Word Study WHAT IS WORD STUDY? FOR PARENTS

Who we are Fay Harrington  Longwood University Graduate Student Kristen Honeycutt  Bedford County Public Schools  Longwood University Graduate Student

Today’s Agenda  Experience Word Study  Explain the different stages of Word Study  Explain the assessment procedure  Identify where students should ideally be spelling  Identify ways parents can help with word study at home  Create ready to use home instructional materials  Wrap up

What you will learn today  You will learn what word study is  You will learn the different stages of word study  You will learn how students are evaluated for word study  You will learn how to help your child at home  You will learn to create stage specific home use resources

What is word study?  Word study is a research based spelling instruction program focused on learning to recognize word patterns within the English language. It develops general knowledge of spelling and increases specific knowledge of words (WTW). It is sequential instruction involving hands on manipulation of words. Each stage in the sequence relies on skills developed in the previous stage and has some overlapping. There are five stages of word study starting with the youngest child who scribbles on a paper and brings it to a parent all the way to the etymologist (person who studies word history). Although word study does not expect all students to become etymologists, the understanding of the history of a word, and the meaning of its different and related parts can help a person spell and define a word.

Experiencing Word Study  Have you seen these before?

It used to look like this g a G Q a Q g Rr q z r Z g a RA q z Z

Turn and sort  With a person, or people near you please sort the papers you have in your baggie

This is a font sort using beginning letter sounds GrassRabbitAppleZebraQueen g Ra Z Q G rAz q gr a Z Q g R a z q

This was a sort for Emergent Spellers  Emergent spellers are the first stage of spellers

Emergent spellers  Alphabet recognition (able to recognize all upper and lower case letters)  Alphabet formation (able to form all upper and lower case letters)  Letter sounds (student is able to match one sound to each letter)

Let’s try it again

It used to look like this BMC

Beginning letter sound sort BMC BMC BagMittenCat BoxMoonCow BugMouseCandle BusMopCorn

Letter Name Alphabetic  Initial and final consonants in a single syllable, short vowel word  Diagraphs (sh, th, wh, ph, ch, qu)  Blends (l blends, r blends and final blends (ft, rd, st)  Common short vowel words often referred to as CVC  Common sight words

Let’s try one a little more advanced  Try this sort with your group

It used to look like this Short ă CVC Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC CapLakeRainSatFlax GainTaxBasePlaneLamp PlanSailPailFastTake BakeBareMaidMailWave

This is a short ă long ā sort. Short ă CVC Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC CapLakeRain TaxBaseGain PlanPlanePail LampBareMaid FlaxBak FastTake SatWave Notice there are two different patterns to make long ā.

Within Word Pattern  Common long vowel patterns  Uncommon long vowel patterns  Ambiguous vowels (neither long nor short aw in crawl)  Complex consonants (tch, dge, thr, str)  Homophones (two words with the same pronunciation, different spellings and different meanings)  Single syllable sight words

Learning to spell and define these words allows students to make quick connections and observations. Short ă CVC Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC CapLakeRain TaxBaseGain PlanPlanePail LampBareMaid FlaxBak FastTake SatWave

This sort introduces an oddball; one that doesn’t follow the pattern. Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC oddball BareBearWhaleWailStare StairGaitGateMadeMaid Mal PlanePlainWave WaiveBreakBrakeGreatGrate

This sort introduces an oddball; one that doesn’t follow the pattern Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC oddball Bar Break StarePlainBear MaleWailGreat PlaneWaive GateMaid BrakePail WhaleStair WaveGait Made Pale Grate

Word study allows students to make observations about spelling. Long ā CVCe Long ā CVVC oddball Bar Break StarePlainBear MaleWailGreat PlaneWaive GateMaid BrakePail WhaleStair WaveGait Made Pale Grate A student may notice each word has a matching word by sound but not spelling “ea” makes the long a ā sound in these words waive has both silent e and CVVC patterns A student may wonder Why? How do I know which one to use? Is “ea” and oddball? Are there other words that have silent e markers and CVVC spellings? Word study encourages these observations and questions. Word study works to help students understand the whys and the hows of spelling.

Ready to try another?

Adding ING DoubleNothingE-dropoddball TrimmingDivingPushingFloatingMixing TaxingSleepingJumpingRidingPopping MunchingCheeringWaitingWantingKicking QuittingWastingSlidingDrivingDragging

No, we’re not trying to trick you.

This is a syllables and affixes sort DoubleNothingE-dropoddball TrimmingJumpingPushing PoppingSleepingJumping DraggingCheeringWaiting QuittingWantingSliding TaxingWasting MixingDiving MunchingRiding FloatingDriving Kicking You may say “There are no oddballs. But when you know what pattern to look for…..

This is a syllables and affixes sort DoubleNothingE-dropoddball TrimmingJumpingPushingMixing PoppingSleepingJumpingTaxing DraggingCheeringWaiting QuittingWantingSliding TaxingWasting MixingDiving MunchingRiding FloatingDriving Kicking PUT THE pATTERN GUIDELINE HERE You’ll see that mix and tax don’t fit the pattern. Words that end in “x” don’t fit the pattern. They make their own. By giving students the opportunity to study the words and the patterns they make students can make better decisions when spelling words.

Syllable and Affixes  Learn about the spelling changes that often take place at the joining of two syllables.  Compound words  Unusual plurals  Two syllable homophones (pedal, petal, peddle)  Multiple syllable words without affixes (cattle)  Homographs (two words spelled the same but pronounced differently)  Identify simple affixes

Last one, we promise.

-able-ible DependableEdibleAgreeableLegibleCredible LaughablePerishablePossibleFeasibleVisible AgreeableExpendablePredictableReadablePlausible RemarkableProfitableAudibleHorribleTangible

Obvious, you say? But why? -able-ible DependableEdible LaughablePossible AgreeableLegible PerishableFeasible ExpendableCredible RemarkableVisible PredictablePlausible ReadableHorrible AgreeableTangible ProfitableAudible Take away the suffix. What do you find? Words that end in –able the remaining word is a base word. Words that end in –ible the remaining word is a root word. What’s the difference? A base word can stand alone. This is why word study is sequential. When students are in the syllables and affixes stage they learn about bases and roots. They learn how to identify them within multi syllable words.

Derivational Relations  This is the study of how new words are created from existing words; and the development of a word from its historical origin.  Additional study of prefixes and suffixes  Greek and Latin word elements  Advanced suffix study

What are the 5 stages?  EMERGENT (beginning, middle and late)  LETTER NAME ALPHABETIC (beginning, middle and late)  WITHIN WORD PATTERN (beginning, middle and late)  SYLLABLES AND AFFIXES (beginning, middle and late)  DERIVATIONAL RELATIONS

Spelling stage expectations by grade level. Grade level Typical spelling stage ranges within grade End of year spelling stage goal KEmergent – Letter Name Alphabetic Middle Letter Name Alphabetic 1Late Emergent – Within Word Pattern Early Within Word Pattern 2Late Letter Name – Early Syllables & Affixes Late Within Word Pattern 3Within Word Pattern – Syllables & Affixes Early Syllables & Affixes 4Within Word Pattern – Syllables & Affixes Middle Syllables & Affixes 5Syllables & Affixes – Derivational Relations Late Syllables & Affixes 6+Syllables & Affixes – Derivational Relations Derivational Relations

Where do TJES students fall?  The following results are based on the PALS exit assessments for 2014 GradeYear End Spelling Stage Goals % Achieved % Surpassed K

How do teachers determine what spelling stage is right for my child?  Student are given a spelling inventory. It is a spelling test that should not be studied for.  The words in the spelling inventories have been chosen specifically because they provide the spelling features that word study studies.  Words in the spelling inventory start off with short vowels, then common long vowels, and progress through other long vowels and ambiguous vowels.  The words get more difficult as the inventory asks students to spell words with variable affixes requiring knowledge of syllable juncture changes.  Teachers will not ask K student to spell words for derivational spellers.

Determining spelling stage.  Spelling inventories are not evaluated in the same manner as a spelling test.  Features within a word are worth points.  Students get one point for each correctly spelled word.  They get additional points for each feature within the word the inventory is evaluating.  MOP might be worth 4 points. 1 for getting the short vowel right, 1 for the beginning sound, 1 for the ending sound and 1 for spelling it correctly.  GREAT might be worth 3 points. 1 for the gr blend, 1 for ea and one for spelling it correctly.  QUITTING might be worth 2 points. 1 for tting, and 1for spelling it correctly.

 The points are added up and the points for spelling the particular features being evaluated in the word are counted.  If a student consistently misses the spelling of common long vowels, the student will most likely be placed in within word pattern spelling.  There are exceptions. A student who spells all long vowel patterns and ambiguous vowels correctly with the exception of ai, may be given additional side instruction or homework to learn this vowel team and be placed in a different stage or subset of the stage (late instead of middle)

What can I do at home to help?  Be aware of what your child is doing at school.  Is your child manipulating the words like you have today?  Is your child sorting and writing the words sorted?  Is your child concentrating on the task at hand?  Be involved in what your child is doing at home.  Is your child manipulating the words like you have today?  Is your child making observations and connections?  Is your child seeing the patterns?  Is your child engaged in learning to spell the words?

Engaging your child with games.  There are many games you can play at home with your child.  Speed sort  Speed spell  Dry erase spell  Magnet spell  Flip book spell  Board game spell

Flip book instructions.  2 and 3 letter words  Put instructions here  4 letter words (not just for little kids)  Put instructions here

 Image of flip book

“A” board game.  It doesn’t get any easier to make than this.  This game is nothing more than the letter A divided into squares. As you and your child spell the words from our long a short a sort correctly you get to move around the game board.  Next time you play, identify if the word is spelled ai, a silent e or a. Don’t worry about the other letters.  It’s that easy to engage your child in word study at home.

Make at home board games This board game was made in less than five minutes using the add “ing” sort we used earlier in this workshop. The rules are simple. Roll the die. Correctly add ing to the word in the space and you get to stay. Does your opponent think you have it wrong? Check in your word study book. If you have it wrong you go back. If you were right go again. If you land on a space that says spell one (or more) from the pile, your opponent picks up the correct number or words and reads them to you one at a time and you spell them. Get them right, stay on your space. Get them wrong, go back.

General board game instructions  In your bucket you will find laminated construction paper, dry erase markers, wrapped candy and dice.  On the back of each laminated construction piece is instructions on how to create a board game.  Go for it!  We will be here to help.

 You will find that after a while you will be able to make these games up without any type of instructions.  You will see those little cards come home and you will have a game done in no time flat.  You may find yourself wiling away the hours playing a just created word study game.

 Picture of kids playing word study game in drs office.

Quick wrap up/summary  Word study is researched based.  If you have questions about your child’s progress, ask the teacher.

Thank you.  Please take a brochure with the stages described, student placement and additional resources.  You are welcome to take home your board, instructions, word cards and game pieces.  Please leave the dry erase markers in the bucket