Words Their Way

Dear Families,

This year your child will be having “words their way.” One of the things we did the first week of school was a sight word inventory to help assess and instruct your child on word work at their level. Once these tests were assessed, the students were placed in a group that was on their level. Research shows that simply “studying spelling words” is not enough. To help children really learn the way words are made, they need to study the patterns that make up the words. Because of this, our spelling homework and procedure may look a little different than what you are used to. When you hear your child say “ I go to Mrs. ___ for word work” it’s because that is the pattern they are studying for that two weeks. For example, students that needed short vowels were all put in one group, all students that needed work on long vowels were in a different group. This will be flexible and students might move around depending upon their success. By doing this your child is getting direct instruction on the pattern that they are also working on at home.

On the first Monday of the sort (August 28), your child will be bringing home a word sort. This word sort will last for 2 weeks. The practice will help them learn the pattern rather than just memorizing the words. Second grade will be assessing their knowledge of these patterns on Fridays. The first week’s test will consist of 10 words that will be directly from the list. The second week’s test will consist of 5 words from that same list and 5 words (they now know) that they should be able to apply that pattern to. I will also be looking for carry over into their writing – because that’s what really counts! Also, because we are working with each child at their own level, your child’s list may be different than a neighbors’ list.

We will be learning about the ways to practice our words in school this week, too. Please help your child by designating a time and place for them to do their word study every night. Please watch and listen but encourage them to do it as independently as possible.

Thanks