School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 Getting Started with Sitton Spelling and Word Skills A Q&A of Tips & Tricks to Facilitate Implementation ~ Grade 6

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How does Sitton Spelling and Word Skills differ from a traditional spelling program? It is NOT exercises in memorization. It IS a word study program. Words studied are chosen based on frequency of use. Words are studied in context. Students are learning to spell well for life, not for a week. Students work collaboratively.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How do I begin organizing for instruction? Use page 402 of the teachers guide to plan. Read through the lesson. Decide what kinds of materials are necessary. Decide which optional lessons you will do.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What are the components of a typical unit? It depends! Use your curriculum map and the planning guide on page 402 to help you decide.the planning guide on page 402

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 Basics & Electives [as listed in the Sitton manual]

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What is the focus of the Build Skills and Word Experiences part of the lesson? Teaches students processes and strategies for examining and thinking about words and their application in writing.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What is the Word Preview? A visual skill-building activity to assist students in picturing words letter by letter rather than as a whole word

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What is the focus of the Assess Words and Skills part of the lesson? General word work now becomes specific word work. Personal spelling word lists are determined from the Cloze Story Word Test and the Sentence Dictation Test. Students do not prestudy the words for these tests.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How do I effectively use the posters? Posters are a teaching tool as well as a reference.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What materials need to be prepared in advance of the lesson? Materials needed depend on the lesson. It is best to look ahead to determine your needs. Do you have access to dictionaries and thesauruses?

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How could students organize their materials? Notebook Folder Binder

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How do I know which concepts/activities are the most important for my students to learn? Use the curriculum map. Think about student needs. When in doubt, do number 1.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 Should I create a spelling list in addition to the cloze, skill, and dictation tests in the program? No! It is not necessary! You may find occasions to have students learn a few content words.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What is the best way to incorporate the writing skills activities? Do during regular spelling time. Start or end the unit with poems. Integrate into Writing Workshop if applicable.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 How can I determine spelling grades? Use tests and the Dear Parent letter. Assign point values for completion of various components. Take a random sampling of the no-excuse words.

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 What information should I share with parents? This is a word study program, not a memorization program. Sample pieces of student writing highlighting spelling skills Copies of tests and homework Take home tasks and parent/child activities

School City of MishawakaSpring 2007 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.