Dear Families,
The spelling program I believe in using is called “Words
Their Way.” Your child will be referring to it as Word Work rather than
Spelling. This is a program that follows a developmentally appropriate sequence
for word study. Each student is assessed and given words to work on that are
appropriate for the level of word knowledge he/she possesses.
This program teaches students to make sense of words by
engaging in a hands-on sorting rule. The step-by-step weekly classroom routine
helps students to examine, discriminate, make judgments about speech sounds, word
structures, spelling patterns, and meaning. These routines are then reinforced
at home. We will not be having a traditional spelling test on Fridays but your
child will be assessed for their learning of the words. They will bring home a
copy of their assessment with them on Friday afternoons.
On Monday I am sending home a set of words that you
will be able to work on at home with your child. I will send home the words
every Monday. Students have been working hard at learning the word work
routines and should be able to explain them to you at home. Once the words are
home students need to cut the words out and show you how to sort the words.
Students need to say the word and the key word aloud and explain why the word
fits under the chosen key word. We have been encouraging students to looks for
visual letter patterns and sound similarities. We will be using the same words
at school and doing lots of different activities with them. Here are some
activities you can do at home with the words.
1.
Speed Sort- You can
time your child and see how quickly they can sort the words. Make sure they are
reading the words aloud when they do this. They can work on improving their
time.
2.
Hidden Sort- The
parent hides all words so their child cannot see them. The parent reads the
words aloud and the child points to where the key word belongs under. The
parent confirms that this is correct and places the word under the key word.
3.
Word Hunt- Students
look in books for different words that belong in their sorting categories. They
can record them on paper.
4.
Writing Sort- Students
will write the words on paper. They need to set up their page with the key
words at the top. The parent then reads the word aloud one at a time and the
child writes it down under the correct key word.
These are
just a few of the things you can practice at home. I hope that you do not feel
overwhelmed by all this. It is not necessary to practice all of these
activities or do them every night. We will be working with the words at school.
Have fun with it and create new games
with your child to practice the words.
