Download Word Study Week: Overview

Word Study Week: Overview
Sort and Record:
When students complete this sort, they create their own categories with the set of words.
Open sorts provide students with the opportunity to test their own hypotheses and they often come up with unexpected
ways to organize words.
For example, there are a variety of ways to sort the following words: witch, teach, rich, catch,
coach, much, hutch, each... One student may choose to sort the words by the final pattern (tch or ch), others may sort
by the vowel sounds, (long and short), and others sort by rhyming words. As students become sorting pros, they begin to
anticipate the teacher-directed closed sorts.
Syllable Break:
A syllable is unit of sound made from a single vowel, or single vowel/consonant combination - note that syllables
never have more then one vowel sound in them.
Directions:
Eg: bit; a; un; as; dog; re; ist; bi
Use proper page set-up. Record your spelling words and place a hyphen or slash to show where
syllable break is found in each word.
Speed Sort:
A speed sort is the same as an ordinary word sort or picture sort, except you use a stopwatch.
Students should work to improve their own personal speed comparing their speed to earlier attempts and work toward
personal improvements.
Word Hunt:
In word hunts , students hunt through their reading and writing for words that are further
examples of the sound, pattern, or meaning unit they are studying.
Sort and Reflect:
SORT
When students complete this sort, they create their own categories with the set of words. Open sorts provide
students with the opportunity to test their own hypotheses and they often come up with unexpected ways to organize words.
For example, there are a variety of ways to sort the following words: witch, teach, rich, catch, coach, much, hutch, each...
One
student may choose to sort the words by the final pattern (tch or ch), others may sort by the vowel sounds, (long and short),
and others sort by rhyming words.
REFLECT
At the end of the sort, record what the words or pictures in each column have in common. Be sure to consider
the sound, pattern, and meaning of the words. Think about how the sounds are alike, what kind pf patterns can be identified,
and if any of the words are similar in meaning.
Circle the Vowels:
Write each of your spelling words on notebook paper. Then carefully read each
word. During your second reading of your spelling words, spell out each letter of the word and circle the vowels
found as you go.
Spelling Sentences:
You may choose to write your sentences out in manuscript or you may choose to type your sentences. As you write your
sentences be sure you have added enough details that the reader will be able to determine the meaning of your spelling
word using the context clues you have provided in your sentence.
Example: spelling word: rival
on Sunday.
COULD BE BETTER SENTENCE:
The Redskins were scheduled to play their rival team
In this sentence the word rival could mean neighborhood or opposing team. BETTER SENTENCE: The
Washington Redskins fans were getting ready for the biggest game of their season against their longtime competition
and rival team, the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
No Peeking Sort:
In a no-peeking sort, the printed word is unseen. A key word or picture for each sound is
established; the teacher or partner shuffles the word cards, and then calls the words aloud without showing them. The student
indicates the correct category by pointing to or naming the key word that has the same sound. The response can be checked
and corrected immediately when the printed word is revealed and put in place. In the no-peeking writing sort, students must
write each word under the correct key word before seeing the word. Students must rely on the sound they hear in the word, as
well as their memory for the letters associated with it, cued by the key word at the top of the column.
High 5- Frequency Words
Word Workout:
If a letter in the word...
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touches the top line when you write it, reach up with both arms and stand on your tip-toes.
touches the middle line when you write it, reach out in front with both arms and jump out with your feet.
drops below the bottom line, drop your arms to your sides and squat down.
Example: dog
d = reach up; o= reach out; g= drop down
Other ideas include...
 stand on one foot while you spell each word
 pass a ball while you spell each word
Create Guide Words:
Guide words appear at the top of each dictionary page. The word in the left
corner is the first entry on the page and the word in the right corner is the last entry on the page. Guide words enable
you to locate a word quickly.
Following is an example of how guide words should be used.
If you were attempting to look up the word compliment, you would first turn to the c section of the
dictionary. On the first page you turn to, the left guide word is camp and the right guide word is coat. You
would know that compliment would not be found on that page because com comes after coa. You would
then continue to page through the dictionary until you come to an appropriate guide word. The next guide
word you find is company. The guide word on the right of the page is computer. The word compliment
should be found on this page because compl comes between compa and compu.
For each spelling word identify a guide word you might find at the top of the dictionary page where your spelling word
would be located. You may use a dictionary or make up the guide words on your own.
Trace, Copy, Recall
Fold a paper lengthwise into 3 columns. Label the left column Trace, the middle column Copy, and the right column Recall.
Trace
Copy
Recall
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Fold over the "recall" part so that only the first two columns show:
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Then: Say the word to yourself.
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Trace it in the first column, saying the letters as you trace,and say the word again.
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You might put a little rhythm into it. ( "WORD . W - pause - O - pause R-D - WORD!). (Remember, the goal
here is to remember how to spell the words, not to successfully follow these directions.)
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Go to the second column, say the word, and write it the same way.
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While the rhythm and the sound and the feeling are fresh in your mind, flip the paper over and say the word
and spell it out -- the same way, saying each letter.
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If it's a hard word, put it on the list more than once. If you're feeling particularly smart, trace and copy TWO
words, and try to remember them both before you flip the page over. However, if your short-term memory isn't
big enough to hold all that, do one at a time because you want to practice the words RIGHT, not make guesses.
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After you've done a small group of words this way a few times, start doing them two or three at a time, and
when you feel like you know them, practice the list again -- but skip the tracing. And if you’re feeling VERY
confident, skip the tracing and the copying both.
Highlight the Hard Part
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Example:
Record your spelling words on notebook paper, then go back and highlight the 'hard part'.
Make a mental picture of that word, read the word aloud and spell it aloud, and change the way you *say*
the "hard part," maybe saying it louder, maybe putting on a British accent.
When you write the whole word, think about the hard part, what it looks like or sounds like.
So, while you're writing "separate," you might be thinking "sep A rate" and/or that highlighted, A.
Word Art:
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Shape words out of clay, string, or pipe cleaners
write words in sand, shaving cream, or candy sprinkles
use a fun font on the computer to spell your words
paint or write words in different colors
write words with sidewalk chalk or a squirt bottle on the driveway
write words in the fog on your bathroom mirror/shower doors
cut letters out of a newspaper or magazine to spell your words