1. Getting Started with Sitton Spelling and Word Skills
A Q&A of
Tips & Tricks to Facilitate Implementation ~
Grade 4
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

2. School City of Mishawaka
How does Sitton Spelling and Word Skills differ from a traditional spelling program?
Spelling for life
Flexible time for lessons
Meets students’ needs
Integrated with other content areas
Teaches how words work
No weekly spelling list
“no excuses” list
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

3. How do I begin organizing for instruction?
Start with p. 331 – 376
View grade level CD
Tab manual
Personal posters, page
Word cards--Copy Masters, page 385
Achievement tests, 360
Word lists for priority/core words, page 377
Teaching posters, page 411
Teaching notes (after last lesson), page 331
Remember – don’t try to teach everything!
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

4. What are the components of a typical unit?
Word Preview
Write/Rewrite
Concepts
Word/Cloze Test
Skills Test
Dictation
Chart/Notebooks/Homework/Skill Groups
Stretch It
Fix It
Sort It
Add It
Finish It
Find It
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

5. Basics & Electives [as listed in the Sitton manual]
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

6. School City of Mishawaka
What is the focus of the “Build Skills and Word Experiences” part of the lesson?
Introduce concepts
Background knowledge
Sound/letter patterns
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

7. What is the Word Preview?
Visual warm-up activity of core words
Not spelling words for the week
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

8. What is the focus of the “Assess Words and Skills” part of the lesson?
Word test assesses how students use spelling in context
Skill Test assesses how students use the skills that they have acquired through content activities
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

9. How do I effectively use the posters?
Copy for students to keep in their folders or notebooks
Large teacher posted may be hung with rings on a big science board.
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

10. What materials need to be prepared in advance of the lesson?
Parent homework activity
Cloze/skills test paper
Personal poster
Words to learn
Achievement test
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

11. How could students organize their materials?
Folders or notebooks to contain
Personal poster
Core word list
Priority words
Exercise Express
Concepts
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

12. School City of Mishawaka
How do I know which concepts/activities are the most important for my students to learn?
Use the language arts curriculum map for a guide.
Evaluate unit test to determine re-teaching needs.
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

13. School City of Mishawaka
Should I create a spelling list in addition to the cloze, skill, and dictation tests in the program?
No!
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

14. What is the best way to incorporate the writing skills activities?
Integrate with writing workshop
Electives
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

15. How I determine spelling grades?
Options for grades include
Word/cloze
Random checking of “no excuse” words
Exercise Express activities
Skill test
Dictation
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

16. What information should I share with parents?
Open House information
Philosophy of program
Parent letters from Sitton
Study procedure
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007

17. How do I subscribe to the Sitton newsletter?
Go to and click on the E-Newsletter link at the bottom of the page. You will come to this page where you may access the archived newsletters, as well as subscribe to future editions.
School City of Mishawaka
Spring 2007