Systematic scope and sequence Repeated practice Rote drill and memorization Little transference or critical thinking Retention only for “Friday’s test” Why Word Study?

4. Fundamental Principles The authors describe two basic principles of word study: • Students’ learning of spelling and vocabulary is based on their developmental or instructional level. • Students’ learning is based on the way they are naturally inclined to learn, on their natural course of conceptual learning. Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, Johnston, 2004, p. 27

5. Layers of English • Alphabet—deals with the relationship between letters and sounds; the first layer of orthographic development. • Pattern—because there isn’t a letter for every sound, patterns guide groupings of letters to represent sounds under different conditions. • Meaning—groups of letters can represent meaning directly; builds on knowledge of meaning parts and their derivations.

6. Levels of Learning • Independent level: what students do correctly, on their own. • Instructional level: what students “use but confuse.” Instruction is most helpful at this stage. • Frustration level: what is absent in students’ spelling. Concepts are too difficult and instruction is not appropriate.

7. The Basis forWord Study • Word study is developmental—activities match the developmental, or instructional, level of the individual child. • Word study follows the continuum of word knowledge. Most students follow the same continuum, but possibly at different rates.

8. Stages of Spelling Development • Emergent • Letter-Name Alphabetic • Within Word Pattern • Syllables and Affixes • Derivational Relations

9. Emergent Stage • Involves the writing efforts of students who are not reading conventionally • Includes the time before students have made the conventional letter to sound connection in a left-to-right sequence. • Age range of 0-5 years. Many kindergarteners are emergent spellers at the beginning of the year. • Emergent spelling ranges from random marks to actual letters that have no sound relationships • Students are pre-phonetic spellers: lack of correspondence to sound when writing

11. Letter Name-Alphabetic Stage • This stage encompasses the time when students are first taught to read. • The name reflects students’ dominant approach to spelling—by using the names of the letters in connection with the alphabetic principle. • Students move from partial to full phoneme segmentation; spellings thus become more complete. • It is typically observed during kindergarten and first-grade years.

13. Within Word Pattern Stage • Students have a sight word vocabulary of 200-400 words. • Students exhibit automatic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences and short-vowel patterns; allows for independent reading. • It begins as students transition into independent reading late in first grade and expands into second and third grade. • Struggling readers/writers may not move into this stage until much later.

15. Syllables and Affixes Stage • This stage is often achieved in upper elementary and middle school years. • Students are often between 9 and 14 years old. • They correctly spell most one-syllable short- and long-vowel words • Spelling experimentation shifts to the orthographic conventions of preserving pattern-to-sound relationships at the place where syllables meet. • Students consider where syllables and meaning units meet at their juncture: examine multi- syllabic words.

18. Derivational Relations Stage • This is the last stage in the developmental model. • Most D.R. spellers are in middle school, high school, and college though development continues throughout adulthood. • Students build on and expand a wide vocabulary. • Spelling errors deal with conventions of affixation and root constancy across related words. • Students examine how words share common derivations and related roots and bases. They discover that meaning and spelling of parts of words remains constant across different but derivationally related words.

20. Words Their Way Bringing Reading and Writing Together

21. Instructional Practices Types of Sorts

22. Word Study Activities:Sound Sorts Pictures are appropriate for sound sorts because they don’t deal with printed language, though printed words can also be used for sound sorts. The types of sound sorts are: • Picture sorts—used to develop phonological awareness • Word sorts—words can also draw attention to sound, such as with long/short vowel sorts • Blind sorts—picture examples are used as categories so that students can develop an understanding on their own, rather than relying on the printed name of the sort

24. Word Study Activities:Pattern Sorts Pattern sorts involve sorting the printed words to differentiate patterns in spelling, such as with word families, vowels, syllable juncture, etc. • Picture sorts—pictures are not appropriate for these sorts, unless used at the top as a category “name” • Word sorts—the mainstay of pattern sorts • Writing sorts—students record their sorts into a Word Study notebook. A question mark can be used as the header of an oddball category.

26. Word Study Activities:Meaning Sorts Meaning influences the spelling of words. May include: homophone and homograph sorts, or roots, stems, and affix sorts. • Concept sorts—a good way to link vocabulary to conceptual understanding. Appropriate for all ages; particularly useful for English Language Learners. • Meaning sorts related to spelling—homophones are words that sound alike but have different spellings; homographs have same spellings but different sounds. Record sorts so students have a record of them for future use!

28. Sort Variations • Teacher-Directed Sorts • Student-Centered Sorts • Guess My Category • Writing Sorts • Word Hunts • Brainstorming • Repeated Sorts • Speed Sorts • Draw and label/Cut and paste Refer to the Words Their Way™ Classroom Implementation Resource Guide for descriptions and other activities.

29. “Looking at a child’s spelling gives us a window into that child’s word knowledge…Spend some time sitting beside your students and looking through the window that their spellings provide.” --Bear, Donald R. et al. Words Their Way. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Learning (2008). Pg 48.