Our class will be working with the Words Their Way word study program. You will notice right away, this is not the same as a "spelling" program. Words Their Way is about looking at words and finding their patterns, instead of memorizing a list. Your child will get their words at the beginning of the week and follow a routine leading to a test at the end of the week.
Sort #1=See and Say Sort: Students meet and talk about the patterns they notice. As a group, they see the word, say the word, then write it under its rule.
Sort #2=ABC Sort: We work on ABC order with this sort. Each student will be given a number of words they will put in ABC order. As they year progresses, the more words they will be expected to alphabetize.
Sort #3=Travel Sort: Students place their words on their desk. They place their paper at least 3 steps away. Then they will choose a word from their desk, remember how to spell it, then travel to their paper to write it down. If they forget how to spell it, they simply walk back to their desk and look at it again. Students must be sure to put their words in their correct "rule" column also.
Sort #4=Spelling Stairs: Students choose their 5 toughest words. They create a set of spelling stairs by starting with the first letter in the first box. They then add on. The first two letters of that word in the second box. The first three letters in the third box, and so on.
Sort #5=Book Search Sort: Students will choose a rule from their sort. They will then search through the books in their book basket to find a word that fits this rule. Students then can choose another rule and continue to search for words that fit the rule. It helps students identify patterns in words!
Sort #6=Word Family Sort: Students will pick a word from their list. They will then generate a word that fits the same word family. Example: pear-bear, shore-more.
Sort #7=No-Peeking Sort: Students will be put into pairs. One student will be the teacher, the other the student. The teacher will take one of the words and read it to the student. The student has to point to the correct rule column. If they are correct, the teacher will give them the word to copy down. If not, they are asked to try again.
Day #8=Assessment: Student will be graded on the correct sorting and correct spelling of 10 words. These are two separate grades.
*A copy of the words and answer key will be sent home. Always hold onto your child's words. At times, they may need more time with them. *Ask your child to model how they sorted their words each night. The more practice and exposure they have with these words, the more successful they will be at retaining them.