Word Study FAQ
My approach to spelling instruction is not the familiar routine that many of us grew up learning. However, I came to embrace the Words Their Way curriculum while working on my M.Ed. in Reading Education and am convinced that it's an effective tool for helping children learn to spell and identify words. On this page, I'd like to answer a few of the questions I hear from parents (and kids!) the most so that we can all work together!
Q: When you say "Word Study," what do you mean?
A: In my class, Word Study is the part of the curriculum where spelling is addressed. The grades students receive for Word Study quizzes are included in the average for Language Arts. However, phonemic awareness, phonics knowledge, and/or vocabulary may also be addressed by a given set of words. That's why I prefer the term "word study" to "spelling."
Q: How did you decide what words my student studies?
A: In August, all of my students took a Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA). This test assumes that most children learn to spell word patterns in a certain order, and that they generally progress through four major stages as they learn. The DSA pinpoints which of the 4 stages each child is in and specifies particular areas where they are ready to grow. Based on this assessment, I placed students in one of four Word Study groups. Each group is getting to study words right at the level where they're ready to learn.
Q: What's with the cards?
A: Each week, students receive a new page of Word Study cards to cut out and store in their reading journals. The words are on cards instead of listed on a sheet so that students can physically move each card around and place it into the appropriate category. This is simply called sorting the words, and it's crucial to Words Their Way. Sorting the words helps children think analytically about how each word sounds, and why it is spelled in the way that it is. This, in turn, enables them to apply their knowledge of spelling patterns to new words that they may not have read and/or spelled before.
Q: How are the kids supposed to know how to sort their words?
A: Every Monday, I meet with each Word Study group to introduce their new words to them. We sort the cards together and discuss the meaning of each "header" (the name of the category that goes at the top of each column). We also point out any "oddballs" (words that don't follow the patterns we're studying). Also, I have recently started providing the students with the opportunity to review their sort with an answer key on the second day of Word Study so they can double-check their understanding early on in the week.
Q: What Word Study homework do students have?
A: We follow the same homework pattern each week:
Monday = Sort Alphabetize Write (sort the cards, put them in ABC order, then write the alphabetized words in the correct column in the reading journal)
Tuesday = Sensational Sentences (choose 10 tough words and write sentences with them in the reading journal; for an added challenge, try writing a story or poem with all 10 words)
Wednesday = Write and Draw (choose 15 words, draw a picture of each one, and label the picture in the reading journal)
Thursday = Reflection (tell what each header means and/or sounds like and explain any oddballs in the sort in the reading journal)
Q: How do you assess students?
A: Our weekly quiz usually takes the form of a game called Spell-O, which the kids really enjoy! We create a 9-square game board, and they fill it up with the spelling words I call out. (Because there are 4 Word Study groups, I rotate through everyone's lists one word at a time. It may sound confusing, but the kids do really well with it, and I walk around to make sure everyone's hearing his/her words. I also repeat the words again at the end of the quiz.) After I call 10 words (the tenth goes below the game board) and give a bonus opportunity, I go back through the lists and call out 3 random words for the kids to star. Whoever gets 3 starred words in a row-- SPELLED CORRECTLY-- is the Spell-O winner for his/her group. The prize is usually either a visit to the treat basket or extra points for one's table.
Q: I see some words on my child's quiz that were not on his/her cards this week. What's the deal, Ms. Matthews?!
A: I often include 2-3 new words on the Spell-O quiz to assess students' transfer of their spelling pattern knowledge. If they can spell these words correctly, then I know they've learned the pattern. If they struggle with them, then I know they either need more practice with that sort or more frequent reminders to use what they've learned in new situations.
Q: Sometimes, my child misspells a word on the quiz, but you still mark it "OK." Why?
A: I only assess what I expect my students to have learned at the time of the quiz. If they misspell a complex vowel pattern they haven't learned yet, but they still spell correctly the part of the word we have practiced, I will write the correct spelling underneath but still give the student full credit.
Q: Ms. Matthews, I'm trying to help my child with Word Study homework, but it confuses ME! You're making me pull my hair out! Aaaaauuuuggghhhh!!!
A: First, please stop pulling your hair out. That sounds painful. :) Second, don't worry! I am here to help. If you shoot me an e-mail with your question in the evening, chances are I'll write back to you before too long ... because, sadly, I just have my work e-mail up that often. And if you don't hear back from me, send a note explaining the situation. If I know your child was working on it the night before and just got stuck, I will not take away recess or lower the homework grade. I'll find a few minutes that day to review the homework with him/her.
Okay, I hope that clears up some of the confusion around Ms. Matthews' mysterious Word Study! Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns ... With any luck, we'll make it to the end of the year with most of our hair still in place!
Q: When you say "Word Study," what do you mean?
A: In my class, Word Study is the part of the curriculum where spelling is addressed. The grades students receive for Word Study quizzes are included in the average for Language Arts. However, phonemic awareness, phonics knowledge, and/or vocabulary may also be addressed by a given set of words. That's why I prefer the term "word study" to "spelling."
Q: How did you decide what words my student studies?
A: In August, all of my students took a Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA). This test assumes that most children learn to spell word patterns in a certain order, and that they generally progress through four major stages as they learn. The DSA pinpoints which of the 4 stages each child is in and specifies particular areas where they are ready to grow. Based on this assessment, I placed students in one of four Word Study groups. Each group is getting to study words right at the level where they're ready to learn.
Q: What's with the cards?
A: Each week, students receive a new page of Word Study cards to cut out and store in their reading journals. The words are on cards instead of listed on a sheet so that students can physically move each card around and place it into the appropriate category. This is simply called sorting the words, and it's crucial to Words Their Way. Sorting the words helps children think analytically about how each word sounds, and why it is spelled in the way that it is. This, in turn, enables them to apply their knowledge of spelling patterns to new words that they may not have read and/or spelled before.
Q: How are the kids supposed to know how to sort their words?
A: Every Monday, I meet with each Word Study group to introduce their new words to them. We sort the cards together and discuss the meaning of each "header" (the name of the category that goes at the top of each column). We also point out any "oddballs" (words that don't follow the patterns we're studying). Also, I have recently started providing the students with the opportunity to review their sort with an answer key on the second day of Word Study so they can double-check their understanding early on in the week.
Q: What Word Study homework do students have?
A: We follow the same homework pattern each week:
Monday = Sort Alphabetize Write (sort the cards, put them in ABC order, then write the alphabetized words in the correct column in the reading journal)
Tuesday = Sensational Sentences (choose 10 tough words and write sentences with them in the reading journal; for an added challenge, try writing a story or poem with all 10 words)
Wednesday = Write and Draw (choose 15 words, draw a picture of each one, and label the picture in the reading journal)
Thursday = Reflection (tell what each header means and/or sounds like and explain any oddballs in the sort in the reading journal)
Q: How do you assess students?
A: Our weekly quiz usually takes the form of a game called Spell-O, which the kids really enjoy! We create a 9-square game board, and they fill it up with the spelling words I call out. (Because there are 4 Word Study groups, I rotate through everyone's lists one word at a time. It may sound confusing, but the kids do really well with it, and I walk around to make sure everyone's hearing his/her words. I also repeat the words again at the end of the quiz.) After I call 10 words (the tenth goes below the game board) and give a bonus opportunity, I go back through the lists and call out 3 random words for the kids to star. Whoever gets 3 starred words in a row-- SPELLED CORRECTLY-- is the Spell-O winner for his/her group. The prize is usually either a visit to the treat basket or extra points for one's table.
Q: I see some words on my child's quiz that were not on his/her cards this week. What's the deal, Ms. Matthews?!
A: I often include 2-3 new words on the Spell-O quiz to assess students' transfer of their spelling pattern knowledge. If they can spell these words correctly, then I know they've learned the pattern. If they struggle with them, then I know they either need more practice with that sort or more frequent reminders to use what they've learned in new situations.
Q: Sometimes, my child misspells a word on the quiz, but you still mark it "OK." Why?
A: I only assess what I expect my students to have learned at the time of the quiz. If they misspell a complex vowel pattern they haven't learned yet, but they still spell correctly the part of the word we have practiced, I will write the correct spelling underneath but still give the student full credit.
Q: Ms. Matthews, I'm trying to help my child with Word Study homework, but it confuses ME! You're making me pull my hair out! Aaaaauuuuggghhhh!!!
A: First, please stop pulling your hair out. That sounds painful. :) Second, don't worry! I am here to help. If you shoot me an e-mail with your question in the evening, chances are I'll write back to you before too long ... because, sadly, I just have my work e-mail up that often. And if you don't hear back from me, send a note explaining the situation. If I know your child was working on it the night before and just got stuck, I will not take away recess or lower the homework grade. I'll find a few minutes that day to review the homework with him/her.
Okay, I hope that clears up some of the confusion around Ms. Matthews' mysterious Word Study! Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns ... With any luck, we'll make it to the end of the year with most of our hair still in place!