Words Their Way Parent Guide

What should a parent do if a
child makes a mistake?
If your child makes a mistake, you
could prompt him or her by saying,
―I see a word in this column that
does not look right to me!‖ Encourage
the child to identify the mistake
independently. If there is still
confusion, help the child make the
correction.
What is an ―oddball‖?
An oddball is any word that either has
the same spelling pattern as a category
in the sort but sounds different
when you say it, or a word that sounds
like it belongs in a category but has a
different spelling pattern. For example,
If a category is –at words (cat,
hat…), the word what could be an oddball.
It looks like it should fit but it
doesn’t sound right.
References
Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary
and Spelling Instruction by Donald Bear, Marcia
Invernizzi, Francine Johnston, and Shane Templeton
Word Journeys: Assessment– Guided Phonics, Spelling, and
Vocabulary Instruction by Kathy Ganske
Word Journeys: Assessment-Guided Phonics, Spelling
and Vocabulary Instruction by Kathy Ganske
Words Their Way
A P a r e n t ’ s G u i d e t o W o r d
S t u d y
Mrs. Houser’s Class
October 2011

Page 2
What is Word Study?
Word study is a learner-centered, conceptual
approach to instruction in
phonics, spelling, word recognition,
and vocabulary. This program has
been developed through over thirty
years of ongoing educational research.
―Through active exploration, word
study teaches students to increase general
word knowledge by examining
words to discover the regularities, patterns,
and conventions of English spelling
needed to read and write. Word
study also increases specific word
knowledge—the spelling and meaning
of individual words.‖ ―A word study
program that explicitly teaches students
necessary skills and engages
their interest and motivation
to learn about how words work is a vital
aspect of any literacy program.‖
Reading, writing and spelling are all
closely connected, so utilizing word
study instruction helps students
develop overall literacy skills.
Word Study Homework
Monday: Cut apart picture/word cards
for the week and sort them like we did
at school.
Tuesday: Do a speed sort, timing how
fast you can correctly sort your cards.
Sort your cards again and try to beat
your first time.
Wednesday: Write your 4 word wall
words in sentences making sure that
you used capitals, periods (or other
ending punctuation), and correctly
spelled word wall words.
Thursday: Do a quick quiz. Have a
parent read your cards to you and try
to spell the words on your own.
Turn in homework on Friday.
***Every Night***
Practice reading and writing word
wall words (using lowercase letters)
Page 7

Page 6
Activities included in Word
Study
Word /Picture Sorts: Students are
given categories or features by which
to sort their cards. On the first day of
a new sort these sorts are done together.
Later in the week, students resort
their cards independently.
Speed Sort: Students sort their words
as fast as they can (using a timer or
clock with a second hand). They check
for accuracy. Then do the sort again
trying to beat the previous time.
Word Hunt: Students become word detectives,
searching for words with the
features they are learning about this
week.
Writing Sentences/Words: Students
will practice writing word wall words
in sentences and words from their
weekly sort at word work and center
times.
...and many other activities! We like to
have lots of variety in first grade to
help keep learning fun!
How does Word Study look
in the classroom?
Word study instruction is provided in
small groups based on students’ specific
developmental spelling stages.
Students are taught at their instructional
level—a level that is not too difficult
or too easy and matches their
specific needs based on assessment.
During word study instruction,
words and pictures are sorted in
hands-on learning activities that require
children to examine, discriminate,
and make critical judgments
about speech sounds, spelling patterns,
and word meanings. Students compare
and contrast categories of word features
to discover similarities and differences
between categories. The word
features that students learn during
sorts are then applied to new words in
reading and writing, allowing them to
generalize the features learned to new
material.
Page 3

Page 4
How do teachers plan for word
study instruction?
Students are assessed at the beginning
of the year to determine their
current level of spelling development.
Teachers plan instruction for small
groups that focuses on spelling and
sound features that students
need to learn. Most students will take
a weekly spelling test to assess understanding
of the focused features. Informal
assessments are conducted
through students’ weekly word
study work, as well as their writing
across the curriculum areas. At the
end of the week, based on informal
and formal assessments, new features
are chosen for the following week.
Students will also get 4 new word wall
words each week. These words are
based on the sight words students
need to know in their reading and
words they are frequently using in
their writing.
How are students taught to
sort?
Before the Sort:
Review the headings (sound or pattern
or both)
Sort a few examples with the student
During the Sort:
• Ask the student to read and sort
each word
Discuss unknown word meanings
After the Sort:
• Have the student read down each
column
• Help the student find and correct
mistakes
• Ask the student to explain what was
the same about the words in each column
(sound, pattern or both)
Page 5